Singapore Airlines A380 diverts to New Delhi on medical emergency

by Devesh Agarwal

Just as there are talks of permitting A380 operations in India, a Singapore Airlines Airbus A380-800 registration 9V-SKT operating flight SQ321 from London Heathrow, United Kingdom to Singapore Changi airport, with 388 passengers onboard (number of crew unknown at this time) was forced to divert to New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), India, due to a medical emergency.

Singapore Airlines A380-800. Image copyright Devesh Agarwal. Used with permission. May not be copied or re-distributed.

The flight landed at 12:29 local (06:59Z). The ill passenger was taken to the airport hospital for check-up and treatment. The flight departed for Singapore at 14:30 (09:00Z).

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British Airways to commence 787 service to Hyderbad in March 2014

by Devesh Agarwal

Image courtesy British Airways

Flag carrier British Airways will bring its latest aircraft, the 787-8 Dreamliner to India in the summer 2014 schedule which starts on March 30th. The aircraft has 214 seats in a three-class cabin layout with 35 business class seats, 25 economy plus, and 154 economy class seats. The aircraft features the latest cabin product of British Airways, though the economy class is the bone crunching nine-abreast seating.

Hyderabad will be the first destination in India, as the airline currently flies a daily 767-300 to the city with 189 seats in a three-class cabin layout with 24 business, 24 economy plus and 141 economy class seats.

The most rational explanation for the airline to operate the 787 to Hyderabad appears to be the similarity in size.

British Airways is also expanding routes using its new aircraft. Their A380 will begin flying between London Heathrow and Washington Dulles from September 1, 2014. The aircraft is already flying between London Heathrow and Los Angeles and Hong Kong direct, and will start services between London and Johannesburg in February 2014.

The airline's Boeing 787s will fly nonstop between London and Austin, Texas from March 3, 2014, Philadelphia, USA, from June 5 and Calgary, Canada from July 5, 2014. In addition to Hyderabad, the 787 will commence Chengdu, China as another Asian destination from May 5, 2014.

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Air India to launch 787 on Mumbai - London Heathrow

by BA Staff

National carrier Air India is bringing the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to its services between its secondary hub at Mumbai and London Heathrow International Airport from 30th March, 2014. Schedules for the flight are as follow

AI131 ~ BOM - LHR ~ D: 0630 A: 1130 ~ 788 ~ Daily

AI130 ~ LHR - BOM ~ D: 1315 A: 0305+1 ~ 788 ~ Daily

Additionally, Bangalore Aviation's sources tell us that new nonstop services between Air India's largest international hub at Delhi and Moscow will soon be loaded into the global distribution system (GDS). Air India already has won approval to launch Delhi-Moscow from the Indian government. 

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British Airways increases London Chennai frequency to six flights a week

by Devesh Agarwal

British Airways Boeing 777-200ER. Photo © Devesh Agarwal.

From October 27, flag carrier British Airways will add an additional weekly flight on the London Heathrow Chennai route, taking its weekly frequency to six.

With this flight the airline will increase its weekly flights to 48 to five cities in India, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Hyderabad.

The carrier will continue to use a three class Boeing 777-200ER aircraft with Club World business class, World Traveller Plus premium economy, and World Traveller economy class cabins.

The flight schedule remains the same.

BA35 departs London Heathrow at 09:30 arrives Chennai 01:00 the next morning
BA36 departs Chennai at 04:00 arrives London Heathrow 09:35.

BA Lockheed L-1011. Photo by Michel Gilliand. Under GNU Lic.

British Airways first commenced service from London Heathrow to Chennai on November 3, 1988 with twice weekly flights via Kuwait City using a Lockheed TriStar L1011-385-1 aircraft. At that time, Terminal 4 at Heathrow airport was used. Today it is the ultra-large Terminal 5 or T5 as it is better known.

In October 1993, the flights were increased to four a week via Mumbai or Dubai using Boeing 767 and 747 aircraft. In November 1995 British Airways celebrated its 1000th flight to Chennai which at that time was a thrice weekly service via Mumbai using Boeing 747s. In the summer 1997 time-table the airline suspended its flights to the city. In October 1998 British Airways re-started twice weekly services to Chennai using the Boeing 747-400. This service was upgraded to five a week in 2008.

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British Airways long haul network changes: Summer 2014

by BA Staff

London based full service carrier British Airways has already begun to announce changes to its long haul network for the Summer 2014 season. Bangalore Aviation has prepared a summary of those changes below.

London Heathrow

• Accra - 10x weekly service introduced for Winter 2013/14 continues and sees capacity increase from daily Boeing 777 + thrice weekly Boeing 767 to daily 747-400 plus thrice weekly 767.
• Austin - NEW nonstop route to be served 5x weekly with Boeing 787 Dreamliner beginning 3rd March 2014, and up-gauged to daily from 4th May. 
• Entebbe - Service increases from 3x weekly to 4x weekly
• Jeddah - Upgraded from 3-class 767 to 4-class 777
• Johannesburg - Frequency decreased from 17x weekly in Summer 2013 to 14x weekly in Summer 2014: 8x weekly 747-400, 6x Airbus A380
• Los Angeles - Capacity decreased from 3x daily 747-400 to 2x daily A380
• Seattle - Frequency increased from 10x weekly introduced for Winter 2013/14 to 12x weekly: now daily 777 plus 5x weekly 747-400
• Tel Aviv- One of 3x daily flights up-gauged from 3-class Airbus A321 to 4-class 777

London Gatwick

• Antigua - Punta Cana - Increases from 2x weekly to 3x weekly 777
• Kingston - Increases from 3x weekly to 4x weekly
• Orlando - Increases from 10x weekly to 13x weekly
• St. Lucia - Increases from 6x weekly to 7x weekly

All changes are Summer 2014 vs. Summer 2013 unless otherwise noted

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Ethiopian Airlines reports record profits, stands behind Dreamliner despite fire

Image Credit: Konstantin von Wedelstaedt

by Vinay Bhaskara

African carrier Ethiopian Airlines has announced a record net profit of 2.03 billion birr (US $107.6 million) for the period from July 2012 - June 2013, up 178% from 734 million birr (US $39.2 million)year-over-year (YOY). Operating profitability also rose a healthy 170% YOY to 2.7 billion birr (US $143.1 billion), from 1 billion birr (US $53.0 million). While the carrier has not yet formally released its financial results, CEO Tewolde Gebremariam presented these figures as coming from Ethiopian's un-audited results for the period. The formal announcement of results should come soon.

Interestingly, Gebremariam attributed Ethiopian's profitability in part to the troubled Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, citing the fuel savings driven by the aircraft's increased fuel efficiency. His comments come just a month and a half after an Ethiopian Dreamliner memorably caught fire at London's Heathrow Airport in early July (an incident later attributed to a Honeywell Emergency Locator Transmitter), and a three month long grounding of the aircraft due to battery issues earlier this year. Gebremariam admitted that the Dreamliners had caused some issues for Ethiopian this past financial year:

Definitely the incidents and grounding have some impact. We were very fortunate that coincidentally the grounding of the planes were in what we call slack season. It's a slow demand season. So were able to minimize the level of the impact.

However, he also said that the carrier has seen a demand boost from the Dreamliners:

Whenever we introduce the aircraft in any route, the load factor immediately increases, which means our customers love the plane, they are enjoying its features

Ethiopian says that it will take delivery of its remaining 8 Dreamliners on order (5 direct orders and 3 leases), bringing the carrier's active fleet of 787-8 Dreamliners to 12 (13 frames on the books but one is currently indisposed at Heathrow Airport). Ethiopian currently operates a fleet of 54 passenger aircraft (with 31 more on order - 14 Airbus A350-900s, 8 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, 4 Boeing 777-300ERs, and 5 Boeing 737-800s) serving 80 passenger destinations around the globe. Based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian is a member of the Star Alliance partnership of global airlines, and is one of the world's fastest growing airlines.

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787 Dreamliners alone cannot save an inefficient Air India

by Devesh Agarwal

Recent media reports blare the headline

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the latest acquisition of Air India, is likely to shore up the fortune of India's national carrier.

This is backed by the many advertisements portraying some of the top Indian CEOs, giving big thumbs up after travelling in the next generation flying machine of India’s national carrier.

Various media reports quote the Indian civil aviation minister Ajit Singh, on the planned expansion of Air India's network using the 787 Dreamliners. In a press release by the Indian Government, the minister spells out progress on the Dreamliner battery modification

The Minister for Civil Aviation , Shri Ajit Singh has said that out of six Dreamliners, two Dreamliners have already been modified for commercial operations and all 6 planes will be ready for operation by the end of this month.

Singh goes on to reveal a few financial performance parameters of the airline. In typical government fashion, the information reveals a small part of the story while concealing the essential. Reported is the increase in yield (revenue per passenger-kilometre) but hidden is crucial information like cost per passenger-kilometre, since revenue minus cost reveals the true performance of the airline, which the government will never report to the tax-payer whose money is being used to fund the airline.

Statistics aside, the main question here is: Why is the Indian minister for civil aviation making operational announcements about the airline? Globally it is the top management of the airline performing this task. Is Singh also assuming the duties of the Chairman and Managing Director of the Air India? Why is Ajit Singh also doing Rohit Nandan’s job? Should Singh not be concerned more about the abysmal performance of the DGCA in the sphere of safety regulation and the impending audit by ICAO?

Singh should let Nandan do his job, while he focusses on building a strong policy and robust regulatory structure for the benefit of the entire Indian aviation sector, and not just individual airlines.

These actions exemplify the daily and deep interference by the political and administrative class in the operations of ‘India’s National Carrier’, and how the airline's leadership, which is beholden to the political and bureaucratic establishment for their jobs, are side-lined.

As a result the airline leadership is rendered powerless, and relieved from any ownership of performance, and by extension absolved of responsibility for results.

In my humble opinion, this is akin to a criminal abandonment of one's duties and responsibilities.

Air India is losing thousands of crores each year and has racked up debts exceeding a mind blowing 53,400 crores ($8.9 billion) till date; and, and no one is held accountable!!!

Recently Air India was given a mammoth Rs. 30,000 crore bailout or Rs. one crore for each of its 30,000 employees in an over-bloated workforce. In comparison India's health department budget for last year was Rs. 28,000 crore. Surely India does not need a 'national airline' more than the health of its citizens.

The politicians appear to be the driving force of this "feel happy" message on the 787 to deflect from some horrid truths. The Indian public is being kept blissfully unaware, much of the airline's modern Boeing 777 fleet remains grounded due to a lack of spare parts; shocking considering most of the bailout money has already been spent. Read related story.

In another example of political interference killing the airline, in 2006, Air India was forced to buy the special purpose ultra-long range Boeing 777-200LR, to fulfil the pipe-dreams of non-stop Indian USA flights, of then civil aviation administration led by Praful Patel. Even as the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) questioned the purchase of the 777LR's itself, the configuration of aircraft shows the wasteful nature of "planning" at the airline.

Air India's 777-200LRs are configured with a pathetic 238 seats in 8/35/195 first, business, and economy class. In comparison, global airlines offer many more economy class seats, the type of passengers Air India most commonly flies. Emirates offers 10.7% more seats, Air Canada 17% more, even Qatar Airways, rated one of the most luxurious economy class in the world, offers 10.6% more economy class seats.

The airline has been trying to sell these LRs since 2009, but this is a special use aircraft with very few airlines as takers; and within this limited market, no airline in its right mind will buy such an uneconomically configured aircraft with so few seats. The advice of many an aviation expert for Air India to re-configure its LRs and increase seats, have fallen of deaf ears.

The airline is forced to fly this uneconomic configuration, and the political spin machine generates stories that the 777 is not a commercially viable aircraft. The sales performance of the 777 speaks for itself. The 777 is one of the most successful aircraft in history with over 1,400 orders and 1,105 deliveries till date. The new Boeing 777X project is expected to replace the venerable 747 Jumbo Jet in the next decade. The two largest 777 operators in the world are Emirates and Singapore Airlines, essentially India's neighbours.

If blowing up precious tax-payer rupees and not repairing, improving and deploying, the existing fleet is a criminal waste, what would you call the misinformation and misdirection?

Another quote by the minister that needs to be placed in perspective

"The Boeing 787 has the optimal size and range to allow Air India to not only operate its current routes more profitably, but also to open up new markets giving Air India a true first mover advantage,"

Where were these grand plans in July 2012 Mr. Minister?

Qatar Airways had made a lot of publicity in London that they would be the first carrier to operate the Dreamliner in to the prestigious city. Their deliveries were additionally delayed. Air India, which constantly complains of competition from the gulf carriers, received its Dreamliners months ahead of Qatar Airways, and could have destroyed the million dollar campaign of Qatar by operating the 787 to London, its largest international destination. The lack of a logical answer as to why Air India chose not to, is so compelling, one is forced to ask, is this a result of "lobbying" or some quid-pro-quo?

Instead of obtaining first mover advantage at one of the world's most premium destinations, Air India operated the Dreamliner, on routes like Dubai, which is filled with low yielding low cost labour traffic. Instead of London, its largest international destination, Air India operated 787s to Frankfurt, where it constantly loses to global network behemoths like Lufthansa. When I asked why, there was no logical answer, but sources in the airline told me, the airline was just ordered to fly the Frankfurt route, at the behest of "someone in power".

Air India continues to remain a wife with 1,000 husbands - interfered with, used and abused, by all of its stakeholders, with the exception of the tax-payer whose money is being burnt like the fuel in jet engines.

The 787 Dreamliner is a good and fuel efficient aircraft that will benefit Air India, if used properly; but any person with a modicum of common sense will realise just even this next generation fuel efficient aircraft alone cannot save an inefficiently and negligently run airline.

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Routes Analysis: British Airways grows Hyderabad - London

by Vinay Bhaskara

British Airways wide-bodies on the ramp at their global hub at London Heathrow

From October 27th, London based full service carrier British Airways will be up-gauging its services between Hyderabad and its global hub at London Heathrow to daily flights utilizing Boeing 777-200ER aircraft configured in a 275 seat 3-class configuration (48J/24Y+/203Y), including flat beds in Club World. The flights are currently served with 3-class Boeing 767-300ER aircraft configured with 189 seats (24J/24Y+/141Y) 6 times per week, and an up-gauge was already planned to 6 weekly flights on the 777-200ER for IATA Winter 2013-14.

Said Christopher Fordyce, British Airways Regional Commercial Manager India:

For British Airways, Hyderabad is truly a key market in our South Asian network. We have witnessed tremendous growth in the market since 2008, resulting in concerted growth in the outbound business and leisure tourism.... Our customers from Hyderabad will now be able to enjoy daily service to the UK whilst enjoying British Airways' unmatched inflight services and flying experience,

British Airways is the only European carrier remaining with service to Hyderabad, where yields for long haul connections to Europe and North America are coming under increasing pressure from the MEB3 carriers Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways (plus potentially an entrance from Turkish Airlines). Since the Global Financial Crisis in 2008-9, business traffic to and from Hyderabad has largely plateaued while leisure and VFR traffic has continued to grow. But such traffic is by and large, too low-yielding to sustain the European carriers with their ever increasing cost bases. KLM ended its short-lived Hyderabad services in 2008 after launching in 2005, while Lufthansa ended its Frankfurt - Hyderabad flights in 2011.

Hyderabad is still a massive demand center for services to North America. In 2011, Hyderabad had 481,748 passengers worth of origin and destination demand (O&D) demand to and from the United States. With 21 North American destinations served through its London Heathrow hub (plus Raleigh Durham through the joint venture partnership with American Airlines) - British Airways appears to be doing good business connecting passengers between Hyderabad and the US, and it has an advantage over the MEB3 who only serve 7-8 passenger destinations in North America. 

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Post 787 fire, UK air accident investigator recommends review of all Lithium powered ELTs on all aircraft

by Devesh Agarwal

The United Kingdom's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has issued a special bulletin (read PDF here) on the fire that broke out on Ethiopian Airline's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner ET-AOP, parked at London's Heathrow airport last Friday.

In the report, the AAIB said the fire occurred in the rear upper fuselage where the fixed Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) is located. The ELT model RESCU406AFN is made by US aviation major, Honeywell International.

The report says

Detailed examination of the ELT has shown some indications of disruption to the battery cells. It is not clear however, whether the combustion in the area of the ELT was initiated by a release of energy within the batteries or by an external mechanism such as an electrical short. In the case of an electrical short, the same batteries could provide the energy for an ignition and suffer damage in the subsequent fire.

There are no other aircraft system in this area of the plane which, with the aircraft unpowered, contained stored energy capable of causing such a fire,

However, the report also gives some benefit of doubt to Honeywell, saying

The ELT manufacturer has produced some 6,000 units of this design which are fitted to a wide range of aircraft and, to date, the incident on 12 July 2013 has been the only significant thermal event

The AAIB has made two safety recommendations in its report:

Safety Recommendation 2013-016
It is recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration initiate action for making inert the Honeywell International RESCU406AFN fixed Emergency Locator Transmitter system in Boeing 787 aircraft until appropriate airworthiness actions can be completed.

Safety Recommendation 2013-017
It is recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration, in association with other regulatory authorities, conduct a safety review of installations of Lithium-powered Emergency Locator Transmitter systems in other aircraft types and, where appropriate, initiate airworthiness action.

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing released a statement saying

As a party to the investigation, Boeing supports the two recommendations from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), which we think are reasonable precautionary measures to take as the investigation proceeds. We are working proactively to support the regulatory authorities in taking appropriate action in response to these recommendations, in coordination with our customers, suppliers, and other commercial airplane manufacturers.

We are confident the 787 is safe and we stand behind its overall integrity.

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Images: Singapore Airlines unveils new cabin product for its Airbus A350XWB and Panasonic eX3 IFE for 777

Small portion of existing Boeing 777-300ER (77W) fleet also to be refitted.

by Devesh Agarwal

National carrier Singapore Airlines unveiled its next generation of cabin products, which will be deployed on its Airbus A350 XWB aircraft which recently celebrated its first flight on June 14th, and is due to enter service in late 2014.

The airline will also initially introduce the new cabin products, progressively, on eight Boeing 777-300ER (B77W) aircraft, at a cost of US$ 150 million. The airline has 19 B77W in its fleet and another eight on order. It is not clear if the airline will retrofit existing 77Ws or introduce the new cabin on the new aircraft. The airline's total fleet is 102 aircraft comprising of A380s, Boeing 777-200ERs, 777-300s, 777-300ERs, A340-500s, and A330-300s.

The first passengers to experience the new cabin will be on the 777-300ER service between Singapore and London Heathrow starting from September.

The airline has worked for more than two years with world-renowned design firms to develop the new products. BMW Group DesignworksUSA assisted with the development of the new First Class, James Park Associates assisted with Business Class and Massive Interactive with the in-flight entertainment system interface.

The new in-flight entertainment (IFE) audio-video on demand (AVOD) system

The new Krisworld IFE system is uses the new Panasonic eX3 system which the airline will be the launch customer of on the A350 XWB and is the first to offer on the 77Ws.

The new KrisWorld features larger LCD screens and video touch-screen handsets across all classes. LCD screens will increase from 23 to 24 inches in First Class, 15.4 to 18 inches in Business Class and 10.6 to 11.1 inches in Economy Class. Economy Class customers will also be able to browse through the more than 1,000 on-demand entertainment options by swiping or scrolling through the touch-screen monitor, while first and business will have touch-screen handsets.

Passengers will be able to multi-task among the varied entertainment options available. For example, they may watch a movie, while at the same time use the handset to keep up to date with the latest news headlines or track the aircraft’s flight path. Alternatively, customers may use the handset as a touchscreen trackpad to navigate KrisWorld. New features such as “Quick Search”, where a flick of the handset pulls up a playlist of entertainment choices, are also being introduced.

The new 'Notification Centre' on the KrisWorld dashboard contains information relevant to the flight, reducing the number of on-board announcements, allowing uninterrupted viewing of video programs. Passengers will also experience greater personalisation, with KrisWorld providing content recommendations based on passengers’ preferences. They may also rate movies and see how others have rated these.

First Class

Singapore Airlines' new First Class seat features a new fixed-back shell design with curved side panels to provide a clear demarcation of personal space, for added privacy. At 35 inches in width and with an increased bed length from 80 to 82 inches, it is one of the most spacious First Class products in the sky. An ergonomically sculpted cushion and improved adjustable headrest have been introduced for greater seating comfort, while new features such as a padded headboard for extra support and an additional mattress layer ensure passengers enjoy a comfortable rest.

Little but important features have been added. For example, the seat now boasts a stylish passenger control unit that includes a new switch to provide passengers easier access to turn off their in-flight entertainment monitor, and for cabin crew to do so without disturbing passengers when they are resting. New lighting was developed after extensive scientific research. In addition to reading lights, the seat features ambient lighting, which not only accentuates the seat design but also serves as a night light in a dimmed cabin. The seat features an all-in-one panel including in-seat power supply, USB port, eXport and HDMI ports allowing passengers to view content from personal media devices.

Business Class

Singapore Airlines retains its leadership in this class with its 1-2-1 configuration which rivals the first class of most airlines. The new Business Class seat offers greater recline at 132 degrees and features an improved ergonomic seat cushion. When converted, it becomes the industry's widest full-flat bed, at 78 inches in length. In addition, the new seat offers two new seating positions - 'Lazy Z' and 'Sundeck' based on in-depth research and feedback from passengers. The seat offers increased stowage space, with an amenity stowage area on the side console and a laptop stowage area. The lighting, LCD monitor on/off switch, and all-in-one panel from the first class cabin is added.

Economy Class

From photographs, it appears Singapore Airlines has retained its 3-3-3 configuration which offers the widest economy class seat in the world. The new seats are of a 'slimline' type which provides a feeling of increased personal space and legroom. Each seat comes with new backrest seat cushions with side bolsters for better back support and an ergonomically sculpted headrest cushion offering better neck support.

The IFE is on a 11.1-inch touch screen accompanied by a video touch-screen handset.

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Analysis: Delta-Virgin Atlantic tie up does little to enhance Indian connectivity for either carrier

by Vinay Bhaskara

Image by, and copyright Devesh Agarwal. Used with permission.

Earlier this week, Atltanta-based full service carrier Delta Air Lines and London based Virgin Atlantic Airways announced that their application for a code share and joint venture partnership on trans-Atlantic flights had been approved by antitrust authorities in both the United States and European Union.

The deal, in which SkyTeam member Delta will purchase a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic previously owned by Singapore Airlines, covers 108 routes, 91 by Delta, and 17 by Virgin Atlantic. According to the press release put out by Virgin Atlantic, the deal offers the following benefits for customers.

The agreement includes the following customer benefits:

• Virgin Atlantic customers will now enjoy a vast network of connecting North American destinations while Delta customers will gain an additional six daily frequencies between London to New York

• SkyMiles and Flying Club loyalty programs that will offer up to 125% tier bonus miles* to frequent fliers on all Delta and Virgin Atlantic flights - not just those within the codeshare agreement

• Reciprocal Delta Sky Club and Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse access at applicable airports for Upper Class and BusinessElite passengers and Flying Club Gold members and SkyMiles Platinum and Diamond members

• Priority check-in, boarding, baggage handling and additional baggage allowance on all Virgin Atlantic and Delta operated flights worldwide - not just those within the codeshare agreement - for Virgin Atlantic Upper Class and Flying Club Gold members as well as Delta BusinessElite and SkyMiles Gold, Platinum and Diamond members

This is all pretty standard fare for these types of joint venture agreements, though the reciprocal frequent flyer benefits are better than those for most of Delta's partners in the SkyTeam alliance. The benefits will kick in on July 3rd, and will hopefully mark better times for Virgin Atlantic after two straight years of massive losses and increased pressure from rival British Airways at their core hub at London Heathrow.

However, looking at the deal from an Indian consumer's perspective, it adds very little to the existing offerings for both carriers in the India-USA market. Delta Air Lines currently operates a daily flight between Amsterdam and Mumbai, which is fed by its myriad services between the US and Amsterdam. The deal with Virgin Atlantic does nothing to affect the existing Delta service one way or the other.

However, the deal does open up the potential for Delta to add London as an European connecting point for flights to India along with the existing Amsterdam and Paris Charles de Gaulle points, as well as for Virgin Atlantic to enhance its US-India connectivity on existing flights to and from India. However, the schedules just don't bear this out. First of all, the Delhi flights are poorly timed to connect with the additional Delta flights in either direction. The 5:55 pm arrival into Heathrow means that there are no connections possible onto Delta flights; the last Delta departure from Heathrow is 5:10 pm. In the other direction, every Delta arrival into Heathrow is before 12:15 pm, yet the Delhi flight does not depart till 10:00 pm. That 10 hour (minimum) layover simply is not competitive with the quick connections offered by the Middle East Big 3 competition.

In terms of Mumbai, the arrival into Heathrow at 7:55 am allows for relatively effective connections to New York JFK, Minneapolis, and Atlanta, but not Boston or Detroit (the switch from Terminal 4 to Terminal 3 requires passengers to clear security again at Heathrow, adding time to connections). The departure from Heathrow to Mumbai at 10:35 am allows for connections from Boston, New York JFK, and Atlanta, but not from Detroit or Minneapolis. Furthermore, these destinations already have easy access to Mumbai services via Amsterdam.

So in the short term, the Delta-Virgin Atlantic tie up has limited effect on the Indian market. However, it could push Virgin Atlantic to re-time its Delhi and Mumbai operations (creating a red-eye at Delhi?), which would only make Virgin Atlantic's Indian presence more competitive.

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British Airways' first 787 Dreamliner arrives in London

by Devesh Agarwal

US Airframer Boeing delivered to flag carrier, British Airways, its first two Boeing 787 Dreamliners from an existing order of 24.

See video below the fold

The first of the aircraft G-ZBJB flew as flight BA787 from Paine Field in the city of Everett near Seattle, and arrived at London's Heathrow Airport about two hours ago at 12:10 local time (11:10Z). The airplane was welcomed by Mr. Willie Walsh, chief executive officer of International Airlines Group (IAG), the company that owns British Airways.

British Airways has announced that the airline will operate the 787 on flights from Heathrow to Toronto starting September 1 and to Newark from October 1.

The British Airways 787 Dreamliner carries 214 passengers and is configured with 35 seats in Club World, 25 in World Traveller Plus (economy plus) and 154 seats in the World Traveller (economy) cabin. Unfortunately the airline has chosen the dense nine-abreast 3-3-3 bone-crunching configuration in its economy class.

British Airways operates more than 140 Boeing airplanes within its fleet including 52 777s, as well as the world's largest fleet of 747s with 52.

IAG recently announced that it will convert 18 787 options to firm orders for British Airways, subject to shareholder agreement. Twelve of these will be 787-10s, meaning British Airways will operate the entire 787 family – the 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10.

See a picture of the Dreamliner arriving at Heathrow here.

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Trip report: Air Canada Executive First Boeing 777 Frankfurt Toronto, 767 Ottawa London Heathrow

On a recent trip from Bangalore to Dallas-Fort Worth I flew Air Canada international for the first time in my life.

The first trip was from Frankfurt to Toronto Pearson on their Boeing 777-300ER and thanks to mother nature, and two very efficient and caring customer service executives at United and Air Canada in Boston, from Ottawa to London Heathrow in the Boeing 767-300ER.

Air Canada Executive First Suites on their two class Boeing 777-300ERs

Both trips were in the Executive First Suites cabin product which the crew call "The Pods". On the 777s the mini-suite seats are found in the airline's two-class 777-300ER and all 777-200LR aircraft, in a four abreast 1-2-1 configuration, while on the 767 and A330 they are in a 1-1-1 three abreast configuration. 

Frankfurt to Toronto. AC873. Depart 10:00 Arrive 12:15. All times local.
Boeing 777-300ER. C-FITW. Seat 1K. 29-Apr-2013.

Air Canada Executive First Seat 1K on the two class Boeing 777-300ER

The seats open out to 191cm (6’3") long in lie-flat mode, and is 53cm (21") wide. Each pod is equipped with a 30 cm (12") touch-screen TV married to an Audio-Video On Demand (AVOD) in-flight entertainment (IFE) system, and fitted with noise-cancelling Sennheiser headphones. The seats also offer a single-pin audio jack for your own headset. Pillows and a duvet are standard.

Seat 1K on the 77W lacks a window. Comfort of the seat is good. Lots of nooks for storing small items. Can get confusing for the first timer. Did not notice the plugged in Sennheiser noise cancelling headsets in the nook to the right of the seat. Fresh foam covers for the speakers are provided. Also did not notice the bottle of water tucked in left nook (see the second seat in the picture above). The amenity kit is minimal and nothing to write home about.

The seat has nice padding not too firm, and not too soft. I had a comfortable sleep, though, thanks to my excessive international travels back in the 1990s and early 2000s, my sleep patterns are permanently damaged and I cannot sleep for long periods of time.

The "pods" offer a sense of privacy, but are completely individual traveller focussed. There were some couples travelling on the flight and they had to keep getting up to talk to each other. Also the mini-suites do not offer too much of a window view, so any claustrophobia gets magnified.

Was offered the obligatory hot towel, and it was better than what I have experienced on US carriers, but thinner and colder than those on Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines. A choice of water, orange juice or Champagne is offered before the flight.

Unlike the forward facing seats of most business class which allow you to quietly switch on the flight path display and watch while the plane taxies and takes-off, the Air Canada screens are mounted on the side wall and must be opened 90 degrees for viewing. The crew comes around and shuts all the screens once the safety video completes.

Post take-off, the drinks trolley is wheeled out and warm almonds accompany. I was overwhelmed by the extreme generosity of the Canadians when it came to serving alcoholic drinks. Wine, including the fortified Port which is around 20% alcohol, were poured like water, and one could quickly find themselves floating well above the aircraft's cruising altitude if not careful. Since I sampled all the wines, I had to keep raising my hand to stop the crew from over-pouring the wines. I found the whites being served at almost room temperature 

Once the cabin is darkened, the funky blue LED lighting under the screen and around the seat give some very exotic effects.

The meal service is a five course offering. A good selection of hot breads are offered, and the appetizer plate is switched out for the main course, and finally the dessert.

I was very surprised, almost shocked, at the wine list. Air Canada, the national carrier of Canada, does not feature even one wine from Canada, in its wine list, which is made up of rather mediocre but quaffable $6~$10 wines from Southern France, South America, and California. Given the wine culture in Canada, this should be something the carrier must look to improve.

The quantity of food is ever so slightly on the lesser side, but you can make it up with some additional bread.

Staff service is by and large good. I found the Air Canada cabin crew far more responsive and hospitable compared to their US counterparts, and I certainly appreciated the crew's effort to serve my tenderloin as close to medium-rare as possible, something most Asian, and many European carriers just do not do.

Arrival at Toronto was decent. For a connection to the Toronto - Dallas Fort Worth leg, there was a long walk, and then a long wait to enter the US immigration pre-screening, since your name comes up on the screen only after your bags are put on the baggage belt and their photograph is available to the CBP officer.

The US Immigration is followed by a stringent security but regular metal detectors. Immediately after security there is a very nice Air Canada lounge, equipped with the best business centre I have seen till date. Free computers, printers and photo-copiers. Even mobile phone printing, and internet printing.

After almost 20 hours travelling, the first thing I did was take a nice, long, hot, shower. Finally refreshed and not smelling like some over-ripe fruit, I headed across to the food and drink section. Given that it was around 2:30pm by then, there was no food. Just some dry tid-bits. The food was finally refilled around 5pm with salad, soup, and some hot food. Almost the whole lounge, including me, descended on the food like it was going out of fashion. So after went down to catch my YYZ-DFW flight. Was very tired by then. Got on board. Ate something, and passed out.

Ratings*: Flight 7/10. Transit 5/10. Lounge 8/10

Ottawa to London Heathrow. AC888. Depart 22:30 Arrive 10:15. All times local.
Boeing 767-300ER. C-FXCA. Seat 8K. 09-May-2013.

The counter agent staffing the United GlobalFirst counter at Boston Logan saw me coming, and decided to walk away from her counter, leaving me to wait for the BusinessFirst counter to open. I must thank that snooty woman for abandoning her counter, because Joanne at the BusinessFirst counter turned out to be very courteous and super efficient. Thanks to bad weather at Boston, my Boston to Washington Dulles flight was delayed and this would cause me to miss my United Dulles to London Heathrow connection. While she was thinking of options, I informed her that I remembered there was a Boston-Halifax-London connection on Air Canada. Joanne promptly contacted her counterpart at Air Canada Boston, and in little over five minutes I had a new re-routed ticket Boston-Ottawa-London Heathrow. Thanks once again Joanne.

The Boston Ottawa trip was a all-economy CRJ200. I found the transit connection sort of odd. I had to go through Canadian immigration, pick up my bags, go through Canadian Customs, detour through a side door, check-in my bags in, again, for the Ottawa London flight, undergo security, and then board the aircraft. Ours was one of the last flights to board. By this time, all the duty free shops were closed. Sorry Canada, you missed earning some duty free dollars.

This time, I got the last seat, 8K in the cabin, and in the photo below, you will get a better appreciation of the slightly claustrophobic feeling one gets in the "pods".

The crew on this flight were not as hospitable or responsive when compared to their AC873 colleagues. I almost got the feeling they wanted to just complete the service and get some sleep, but still the service was decent. Professional, but lacking warmth.

A generous helping of Gin between the water and tomato juice

The main course selections for the dinner were good, and this time I got my steak medium-rare and bloody. Just as a good cut of beef should be served.

Morning arrival faced the usual delay in the skies over London. Our flight did the obligatory race-track loops before getting clearance to land. After landing, we had to wait on the taxiway, as our gate was occupied by another aircraft that had technicaled. After about a 20 minute wait we finally embarked.

The usual long walk-run to Heathrow's chronically under-staffed immigration counters. Business class passengers have a separate set of queues, but this turned out to be a curse, as one of the two counters was busy processing the rejection of an arriving passenger, and the other counter had its share of complex cases which took much longer to process. After an almost 45 minute wait, an additional counter was opened up, and at the other counter, the rejection too was processed, so the queue moved along and I passed through immigration quickly. By the time I reached baggage claim, the bags were just arriving. Collected and was soon on my way.

Air Canada offers an arrivals lounge service at London Heathrow, but I did not use it.

Ratings*: Flight 6.5/10. Arrival 4/10.

*After almost ten years being pampered by Singapore Airlines, I am spoilt when it comes to service level expectations. So my reviews tend to be a little on the stiff side.

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Travelling with new lower check-in and carry-on hand baggage allowances

by Devesh Agarwal

Last month, I flew more than 50,000 miles across many nations, and airlines, and in the process experienced the carry on hand baggage and check-in baggage rules of different airlines, countries, and airports and to a chance try out new lightweight luggage. [Disclaimer: I have not received any benefit, in any form, from any of the airlines or luggage companies I have referred to in this article.]

Hopefully the tips below will help dealing with the reduction of checked-in baggage allowances in India to 15 kgs and the hand carry on baggage limits of Europe and Asia of 22"size and 7 kgs weight.

1. Check with your airline

Checked baggage weight allowances vary from country to country and airline to airline. In India, some airlines like Jet and Air India have reduced it to 15 kgs, while SpiceJet and GoAir still offer the traditional 20 kgs. Across the world, legacy carriers still offer the standard 20 kgs. To, from and within the US, the piece concept applies and the weight limit is 50 lbs or 23 kgs per bag.

However. you may have a domestic connecting leg on a local carrier in Europe or the US which may have lower baggage allowances than your international carrier. So you can carry one or two pieces free of charge to the US, just to have American, Delta, or United charge you checked bag fees for that leg from New York to Boston. Check with your airline or travel agent about the baggage allowances right till the very end of your trip. Try to get the information in writing. 

2. Carry less

We Indians love to carry stuff. Do you really need to carry so many things? One pair of pants and may be a pair of jeans will last for a whole week. Most hotels in the US and Europe have washing machines, and irons and ironing boards. Carry fewer clothes and use the facilities. Innocuous items like books, paper, food are actually quite heavy. Do you really need to carry the whole business file of the customer?

The airlines have reduced allowance by 25% (from 20kg to 15kg). Reduce what you are packing by the same 25%. Use intelligent packing solutions like Pack-It™ folders which compact your clothes and keep them crease-free.

3. Lightweight luggage

Time to trade in the old war horse but heavy suitcase for the new crop of lightweight bags. Till last month I was using my long trusted TravelPro Platinum series bags which have lasted me at least 500,000 miles. But each bag weighed about 9 kgs when empty. The new lightweight bags weigh as little at 4kgs for a 29 inch four wheel spinner. In India I recommend Samsonite which offers light series like BLight, Lift, and Optimum. American Tourister does not have light enough luggage.

In the US, after trying many a bag, I opted for the TravelPro MaxLite 2 29" spinners. Ultra-light. Strong. Competitively priced. I bought mine from eBags and WayFair. Unfortunately TravelPro is not sold in India.

In the UK, and soon to be launched in India, there is a brand called IT Luggage which deserves a look. The company offers a series of luggage called "world's lightest". I bought a 22" upright which weighs a lean 3.5 lbs (1.58 kgs). Even full, the bag still passed the 7kg test.

And if you are buying a new bag, get away from the traditional black and red. Try getting, blue or charcoal or some other colour that will differentiate your bag.

4. Smaller carry on hand baggage

While some US airlines permit 24" (60 cm) bags, the global standard is now 22" (55 cm) and in the case of no-frill carriers like RyanAir and EasyJet the size is being pushed down to 20" (50 cm).

In India many airlines are opting for small turbo-props like the Q400 or the ATR72, while in Europe and the US, may routes are on RJs (Regional Jets). These aircraft have very small overhead bins and the carry-on bag which fits in an A320 or 737 jet, has no chance in these smaller aircraft.

On long distance flights, carry-on luggage space is getting used for other frills. Like your in-seat video and fancy on-demand in-flight entertainment system? The control box now sits underneath your seat, where your bag used to go.

My camera bag with its big telephoto lenses frequently weighs more than the 7kg limit. I normally do not face a problem as most airlines recognise the fragile nature of the equipment, with the exception of London Heathrow airport.

From extensive personal experience, I advise travellers to avoid London Heathrow airport, which forces all airlines to stringently implement the 7kg hand baggage weight limit, even in business class. I have not experienced any other airport in Europe or North America imposing this.

Based on reports from family members, friends, and personal observation, Emirates airline actively enforces the 7kg hand baggage weight limit on economy class, by weighing hand bags at almost all stations. The airline is especially vigilant on flights to and from the Indian sub-continent. If you are a premium passenger, don't worry, you are forgiven all sins.

5. Expandable carry on hand bags

Fast becoming a no-no. Expansion sections require additional zips and material, and that adds weight. Also, when we expand the bag, it becomes bigger and can no longer be carried on board. You will need to check it in, and wait for it after landing losing the advantage of carry-on "get-up and go" speed.

6. Use the overhead bins properly

One of the things that makes my blood boil is the casual manner in which most Indians, just toss their bag in to the overhead compartment. All to often we find an oversize bag or a small valise in the bin put sideways, eating up the space for two bags. I also loathe those bin hoarders who will put their bag in the overhead bin above your seat and then go and sit few rows back.

Its time to give such inconsiderate cabin mates dirty looks, if needed a talking to, and for you to stand-up for your rights. But then, we must practice what we preach.

7. Get Status

Become an elite customer of the airline. Either by flying with them, or getting a co-branded airline platinum credit card. Elite customers are given additional baggage allowances and priority boarding which allows you to get to that precious overhead bin space ahead of the others.

Photo courtesy of Jaktogo

8. Wear your luggage

If you are flying the ultra-cheapo RyanAir or Spirit Air who charge for carry on baggage, consider the new fad of ‘wearable luggage’ or ‘luggage jackets’. These allow you to pack almost the equivalent of a carry on bag worth of stuff. In fact in some cases, the jacket turns in to a bag and vice-versa. Check in wearing the jacket, board and convert it to a bag and put it in the overhead bin.

Yes who may look odd wearing this huge jacket, but who cares. With the money you save on baggage fees, go have a party, or buy a new outfit. Relish the fact that you, the customer, had the last laugh, not the airline.

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British Airways commences Colombo route and enhances Hyderabad

British Airways has commenced a new route to Colombo and enhanced its existing Hyderabad service to six a week.

The airline yesterday announced the start of a three days a week service from London Gatwick to Colombo, Sri Lanka, via Male, Maldives.

To Hyderabad, British Airways appears to be trying to fill the vacancy created by Lufthansa's withdrawal of service. In case of Colombo, Srilankan Airlines is an applicant member to the oneworld alliance of which British Airways is a founding member. The airline will be looking to strengthen alliances in this part of the world.

The Hyderabad service will be operated by a three class Boeing 767-300ER, while the Male/Colombo service will be operated by a three class Boeing 777-200ER.

To Hyderabad

Courtesy British Airways

BA 277 departs London Heathrow at 14:30 except Sundays, and arrives Hyderabad at 4:55 the next morning.
BA 276 departs Hyderabdad at 6:50 except Mondays and arrives London Heathrow at 12:50.
On Wednesdays, flight 276 leaves and arrives 10 minutes later.

To Colombo

BA2043 departs London Gatwick at 19:30 on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday, arrives Colombo at 12:35 the next afternoon.
BA2042 departs Colombo Monday, Thursday, Saturday 14:05 and arrives London Gatwick at 22:50 the same night.

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Jet Airways sells its London Heathrow slots to Etihad. Cooperation or desperation for Jetihad?

by Devesh Agarwal and Vinay Bhaskara

Yesterday, India's largest private carrier sold its three precious landing slots at London Heathrow airport to Abu Dhabi, UAE based Etihad Airways for $70 million. Etihad will lease the slots back to Jet Airways for the time being. London is essentially THE destination for Jet Airways, which currently serves Heathrow daily from New Delhi and twice daily from Mumbai, with its fleet of B777-300ER's.

This sale and lease-back arrangement has been done to avail a low interest loan from the Gulf carrier to repay high interest rupee loans. We are not comparing Jet Airways to Kingfisher Airlines, but this reminds one of selling the family silver to meet current liabilities. While the spin doctors will portray this as increased cooperation, it is clear that if the Jetihad deal fructifies, Jet will eventually become a regional player, feeding the Etihad global network.

Ever since the Government announced liberalisation of the foreign direct investment policy in airlines in September, we have been hearing about Etihad negotiating Jet Airways to purchase a 24% stake in the airline. Over the last or so months there have been announcements in media at regular intervals which result in huge rises in Jet's stock prices, and then when no deal was announced the stock prices subside. An example is from yesterday, when CNBC-TV18 reported progress in the Jetihad negotiations which sent the airline's stock prices up 17%.

One cannot help but suspect if this regular roller-coaster ride in Jet's share prices is not being engineered by the powers that are, to make short term profits on the backs of gullible investors.

However, the deal fits into the strategic approach taken by Jet Airways over the past fiscal year of funding debt reduction through cash raised via sale-leaseback of assets. Jet Airways has already returned to operational profitability as of the third quarter thanks to capacity contraction, fare increases, and cost cuts. Jet Airways has close to Rs. 4,000 Crore in high-interest debt which it can now pay down around Rs. 350 Crore thanks to the proceeds of this sale-leaseback. This will reduce finance and interest charges and improve their financial results moving forward in the 4th quarter.

Clear signs are emerging that Jet is desperate for the Etihad deal. From a position of falsely perceived strength, Jet Airways has been steadily brought down. Sheikh Hamed bin Zaved al-Nahayan, Chairman of Etihad Airways, played hard-ball with Naresh Goyal of Jet Airways and stated "the deal needs to be revised". With the move by AirAsia to commence a joint venture with the Tatas and Bhatias to set up a LCC in India, the pressure was further ratcheted up on Goyal.

Earlier this week, Kritika Saxena of CNBC-TV18 reported that Jet Airways will accept Etihad's new tough demands. This includes Right of First Refusal (ROFR), "more" management control in operations (in reality a replacement of Naresh Goyal's existing management to one of Etihad), and expansion of its board by giving four seats to Etihad. Jet also indicated indicated its "willingness" to new price negotiations to "review" the valuations.

An egoistic Jet Airways thought it could dictate terms. Etihad seems to have shown that money talks and ego just walks. Be ready for Jetihad.

As usual comments are welcome.

In parting, we suggest you read this nice article by Sindhu Bhattacharya on whether Naresh Goyal's time has come. Another recommended read is why is Etihad talking tough with Jet, and explains Jet's limited options.

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dnata commences ground handling for Air India at London Heathrow airport

dnata’s ground handling teams at London’s Heathrow airport have recently commenced provision of passenger services for three daily flights for Air India.

Air India, which recently celebrated its 60th anniversary, operates three flights daily using Boeing 777 aircraft, from Heathrow to Mumbai and Delhi.

Under the new contract, dnata is now providing passenger services to the airline, which include checking in passengers, operation of Air India’s ticket counter and Maharaja VIP Lounge and lost luggage staff to assist with queries in the arrivals hall as well as a range of special services.

Escort of First Class and Business Class passengers to/from check-in/lounge/and gates as well as escorting these passengers inbound from the aircraft through immigration to the baggage reclaim area is also part of the service.

Air India is expected to take delivery of its next (fourth) Boeing 787 Dreamliner soon and the airline has plans to introduce the aircraft on the London route. Handling of the Dreamliner is also included in the new contract and the team is looking forward to handling it at LHR’s Terminal 4.

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Jet Airways international fleet and network operations analysis

by Vinay Bhaskara

A recent report from Flightglobal quoted Boeing Asia head Dinesh Keskar as saying that India’s largest full service carrier, Jet Airways, could potentially convert existing order into the larger Boeing 787-9 variant. Jet Airways currently has 10 Boeing 787-8s on order for delivery from 2014 onwards, but Mr. Keskar said, “"If they do that [convert orders to the 787-9], there will be a delay. The -9s, however, have better economics for them, so now they are looking at their portfolio."

Interestingly, the move would parallel Jet Airways’ recent fleet planning decision to shift away from the smaller A330-200 to its larger cousin the A330-300. Part of the impetus behind the decision was certainly the competition from Jet’s largest Gulf and Asian rivals. Most of these carriers operate not only the A330-300, but also the Boeing 777-300ER, both of which blow the A330-200 out of the water in terms of unit costs on regional routes. Especially as Jet consolidates around the core long haul routes in New York, Toronto, and London, all of which face severe competition from a myriad of airlines around the world. In response to this heightened state of competition, Jet made the correct choice in opting for a larger variant.

The same principle applies to the 787-8 versus the 787-9. While the smaller 787-8 (seating around 220 passengers) was the first 787 variant to come out, most industry analysts (including Bangalore Aviation) feel that the 787-9 will have much better operating economics, as the airframe is actually more optimized for aerodynamic driven fuel efficiency and has lower seat-kilometer costs thanks to its larger seating capacity. Furthermore, Boeing’s current projections for the ranges of the two aircraft show the 787-9 to have a range of 8,000 – 8,500 nautical miles (9,210 – 9,780 miles), which would allow Jet to operate most, if not all, US-India route pairs nonstop, including routes as long as Mumbai and Bangalore to the US west coast. Bangalore-San Francisco nonstop would be a gold mine to whichever carrier launched it first, and given that Air India only has 787-8s and that United will only receive 14 787-9s (many of which will likely be used to retire aging Boeing 777-200 non-ERs), Jet could conceivably be the first airline to launch onto this important route.

* The range figures for the 787-9 are quoted from sources within the industry

Currently, as per the Jet Airways fleet matrix, beyond the 787s, Jet has 3 A330-300s on order (the A330-300s start service on 23rd December) with 1 already having joined the fleet, 10 operational A330-200s with 5 outstanding orders, and 5 operational Boeing 777-300ERs with 5 aircrafts leased out to Thai Airways International. With the understanding that any *new* (beyond the initial 10) 787 orders would not be delivered till around 2018 at the earliest, the following is my suggestion for Jet Airways’ widebody fleet plan moving forward.

Immediately switch the 787-8 order to 787-9s and trade delivery slots with other airlines wherever possible to ensure delivery of these aircraft between 2015 and 2018. Order 15 further 787-8s for delivery 2018 onwards as well as 15 more 787-9s for delivery in the same timeframe. Of the current A330-200 orders, convert all 5 to A330-300s and cancel one order to create a fleet of 8 A330-300s, with the last 6 being the recently upgraded A330-300 with higher gross weight and range. Keep the current 5 777-300ERs as is, and reconfigure the 5 777-300ERs currently at Thai Airways into a 2-class configuration when they are returned (aim for 349 seats in a 2 class configuration – similar to Air Canada).

*These plans imply that Jet Airways will use Mumbai as an international connecting hub moving forward, made possible in part by the new integrated terminal.

Following this shift, the A330-200 would be used on European flights (excluding Heathrow) from Mumbai (Brussels-Chicago, as well as Paris, Frankfurt, and Munich – the latter two assume Jet’s entry into Star Alliance), Delhi (Brussels – Toronto), Bangalore, and Chennai (both to Munich), as well as on Delhi-Hong Kong-Manila, Mumbai – Seoul, and potentially Bangalore-Narita. Longer term, the 787-8s would replace the A330-200s one to one, converting the Delhi-Toronto and Mumbai-Chicago legs to nonstop flights.

The A330-300s would be used primarily on regional and VFR heavy routes. Mumbai-Brussels-Newark would continue in the very near term. Additionally, Mumbai/Delhi – Beijing, Mumbai – Tokyo-Narita, Mumbai – Jakarta, and Mumbai -Shanghai could be launched with the A330-300s, as well as Mumbai-Nairobi, Mumbai-Cairo, and both Mumbai-Dubai flights. Longer term, 787-9s would be used to replace the A330-300s on a one-to-one basis after all of the 777-300ERs have been replaced.

The 5 777-300ERs currently in the fleet would be deployed onto the two daily flights between Mumbai and London-Heathrow, as well as the daily Delhi - London-Heathrow. Mumbai – Hong Kong would remain as an 777-300ER service, with potential extension to Taipei since the aircraft is required to spend almost 8 hours in Hong Kong anyway for commercially viable timings. And Mumbai-Singapore could be converted to 777-300ER for the night flight, leaving one aircraft for spare.

The remaining 5 777-300ERs would be reconfigured into 349 seat configuration without first class, thus allowing the aircraft to fly India-US nonstop. Two aircraft would be deployed onto the Mumbai-Newark sector nonstop (in partnership with United through a potential JV after joining Star Alliance), while two more aircraft would ply Mumbai – Boston nonstop 3 weekly, and Mumbai- New York JFK 4 times per week. The final aircraft would be used to run thrice weekly flights Mumbai-Sydney-Auckland.

All of these 777-300ERs would be replaced with the first batch of 787-9s. The first 5 aircraft would be configured in 3 class configuration as a subfleet, while the remaining 20 787-9s would be configured in 2 class configuration for 1 to 1 replacements and growth.

All of this would leave Jet Airways with a standardized widebody fleet of 40 Boeing 787s, 28 for replacement, and 12 for growth. The standardized fleet would help save money on maintenance and training (the so-called “commonality” effect) and if necessary, Jet could even order the larger 787-10 to replace some A330-300s and 777-300ERs if demand conditions warrant such an action.

All of the above is an idealized scenario based on several assumptions, but it represents the kind of strategic thinking one should expect from Jet. However, it is also possible that Jet Airways simply wants to delay the acquisition of aircraft due to a funds constraint, in which case the delayed timeline of the 787-9 would offer Jet more time.  

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Air India has a one week low air fares sale to international destinations

Following in the footsteps of most international airlines, offering special fares ex-India, national carrier Air India, today announced, it is offering low fares for the lean season which commences from the middle of January.

The scheme is valid for immediate out-bound travel to the Far East and Near East, and from 21 January 2013 onwards for the USA, UK, Europe and UAE sectors.

The sale is open for one week from December 10 through 16, 2012.

Some of the fares under the scheme are:

• USA - New York JFK, Newark, and Chicago : Rs 51,999
• UK - London Heathrow : Rs 40,999
• Europe - Frankfurt and Paris CDG : Rs 35,999
• UAE - Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah : Rs 15,999
• Far East Seoul Incheon, Osaka Kansai and Tokyo Narita : 34,999
• Near East Hong Kong, Shanghai Pudong and Singapore : 17,999

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OPINION: Aviation at a Crossroads

The past couple of years have not been kind to the global aviation industry. Whether it’s the European union implementing a misguided carbon taxation scheme, the Indian government crushing its nascent airline industry under the weight of oppressive regulations and heavy fuel taxation, increased “NIMBY” (not-in-my-backyard : a term used to describe local residents who oppose aviation development near their residences)” activity in the west holding back growth in the airline sector, or a global airline industry plagued by rising fixed costs and softened demand in the face of the Global financial crisis, there is little doubt that the headwinds faced by the global airline industry are amongst the worst in its history.

Yet despite the apparent irrelevance of the airline industry to our daily lives, its potential decline has profound implications for my entire generation. To start with, it is important to define the essential role that aviation plays in local communities and in the economy as a whole. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in 2011 civil aviation alone contributed to and supported more than $1.3 trillion in economic activity as well as 10 million jobs. These estimates ignore the thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity created and supported by military aviation; both directly in the air force, as well as in the thousands of companies involved in the supply chains of building and maintaining military aircraft for use both at home and with our allies abroad. In several communities, airlines, airports, and aircraft manufacturers are an important source of jobs- especially because positions in the former two sectors can’t realistically be outsourced.

On a more visceral level, the airline industry has contributed heavily to global and US economic growth. The most important aspect is that it makes sharing ideas, knowledge, and skills much easier. In the past, if you wanted to collaborate on a project with a group of engineers from Tokyo, it would take them days, even weeks to cross the Pacific by boat. But thanks to the miracle of modern aviation, you can now have them by your side in less than 24 hours, and at a reasonable fare to boot. This enhanced dissemination of knowledge and know-how has helped drive economic growth around the world, increasing the standard of life for everyone. On a more basic level, air cargo allows precious, time-sensitive, and/or valuable goods to be shipped around the world almost instantly – carving out new markets for exotic fruits and goods, as well as American exports. In today’s America, when unemployment amongst my peers is close to 15%, we can ill afford to lose the jobs provided by directly by aviation, let alone the many more indirectly made possible by air travel and air freight.

On a societal level, we all benefit when different cultures and viewpoints are brought together at common locations to discuss, integrate, and assimilate. Some of the best things about life in America (“Gangnam Style,” basketball, even apple pie) are foreign inventions brought here by immigrants. It is absolutely critical that we continue to make the world more interconnected, so that we can maximize the quality of life of all of the world’s citizens. It is no accident that as the aviation world has developed over the last few years; the degree of global integration has grown exponentially alongside. And in an increasingly uncertain environment which has led many economists to question whether the economy will even grow at all moving forward (or if we have settled into a “Great Stagnation”), cutting off a source and facilitator of economic activity makes little sense.

On a personal level, it kills me to see an industry that I love so much slowly be slowly squeezed to death (though there are bright spots like the United Arab Emirates and Singapore) by incompetent governance and an oblivious populace.

 And the threats to global aviation are numerous and diverse in nature. Part of the trouble is the incessant obsession with carbon dioxide emissions, and the general effect of environmentalism. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global aviation accounts for just under 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Yet the European Union proposed an invasive and expensive carbon tax, guaranteed to reduce airline activity and harm not only its own aviation industry, but those around the world. Environmentalists, because of their insistence on protecting each and every animal regardless of the cost, have effectively prevented the expansion of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, because the only viable option is to expand onto protected wetlands on Jamaica Bay. This lack of suitable airport expansion in the NYC area has in turn held back aviation development, as the number of flights at each New York City airport has been capped.

But because the runway capacity in the area is insufficient, there is now a huge backup of flights (planes lining up to land on runways) and an extraordinary amount of delays in the NYC airspace. The greatest irony of the situation is that now, tons upon tons of extra carbon dioxide emissions are being spewed into the air because the flights are forced to wait in line with their engines on at the airport or in the air. Many climate scientists would argue that this actually has a greater environmental cost than the loss of a few square miles worth of wetlands which could alleviate, if not solve outright, the problem. But the threats to aviation extend beyond inconsistent and incoherent environmental opposition. In recent years, the political power of so called NIMBYs has expanded. Around the world, especially in the great European cities like Frankfurt (where local residents passed a poorly thought out curfew for flights that decimated Frankfurt’s air cargo industry – likely creating more jobs for the superhubs in the Middle East) and London (where a combination of environmental, governmental, and local opposition to building a third runway at already slot restricted London Heathrow Airport threatens the place of London as a hub in the future aviation hegemony), but also in places like Philadelphia (where local residents are desperately trying to expand the constricted Philadelphia International Airport’s capacity). Admittedly, these residents are affected by airports in the region, but I have problems with using this as an argument to halt development.

The first is that in most, if not all cases, the local residents moved to the region after the airport was built there – they should have been aware of the risk that airports can expand and grow in importance. But more importantly, the needs of the few (local residents around airports opposing development typically number less than 1% of the population of the metro area that it serves) should not outweigh the needs of many. In times of crisis, like our economy today, it makes little sense to sacrifice new jobs and economic activity that would benefit the general region for such limited benefit.

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