Jet Airways to lease three A330-200s to Turkish Airlines

by Devesh Agarwal and Vinay Bhaskara

In a December 12th filing with the Borsa Istanbul stock exchange (BIST), national carrier Turkish Airlines has said it will lease three Airbus A330-200 aircraft from India's Jet Airways for a period of six years. The financial details of the proposed lease were not made available. The middle-eastern giant will lease another five A330s from Dutch lessor AerCap for a period of eight years.

Bulk of Jet's A330s sitting on the ground. Photo copyright 2012 Devesh Agarwal.

Turkish Airlines (THY) has been leasing aircraft from Jet Airways since 2008 and once again in 2013, as the Indian carrier found it difficult to fill most of its international wide-body fleet. At one point 70% of Jet's Boeing 777-300ER fleet was leased out, with four aircraft leased to Turkish Airlines and three to Thai Airways. Jet even sold one of its Boeing 777s, strangely a money spinner for most of the world's airlines, but not for Jet.

Till recently, much of Jet's A330-200 fleet was grounded at Indian airports thanks to aggressive route rationalisation by the airline. In the second quarter of this fiscal year, Jet lost a whopping Rs.123 crores, just on the costs of keeping its aircraft on the ground.

Five of the ten grounded A330-200 aircraft have been leased by Jet, though on a short term basis, to 24% stake-holder, Abu Dhabi based Etihad Airways PJSC. The deal with Turkish was expected, after a deal to sell the remaining five A330s to Kuwait Airways fell through last month.

Repeated requests to Jet Airways for comments on this story were not answered.

It is an economically sensible deal for Jet Airways. In one stroke it is addressing a major cash drain, and ensuring long term dollar denominated revenue for itself. While a sale which would have brought in one-time income which would have reduced long-term lower cost debt, a lease will give Jet a long term hedge against potential rupee devaluations and the ability to pay off its $400 million high interest rate debt. Jet is reeling under a total debt load of about $1.9 billion.

As Jet Airways continues to turn over its long haul operations to Etihad and Abu Dhabi via the Jetihad partnership, look for the carrier to continue to seek out incremental opportunities to earn rent on its under-utilised assets.

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Thai Airways makes wholesale changes to India service in winter 2013-14

by Vinay Bhaskara

Bangkok based full service carrier Thai Airways International has announced a series of changes in its Indian services in the winter 2013-14 season as per the Airline Route blog

On its Bangkok-Delhi services, beginning 30th September, services will increase from 11 weekly to 14 weekly.

Daytime Thai flights TG323/TG324 will increase from four flights per week to daily using a 299 seat Airbus A330-300 aircraft in a two-class configuration (36J / 263Y). TG-323 departs Bangkok at 07:35, arriving at Delhi at 10:30. The return flight TG-324 departs Delhi at 11:55 arriving at Bangkok at 17:25.

The red-eye flights TG315/TG316 are also seeing an increase, with Boeing 747-400s replacing the existing Boeing 777-300s, an increase from 364 seats (34J / 330 Y) to 374 (49J / 325 Y) or 375 seats (50J / 325 Y), depending on the day. The up-gauge represents a large increase in premium cabin capacity by almost 45% regardless of the 747 configuration used on the route.

TG 315 departs Bangkok at 20:40, arriving at Delhi at 23:40. The return red-eye (overnight) TG 316 departs Delhi at 00:55, arriving at Bangkok at 06:20, in time for connections to Thai's morning departure bank to Asia and Australia. Both flights are operated daily.

Bangkok - Hyderabad was planned to increase from four flights per week to five using the A330-300, but these plans have been shelved, with services remaining at four per week this winter.

The daily Bangkok-Mumbai services have been down-gauged from Boeing 747-400 to Airbus A330-300s for the winter season, a capacity downgrade of around 20% (roughly 35% in premium cabins).

Additionally, Thai's low cost wing Thai Smile, which by January 2014 will serve 19 destinations across India, China, Laos, Macau, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, is also shaking up its India operations. Thai Smile has a fleet of six 174 seat (30Y+ / 144 Y) Airbus A320-200s with its primary hub at Bangkok and a secondary hub at Phuket. Thai Smile is shifting its flight numbers to and from India, and increasing services as well.

Flight Number Changes

• Bankgok-Ahmedabad flights are shifting from TG 765/766 to TG 2935/2936
• Phuket-Delhi flights are shifting from TG 761/762 to TG 2931/2932
• Phuket-Mumbai flights are shifting from TG 763/764 to TG 2933/2934

Frequency Increases

• Bangkok-Ahmedabad increases from two to four weekly flights
• Phuket-Delhi increases from two to four weekly flights
• Phuket-Mumbai increases from two to three weekly flights

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PR: THAI in-flight magazine “Sawasdee” wins Award of Excellence in Magazine Design

Thai Airways recently won an award of excellence for its in flight magazine "Sawasdee." Find the press release below.

18th August, 2013 

THAI in-flight magazine “ Sawasdee ” wins Award of Excellence in Magazine Design

Image Credit: Thai Airways

Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) announces its Award for Excellence in Magazine Design for the in-flight magazine, Sawasdee. 

THAI’s in-flight magazine, Sawasdee , recently won its third award. The Excellence in Magazine Design was announced earlier by The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA), and gaining this comment from the judges, “dramatic use of art photos, goes beyond the standards of the in-flight magazine genre.” The SOPA Awards for Editorial Excellence were established as a tribute to editorial excellence in both traditional and new media, and were designed to encourage editorial vitality throughout the region. Previously Sawasdee also won an Award of Excellence at the 2012 Asian Publishing Awards and the Bronze Award in the category of Design: Most Improved Publication, B2C at the Custom Content Council’s 2012 Pearl Awards.

Dr. Sorajak Kasemsuvan , THAI President, said THAI is most honored to have received this award. Through the dedication of the editorial teams at THAI and Publicitas (Thailand), Sawasdee ’s publisher, in developing quality publication that customers on board and on the ground can enjoy a variety of contents, including striking images, information about places to discover, and cultural events.

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Airbus A380 airline-wise seating configurations compared

by Devesh Agarwal

Early next year Qatar Airways will become the eleventh operator of the Airbus A380 super-jumbo. We have researched and produce below an airline-wise A380 seat configuration infographic for comparison. Airbus had original projected the aircraft in a three class 555 seat configuration.

We have also reached some conclusions which are produced below the infographic. Study the infographic and see what conclusions you derive. Compare them with ours, and please post your thoughts and conclusions via a comment.

Airbus A380 seating configuration airline-wise deck-wise (U=Upper, L=Main/Lower), class-wise (CT = class total)

Qatar's CEO Mr. Akbar Al-Bakar has indicated a first class of eight seats and a business class of 52 seats, both on the upper deck. The economy class will have 457 seats, the most by any A380 operator till now.

The main deck (also called the lower deck) will be all economy class, but most likely, there will also be, a small section on the upper deck. The exact configuration has not been revealed as yet, but a study of the Emirates'A380 configuration of the same 517 seats leads us to expect about 30 economy class seats on the upper deck and 427 on the main deck.

With a total configured capacity of 517 seats, Qatar will have the densest A380, second only to Lufthansa which operates its A380s in a 526 seat configuration. However Emirates which also has a 517 seat configured A380 packs seven more economy class passengers on the main deck when compared to Lufthansa to take top spot in the "stuffed" ranking.

Korean Air operates the least dense A380 with 407 seats, just two less than launch operator Singapore Airlines.

Singapore Airlines offers the widest business class seat

The dual configurations of the Singapore Airlines A380 also allows us to derive that for each of its "over the top" ultra-wide 1-2-1 business class seats, the airline loses 3.385 economy class seats. The airline adds 26 business class seats on the upper deck and loses 88 economy class seats. A similar deduction can be derived for Australia based Qantas as well.

The world's largest operator of A380s, Dubai based Emirates airline, sacrifices a full 28 seats to provide crew sleeping accommodation in the rear of the aircraft on its A380s configured for long distance flights (Dubai Australia and Dubai North America). That area is apparently so quiet, that pilots who are accustomed to a hum, are unable to sleep due to the silence. (Read story here).

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Trip Report: India and Europe Summer 2013 - Introduction

Introduction
United Club Newark
United Economy Class Newark to Hamburg
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Hamburg
Turkish Airlines Economy Class Hamburg to Istanbul
Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge Istanbul
Turkish Airlines Economy Class Istanbul to Mumbai 
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Mumbai
Thai Airways Business Class Mumbai-Bangkok
Thai Airways First Class Lounge and Spa Bangkok
Thai Airways First Class Bangkok to Frankfurt
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt
Lufthansa Business Class Frankfurt to Zurich
*tentative*
Swiss Business Lounge Zurich
Air Canada Executive First Zurich to Toronto
Air Canada Maple Leaf Club Toronto
Air Canada Business Class Toronto to Philadelphia
*tentative*
_________________________________________________________________________________

This post is meant to serve as an introduction to a trip I will be taking later this summer. The trip report will be updated as I actually do the flying.

So the genesis of this trip is that I am taking a trip to India in August of this year, and on the return I will be stopping over in Europe to visit with family.

Now within the parameters of a standard United Airlines award ticket, I booked the itinerary you see above, Economy Class going to India, and First Class on the return. My first step was finding award inventory in the India-US direction, which is incredibly difficult to do in the summer time, as this is a peak period for US origin travel to India. I eventually managed to find a one-stop from Newark via Munich to Mumbai on August 7th, but instead I opted for a more circuitous Newark-Hamburg-Istanbul-Mumbai routing. This routing would allow me to visit two new airports (Hamburg and Istanbul), and fly a new aircraft type (the Airbus A321 --  most of my short haul flying has been on United and American, neither of whom currently have A321s) in the spirit of a true aviation connoisseur.

The advantages of this routing are that I have a comfortable 4 hour layover in Hamburg (allowing me to shower in the lounge) as opposed to the hour long sprint I'd have to endure in Munich, as well as 4 hours to review the Turkish Airlines CIP lounge in Istanbul, considered by many to be the best business class lounge in the world. It also allows me to provide a review of Turkish Airlines' service offering in economy class on flights between India and the West. And the Istanbul-Mumbai sector is currently scheduled on a Boeing 777-300ER leased from Jet Airways.

Turkish Airlines Business Class (CIP) Lounge - Istanbul
Image Credit - One Mile at a Time

The return flights from Mumbai are also notable. On a first class award, I will have a business class flight overnight from Bangkok to Mumbai, and then I will be able to experience Thai Airways famed first class services in Bangkok- including a golf cart ride to the lounge, hour long complementary Thai massages, and a full service restaurant. Then I will be on to the highlight of my trip; First Class on the Thai Airways A380 between Bangkok and Frankfurt, my first time in international first class and my first time flying an A380. Then its a couple of hours of layover in Frankfurt and off to Zurich,.

Thai Airways Royal First Class on A380
Image Credit - Australian Business Traveler

Now its the flights home to the US that I am still unsure about. The only flight home I could find at the time of booking was the Air Canada itinerary displayed. However, what I am banking on is that Lufthansa tends to release its first class award inventory to United 14 days before departure; Lufthansa First Class and the First Class Terminal at Frankfurt would be  a perfect way to end this trip. Either way, I am excited for my journey!

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Infographic: Airbus delivers 100th A380 superjumbo to Malaysia Airlines

Airbus matching milestones with Boeing, delivered its 100th A380 super-jumbo to national carrier Malaysia Airlines, the airline's sixth aircraft registration 9M-MNF.

Now in its sixth year of commercial service, the A380 is flying with nine world class airlines. To date, the worldwide fleet has carried some 36 million passengers in 100,000 flights.

The delivery to an Asian carrier is subtle in its signals. About 65% of current A380 capacity is to, from, or within the Asia-Pacific region, with more than 50,000 seats offered on nearly 500 flights every week. Europe has about 250 weekly services, and North America, 200.

Overall, A380s regularly operate at more than 30 airports globally on 65 scheduled routes with nine current airlines: Air France, China Southern, Emirates, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways International.

Airbus projects a demand of 1,700 VLA (Very Large Aircraft of 400 seats or more) over the next 20 years. Asia Pacific leads demand at 45%, the Middle East 23% and Europe 19%.

Airbus has also produced a neat little Infographic which is shared below.

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Jet Airways to lease three Boeing 777-300ERs to Turkish Airlines

by Devesh Agarwal

Sources within Mumbai based Jet Airways indicate the airline has entered into an agreement with Turkish Airlines to dry-lease three of its Boeing 777-300ER (77W) aircraft for one year. The Indian carrier has a total of ten 77Ws in its fleet.

Since 2008, the carrier has found it difficult to effectively utilise these highly popular aircraft. It has been leasing up to 70% of its 777 fleet to various carriers like Gulf Air, Turkish THY Airlines, and Thai Airways. Boeing India chief Dr. Dinesh Keskar attributes this to Jet's small network in comparison to its competition. (Read Dr. Keskar's exclusive interview with Bangalore Aviation.)

At present the airline has five 77W's on lease with Thai Airways. Three of these aircraft will return by June and July 2013 and will be leased to Turkish Airlnes for a one year period. The other two are expected back from Thai in the fourth calendar quarter of this year. At present indications are that Jet plans to use these aircraft on its own network.

It appears the carrier is bullish on its deepening partnership with Abu Dhabi based Etihad and may want to deploy the high capacity 77Ws on select routes. Jet has been negotiating a 24% stake-sale to Etihad. It recently sold its landing slots at London Heathrow airport to the UAE carrier, a sale many consider as selling the family jewels.

There are reports that Jet plans to extend its code-share agreement with Etihad to include the Mumbai-Brussels-Newark route, and the winter season is the peak demand for the year.

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Analysis: Malaysia Airlines entrance into OneWorld strengthens the alliance's network and Indian presence

by Vinay Bhaskara

Malaysia Airlines A330-300 9M-MTE in oneworld livery

On February 1st. 2013, Kuala  Lampur based Malaysian national carrier Malaysia Airlines will officially join the OneWorld alliance, a partnership of11 airlines around the world that serves more than 849 destinations globally. Malaysia Airlines serves 61 destinations on a fleet of 105 aircraft, and enjoys a strong reputation as one of the premier airlines in Southeast Asia, and the world. While it ran into some financial difficulties in 2010 and 2011, a successful restructuring program involving capacity cutbacks and fleet streamlining under the leadership of Malaysia Airlines Group chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya has restored the airline towards a more optimal path.

From a OneWorld perspective, Malaysia Airlines fulfills an important strategic hole from a network perspective. Prior to its entry, OneWorld had very little presence in Southeast Asia outside of long haul service to major destinations like Singapore and Bangkok. Meanwhile Star Alliance has the networks of both Singapore Airlines and Thai Aiways International to leverage for travel to secondary and tertiary Southeast Asian destinations, while SkyTeam can tap into the fast growing markets of Vietnam and Indonesia through the newly minted membership of Vietnam Airlines and Garuda respectively. However, with Malaysia Airlines (and Sri Lankan to some degree) now in the fold, OneWorld instantly shoots into second place in the region, with the partnership of a world-class airline with a strong service reputation that has a strong network of Southeast Asian destinations.

The network improvement is especially important for OneWorld carriers because it now offers them another premium option with a strong onboard product and excellent ground service to offer to high yield frequent flyers and business travelers. It adds several new Southeast Asian destinations to OneWorld’s offering which makes OneWorld more attractive relative to SkyTeam and Star Alliance. Frequent flyers and high yield business travelers will now be more likely to fly OneWorld member airlines.

From an Indian perspective, Malaysia Airlines serves Bengaluru, Chennai, Dellhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai; every major Indian Metro outside of Kolkata. But the real value comes in the fact that it offers the first easy connecting service  between India and Southeast Asia. Before, passengers flying between India and Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, and even Australia would have had to endure a significant detour to Hong Kong or Tokyo in order to fly OneWorld carriers. Now, there is a more direct option for Indian travelers. Best of all, they can earn rewards points in a OneWorld frequent flyer program, which can be redeemed for travel throughout the OneWorld network, and earn elite benefits. This should help shift customers with significant Indian travel onto other OneWorld flights to and from India as well, improving group profitability as a whole. The addition of Malaysia Airlines (and Sri Lankan to some degree) significantly strengthens OneWorld’s presence in the Indian market, and the alliance as a whole.

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Night photos from Delhi Indira Gandhi international airport - the Boeing 777 collection

Continuing our photo essay (see part one) on the night photography at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), thanks to the support of the kind friends at Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd. (DIAL) and the DGCA, today is the Boeing 777 collection.

The 777 is largest twin-engine airliner in the world, along with being one of the most popular, and the most profitable for its manufacturer, Boeing.

The newer 777-300ER, 777-200LR (both of which form bulk of Air India's long distance fleet), and Freighter variants feature the largest engines in aviation history, the General Electric GE90-115B or -110B1 engines. The GE90-115B, has a fan diameter of 3.25 metres or 10ft 8in. This photo offers a size comparison between the GE90 and the earlier engines used to power the venerable Boeing 747.

The GE90 has a distinct "moaning" sound when it starts. It is music to us plane spotters. Play the video to hear it. Anywhere in the world, if you are within earshot of an airport, or on-board a 777-300ER or 777-200LR flight, keep an ear out for the sound.

Air India Boeing 777-200LR (also called 77L in airline parlance) VT-ALE (equipped with the GE90-110B)

Emirates airline Boeing 777-300ER (77W) A6-ECK (equipped with GE90-115B)

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300 (773) 9V-SYF (not an ER. Equipped with Rolls Royce Trent 800 RB212 engine)

Thai Airways Boeing 777-300 HS-TKB (equipped with Rolls Royce Trent 800)

We request you to please encourage these photographers via a comment on the photo site.

Photos are used with permission of the photographers who retain full copyright. Pictures may not be used without their specific permission.

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Videos: Making of the Thai Airway's Airbus A380

This set of three time-lapse videos show the making of Thai Airways' Airbus A380 super jumbo from airframe construction to interior fitment.

Part 1, shows the airframe coming together.

Part 2, shows the aircraft getting painted with its great looking livery. Just love that purple silk.

Part 3, shows the interiors being outfitted and also gives us a preview of the first and business class cabins

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Thai Airways takes delivery of its first Airbus A380; becomes ninth operator of the superjumbo

National carrier Thai Airways International (Thai) has taken delivery of the first of its ordered six Airbus A380 super jumbo, becoming the ninth airline to operate the world’s largest airliner. The aircraft, tail number HS-TUA, was handed over to Captain Montree Jumrieng, Executive Vice President Technical, Thai, by Kiran Rao, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Airbus, at a special ceremony in Toulouse today.

The Thai A380's are powered by the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines. The aircraft is configured with 507 seats in a three class configuration. All classes feature new cabin designs, with 12 private suites in First Class, 60 fully flat sleeper seats in Royal Silk Class and 435 seats in Economy. All seats are equipped with the latest on-demand in-flight entertainment systems, communication outlets and individual power supply.

Thai will inaugurate commercial service of its A380 on the Bangkok Hong Kong and Bangkok Singapore routes. Shorter flights will allow for quicker training of flight, cabin, and ground crews. As more aircraft are delivered, the airline will begin service to Frankfurt at the end of the year, followed by Tokyo and Paris in early 2013. It is surprising though, Thai has no immediate plans of operating its A380 to London Heathrow, the airport which receives the A380s of the maximum number of airlines.

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Photos: Thai Airway's first A380 revealed

Following fellow ASEAN national carriers, Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways International will become the ninth operator of the Airbus A380 superjumbo when it receives the first of its six ordered A380 aircraft later this year.

Enjoy the three photos from Airbus, of the Thai A380 leaving the paint shop in Hamburg resplendent in its beautiful "smooth as silk" livery.

Thai will be the second new operator following Malaysia Airlines which will introduce its A380 on the Kuala Lumpur London Heathrow route next week. In 2013, Airbus is expected to add two new operators for the A380. Qatar Airways and British Airways.

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Video: Thai Airway's first Airbus A380 being assembled and flown

Recently Airbus S.A.S. completed the final assembly of MSN (manufacturer's serial number) 087 Thai Airway's first A380 superjumbo. Here is a time lapse video showing the event.

The national carrier is scheduled to receive delivery of the airline this year. Thai Airways will become the ninth customer worldwide to operate the behemoth, and is expected to deploy the A380 on Bangkok to Europe routes.

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Image: Thai Airways first Airbus A380 takes-off on its first flight

The first A380 for Thai Airways International took off for its maiden flight on 6th March following completion of the airframe assembly and system tests in Toulouse, France.

Click on the image for a high resolution view

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Plane spotting photos: Two 'Top shots' in two days. Night photography at Mumbai airport

Earlier this year, the Aviation Photographers India Foundation, had a chance to go airside at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and take photos, thanks to the support by the DGCA and MIAL.

Two night pictures in the spirit of Christmas both of which made 'Top Shot' at JetPhotos.

British Airways Boeing 777-300ER G-STBB. Observe the "Sky Interior" with the soft blue mood lighting showing through the windows in the premium classes while economy gets a full dose of regular simulated daylight. The pilots conduct final checks in the cockpit before lights out and taxi, and who can overlook the massive and beautiful GE90-115B engines.

The Star alliance ramp at the international terminal at Mumbai. Left to right: Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER, Austrian Airlines Boeing 767 with winglets, Thai Airways A330-300, Continental (United) Airlines Boeing 777-200ER.

To see more photos, please click on the photo images in the boxes on the top right.

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High Res Photo: First Thai Airways Airbus A380 enters final assembly

Airbus has commenced the final assembly of the first A380 destined for Thai Airways. The airframe entered the Airbus Final Assembly Line in Toulouse on November 23rd, 2011. Now all the various sections of the airframe will be attached together.

Thai will become the ninth operator of the A380 superjumbo when it takes delivery late next year.

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Video: Pilots view Thai Airways Boeing 777-200ER landing at Bangalore at night

Thai Airways recently upgraded its Bangkok Bangalore service to a Boeing 777-200ER five times a week.

One of the neat features of this aircraft is a nose camera that gives a pilot's view of landings and take-offs.

Here is a capture from the flights IFE AVOD system. Loved the smooth approach to Runway 27 despite the mild monsoon turbulence. Regulars to the Bengaluru International Airport will make out the distinct areas airside. Just before touchdown, observe the perfect height indicated by the two red and two white lights of the PAPI.

The quietness of the Rolls Royce Trent 800 engines is really enjoyed in the front of the bus.

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No international arrival lounge at Bangkok hub degrades Thai premium passenger experience

Just completed an eight segment trip that took me from Bangalore to Thailand and Korea on Thai Airways.

Thai Airways has upgraded its daily Bangalore Bangkok service to Boeing 777-200ERs, five times a week, the other two days remaining an Airbus A330-300.

The Thai B772ERs are equipped with the lay-flat Recaro seats in business class in a 2-2-2 configuration with an AVOD (Audio Video On Demand) in-flight entertainment system. This allows Thai to offer a similar cabin product as its other Star Alliance partner and competitor at Bangalore, Singapore Airlines.

I was impressed by the extremely good service of the cabin crew across all the flights, including domestic (flew both business and economy). Something hard to do, as I have been spoilt over the years by being an uber-frequent flyer of Singapore Airlines.

One area that Thai Airways fails, and rather spectacularly is at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport, its home base. Virtually all the Star Alliance member airlines and even SkyTeam and oneworld members, based out of Europe and Asia, offer some form of arrivals lounge for their international premium passengers. These lounges offer a much desired, sometimes much needed, shower facility, basic breakfast, and for those us addicted to tobacco, some form of smoking room if not in the lounge, nearby.

At Suvarnabhumi airport, Thai Airways operates no less than seven lounges and a separate spa, none of them in the international arrivals area. With the exception of one lounge, in the domestic concourse, all the other lounges and the spa are in the international departures area, which is inaccessible unless you are connecting to another international flight from Bangkok on the same day.

Consequently, premium passengers arriving in Bangkok on Thai are denied this small bit of relaxation and comfort. A rude and unhelpful Airports of Thailand staff, only further degrades an arriving passenger's euphoria after a flight with good on-board service.

The lounge in the domestic concourse while decent, is a far cry from its cousins in the international departures area, and offers no shower facilities. If you have a six hour connection like I did, you have no choice but to sit and stew in your stinky sweat, and due to local laws, there is no smoking permitted anywhere in the domestic concourse.

One can only wonder why the airline has chosen such an imabalanced lounge infrastructure at its home base. An imbalance that degrades the airline's otherwise Smooth as silk service experience for hard to obtain premium class passengers.

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World's top 25 airlines by capacity as of March 2011

Delta Air Lines continues to be the world's largest airline measured by available seat-kilometre (ASK) capacity, offering a whopping 28.3 billion seat-kilometres per month. They are followed by American Airlines and in a change, Emirates airline has overtaken United Airlines for the third spot.


United is one of only two airlines that is offering a reduced seat capacity in March 2011 when compared to March 2010, the other is Japan Airlines (JAL) which essentially imploded last year, reducing capacity by more than 22% and sliding from 16th to 25 rank.

The two new entrants to the top 25 list are also the airlines with the largest capacity growth in the "Top 25" group. Qatar Airways with a 20.3% growth comes in at 22nd position, and Turkish Airlines (THY) led the growth story to rank at 24th position.

In comparison the India's largest airline, Jet Airways, offers a capacity less than half the size of lowest ranked Japan Airlines. Just under 3 billion ASKs for March 2011. Co-incidentally Jet leased out most of its luxurious Boeing 777-300ER fleet to 21st rank Thai Airways and to Turkish Airlines who successfully used the aircraft to rapidly ramp-up capacity, build their brand image resulting in a capture of significant traffic.

Makes one ponder if the lack of growth of Indian carriers is primary due to government regulations, taxation, and over-control? Or due to a lack of vision and execution by the Indian airlines? Or do foreign carriers have that something extra (vision, risk appetite, desire, service execution, etc.)?

What is your view? Post a comment.

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Photos: Starry Starry Night -- night shots of Air China, Singapore Air, Thai, Air France

Today's dose of spotting photos are all taken at night and incidentally, all are the national flag carriers of their respective countries.

First, is an Air China Airbus A319-100. This is a rare visitor to Bangalore, coming in only twice a week, at 03:00. Turning around and leaving in less than 45 minutes. That is about as fast as I have seen for an international flight. I call this flight the "Cisco special" since it connects the three major Asia facilities of Cisco -- Bangalore, Chengdu and Shanghai.
The next two are A330s taken by Aviation Photographers India member Vedant.

Air France operates a six times a week A330-200 service to Paris. Here F-GZCC is getting ready to taxi.
Thai Airways has a daily A330-300 (more passengers and lesser range than a -200) service to Bangkok.

The last is from the airline I used to be a over-frequent flier with -- Singapore Airlines. Here is their Boeing 777-200 getting ready to depart to Singapore.

In case you are wondering how to get the star-burst effect on the lights -- the secret is to stop down the aperture to around F/11 and increase the time the shutter is open i.e. reduce shutter speed.

In all the above photos, the shutter speed was about 15~30 seconds, so you will further appreciate the timing and anticipation required to get you these wonderful photos, not to forget a good tripod like a Manfrotto.

Photos used with permission of the copyright owner. Creative Commons license not applicable.

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