With IndiGo cancelling over 1,000 flights on Friday owing to crew shortage as the second phase of the pilots flight duty and rest period norms kicked in, huge capacity was out of the market, leading to airfares tripling and quadrupling from over the normal range, a travel industry executive said.
As the new Tax Collection at Source (TCS) on foreign remittances is set to become applicable from October 1, travel agents' body TAAI has made a last-minute plea to the government, urging them to abolish the decision or defer its implementation until the next fiscal year to allow discussions on overseas tour packages. The government has raised the TCS on foreign remittances under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) from 5 per cent to 20 per cent. This will be applicable to international travel, sending money abroad and other remittances.
No-frills carrier Go First filing for insolvency proceedings and cancelling flights is bad for the airline industry as the move will reduce capacity and could push airfares in certain routes, travel agents' grouping TAAI said on Wednesday.
If Saudi Arabia, with just two Muslim holy sites of Mecca and Medina, can create a huge tourism-based ecosystem beyond oil, Ayodhya is sure to become the world's hottest religious tourism site in less than a decade, predicts R Jagannathan.
'Never expected, and never in history, not a single country has extended that kind of assistance'
India's largest online travel agency, MakeMyTrip said that it is premature to assess the impact of Omicron variant on overseas tour bookings. Others in the travel sector however are worried about cancellations in the coming days as countries tighten travel restrictions. "It is too early to assess the impact of the new Covid-19 variant on outbound travel. "Additional protocols are already set in any case from several countries which will help contain the variant coming to India.
For Indians, Sri Lanka is one of the favourite venues for destination weddings. But last month, when a family from Delhi chartered a Vistara Airbus A320 to Colombo, it packed much more than the standard paraphernalia of clothes, gifts and jewellery. The family ferried meals from Delhi for all the guests and to cover their entire stay in Colombo due to the food and fuel shortages in the island nation.
The fee ranges between Rs 350 and Rs 10,000.
As many as 3,000 travel agents owing allegiance to TAAI have voluntarily decided to keep shutters down to protest airlines' certain unethical business practices.
The investigation wing of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has cleared nine foreign airlines of cartelisation and abuse of dominant position charges, pressed by the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI).
Travel agents in India on Monday demanded of 16 airlines that they reinstate commission following a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) order to restore the system of paying travel agents a commission, a senior industry official said.
Major travel agents have threatened to stop selling domestic and international air tickets until airlines agreed to restore commissions that they had said they would scrap starting October 1, citing higher costs and slower growth.
Move aimed at forcing airlines to revoke decision to withdraw 5 per cent commission.
A court in Canada has ordered the seizure of amounts collected by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on behalf of Air India and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Separate orders were passed on November 24 and December 21 on pleas by shareholders of Devas Multimedia Private Limited who have filed multiple petitions to enforce arbitration awards against the Indian government. According to a Devas spokesperson, more than $30 million has been seized to date under the IATA action.
The United States may include Gujarati language in its visa procedure for the convenience of people from the state planning to travel there.
Keeping in sync with the international trend, Chairman and Managing Director V Thulasidas of Air-India on Saturday said he favoured it should be merged with the domestic carrier Indian Airlines.
Close on the heels of Air-India's decision to slash commission of travel agents from the existing seven per cent to five per cent, the agents have decided to suspend sale of tickets of the national carrier from Friday.
Want last year's bonus? Sell our tickets: Jet Airways tells travel agents.
Curtailment of flights between India and China will help Air India and other airlines to boost their seat occupancy and market share.
The sudden massive cancellations of Jet have put travel agents and customers in jeopardy
Airlines have hiked their fares substantially for Down Under.
The move will help to reduce Air India's distribution cost by 60 per cent
This optimism is triggered by the feel-good factor in the wake of the Sensex touching record-high levels last week and a slew of discount offers by airlines to boost travel demand.
Rashme Sehgal took a ride on the Gatimaan Express for you.
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