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Updated on 27 July 2005 |
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National
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International
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Paramount Airways to connect second tier cities
Coimbatore-based Paramount Airways, scheduled to launch its services from August 2005, will be positioned as a premium low-cost airline. Paramount will provide better point-to-point access to secondary cities that are not directly connected to each other or are very poorly connected. The airline will fly Embraer, the Brazilian aircraft, which will offer a dual seating configuration in first and business class and, later, an-all business class service.
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Jet Airways re-launches Citibank Gold Card
The Jet Airways Citibank Gold Card is being re-launched as a complete travel card. This means that the card now includes added JP (Jet Privilege) Miles accrual opportunites, additional benefits while travelling on Jet Airways, discounted hotel rates, transaction fee waivers for fuel purchases, and more. The membership fee for the primary card is Rs 2,500 per annum. For those who enrol between July 15 and Ocotber 15, the annual fee would be Rs 2,000. Add-on cards for five members of one�s family (above the age of 18) can also be availed of for free. Customers will receive three 30 per cent Family Discount vouchers at the time of signing up or renewing their card.
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Leela Group buys Le Meridien in Kovalam
Hotel Leela Ventrue Limited has taken over the Le Meridien, Kovalam formerly owned by Kovalam Hotels Ltd, a subsidiary of M-Far Group of Hotels. The hotel will now be known as Leela Kovalam Beach. Captain CP Krishnan Nair, chairman, Hotel Leela Venture Ltd, said the Leela Kovalam Beach would now be upgraded to a seven-star status, work for which has begun.
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Emirates to begin another Dubai-NY daily non-stop flight
Due to the unprecedented success of the first non-stop service between Dubai and New York, Emirates airline will add a second A340-500 flight between the two cities from November 7. Operating from Dubai International Airport to JFK Airport in New York, the new service EK203, will leave Dubai at 1:30 am and land in New York at 7:10 am of the same day. Passengers can also avail of the Emirates Holidays � the Emirates travel company � packages to cities like Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orlando and Miami.
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Kingfisher sets up shop in the US
Vijay Mallya, chairman and managing director of Kingfisher Airlines, announced the setting up of the group�s new company, Kingfisher International, in USA. Mallya indicated that the new company might be used to launch international flights since Kingfisher Airlines is not allowed to fly out of India at present. A reverse-flying permit would allow the airlines to fly from the US to India instead.
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KLM launches flights to Bangalore, Hyderabad
KLM, the Dutch airline, is to start a daily flight between Bangalore and Amsterdam from October 31. The airline also announced the launch of the Amsterdam-Hyderabad flight, which will run three times a week � Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. KLM will now offer 45 more seats on its daily flight from Delhi as it plans to operate a Boeing 777 aircraft on the route in place of the MD-11 that is being utilised at present.
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Azerbaijan Airways begins Delhi-Baku flight
Azerbaijan Airlines, the national airline of Azerbaijan, has started a flight from Baku to Delhi that will run twice a week. This service will provide easy connections to serveral destinations in Europe, including London. The airline is also planning to start a freighter service from September.
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Taj to manage luxury hotel in New York
Re-entering the US market after a gap of six years, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces has bagged a 30-year agreement contract to operate and manage The Pierre, a luxurious hotel on New York�s Fifth Avenue from July 1, 2005. The Taj will pay an annual lease of $5 million to 795 5th Avenue Corporation, the co-operative owners of the property. The 41-storey hotel has 201 guest rooms including 52 suites, restaurants, the latest fitness facilities and a full service business centre. Taj Hotels will be spending $35 million for renovating and upgrading The Pierre, which will be completed by the year end and renamed The Pierre, a Taj Group Hotel. In keeping with the strong market of New York, the rate for an average room would be $450-500 and $650-800 for a deluxe room.
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Lufthansa increases flights from India
Lufthansa announced an increase in its weekly flights from India to Germany. This October they will add 6 new flights a week to its current 32. These flights will connect Frankfurt with Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad and Munich with Delhi. They also announced the introduction of new cuisine on long haul flights to cater to the growing number of Indian travellers.
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Siemens, Airbus to develop inflight mobile phone system
By the year 2006, Siemens and Airbus plan to develop technology that enables passengers to make and receive calls on their mobile phones while in air. The German company will provide the GSM mobile phone standard technology while Airbus will build it into existing electronic systems as well as market and maintain it. Siemens assures that the GSM technology would connect signals only with satellites and not with terrestrial networks. This means that the signals would not interfere with the aircraft�s electronic systems or phone calls on the ground.
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