I have been a dog-lover since childhood. I grew up with Silky, a Lhasa Apso, Snooty and Growler, two Spitzes. In the US, Keesha, a Keeshound kept me company. Today our family includes two Champions, Brandy, an Irish Setter, and Isis, the only female Giant Schnauzer in India.

I flew with Isis from the USA to Bangalore HAL airport, without any problems, and read the below story in the Bangalore Mirror with considerable sadness.

Even today, I will unconditionally recommend Lufthansa for anyone carrying pets internationally. Lufthansa has a fully functional and caring pet transit centre at Frankfurt airport. Vets to check your pet, and caring staff feed your pets, walk them, and let them relieve themselves.

The lack of a quarantine station is not just impacting pet lovers, but also the food, restaurant, and tourism industry in Bangalore, since food cannot be imported to Bangalore. Similarly, the lack of an office of the drug controller, forces the entire bio-tech industry in Karnataka, to use Chennai.

This is despite the cargo operators at BIAL, Menzies Bobba, and Air India - Singapore Airport Terminal Services (AI-SATS), having some of the best cold room and freezer facilities in the nation.

One of the reasons given for a lack of the quarantine station, is a measly 10 acres not being allotted by BIAL. I find it hard to believe that BIAL management cannot find 10 acres out of the 4,000 allotted to them.

The quarantine station is run by the Department of Animal Husbandry under the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Drug Controller comes under the Ministry of Health. Both ministries are run by parochial ministers, Sharad Pawar and Ramadoss, who will do anything to favour their own state. I am sure you have figured out by now why Bangalore is being denied.

I invite your action. Post your comments on this article, write to the respective Ministers and insist Bangalore be given its due.

- Devesh Agarwal
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A recent customs circular, banning the transit of animals through Bengaluru International Airport, has got pet owners and importers in a flap. The only option now is to bring their pets to or from Chennai airport, which has a quarantine facility

By Aditi Soni & Praveen Kumar

Have a pet and want to take it along when you fly to or from Bangalore via the new Devanahalli airport? Briefly put, you can’t.

Reason: The customs department has issued a diktat to all airlines operating from BIA not to allow the transportation of pets; else, they could face legal action.

Customs officials have told airlines not to book pets aboard inward or outward flights till the Devanahalli airport gets a quarantine facility. According to the department, such a facility requires a minimum of 10 acres of land.

It should be run under the supervision of the animal husbandry department, and vets and other staff should be posted there.

Once an animal is booked to fly, it should be quarantined till departure. A pet entering the city should be quarantined till its owner comes to claim it.

“BIAL is finding it difficult to allocate 10 acres of land for a quarantine facility. They say there is a shortage of land to set up a second runway and other airport-related infrastructure,” said a senior customs official. Interestingly, the Devanahalli airport is spread across a humongous 4,000 acres!

But pet owners are not convinced with this explanation. “Customs officials allowed transportation of pets through the HAL airport, which did not have a quarantine facility. After the opening of BIA, they have come out with this rule. It is a partisan attitude,” said one pet owner. “Earlier, at the HAL airport, we got a cage of our pet’s size made and booked it through an airline by paying the required charges. Why can’t they do the same at BIA?” he queried.

In the circumstances, those wanting to fly with their pets have to resort to the costly and time-consuming alternative of taking the animal by road to the Chennai international airport, which has a quarantine facility. There, airline companies accept the booking and fly the pet to the destination of the owner’s choice. Similarly, owners bringing their pets to Bangalore have to get them quarantined at the Chennai airport first and then take the road route to Bangalore.

The customs’ no-no to pets at BIA has not only added to the hassles of individual pet owners, it has also imposed a huge burden on those in the business of importing animals. Faced with the prospect of taking the road route to or from cities like Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi which have airport quarantine facilities, some have decided to give up the business altogether.

“I seriously wonder why BIA, despite being an international airport, is deficient in this regard,” said one dog importer who has been in the business for 50 years. Recalling how easy it was to import dogs earlier, he said, “First of all, air travel was not at all expensive. One could easily travel to Bangkok for just Rs 12,000, and doing your shopping and bringing a pet along were the added incentives.” Particularly galling to him was the extra taxi expense he has to incur from Chennai to Bangalore.

Another importer said, “We were adhering to all the rules. We used to take a licence from the customs as well. But still the transit of animals has been banned in Bangalore, which is nothing but stupidity on their part. If the Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi airports can allow pets to travel, there is no good reason for Bangalore not to do so too.”

Even as some pet shop owners have given up on selling imported breeds because of the trouble involved, others remain unaware of the customs’ ban on animal transit through BIA.”I know birds are not allowed to be exported or imported. But it comes as a surprise to me that pet dogs too are not allowed in,” said Shariff from Pet Planet.

However, there will always be those who will brave all obstacles to acquire the pets of their choice. Noting the current craze for small dog breeds, one importer said, “Terriers of different kinds are what everyone wants to have. You can’t even think of getting them in India. That’s why even if I have to come via Chennai, I do it for the sake of my business.”

And what does the BIAL management have to say about the ruckus caused by the customs’ circular? “It’s not the airport but the airlines who have to take a decision. Most of the time, it’s the airlines who don’t agree to carry pets,” was a BIAL official’s bland response.

The battered India airline companies received a lifeline from the government on October 31.

The 5% Customs duty on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) has removed. In addition the government controlled oil marketing companies have announced a price reduction of Rs. 6,000 per kilolitre on ATF.

These two steps, will result in an about 17% reduction in prices, but predictably, airlines have chosen to hoard the price reductions to buttress their shattered financials, and say it is too early to say whether the drop can be passed on to customers in the form of lower air fares.

Adding insult to injury, airlines will force, their customers to start paying the "transaction fee"on air tickets from November 1, 2008. The fee will hike domestic fares by up to Rs. 500 and international travel by up to Rs. 10,000 a ticket. This fee will be payable even on refund tickets.

Please see the tags "Transaction Fee" for articles on this subject.

Press Trust of India reports, low cost carrier SpiceJet today reported a net loss of Rs 198 crore (INR 1.98 billion) for the second quarter ended September 30. The airline had posted a net loss of Rs 37.7 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year.

Total income of the carrier stood at Rs 363.3 crore in the second quarter, up from Rs 271.3 crore in the same quarter of the previous fiscal, the airline said in a statement.

SpiceJet witnessed a 53 per cent growth in operating revenue because of a three per cent increase in number of flights in comparison to same quarter last year. The company reported a 43 per cent growth in revenue per flight on account of increased passenger yield.

On the revenue generated during the quarter, SpiceJet CEO Sanjay Aggarwal said: "We have been able to achieve a 43 per cent growth in revenue per flight driven by a 77 per cent enhancement in average fare realisation this quarter when compared to last year".

There has been a correction in ticket pricing in the first two quarter of the current fiscal. The revised prices are holding in the market place and that it will be the case moving ahead at least till the end of this fiscal year, he added.

The Press Trust of India reports, the third runway of Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), which was recently inaugurated, has been opened for round-the-clock operation from yesterday. The runway, which was inaugurated on August 21 this year by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, was opened for commercial operations from September 25, 2008 but could not be used round-the-clock due to technical problems with the runway lighting system.

“The operational hours of the new runway were increased in a phased manner in accordance to best global aviation practices. Following the encouraging feedback from all stakeholders such as airlines and Air Traffic Control (ATC) on successful operations since its opening, the runway will now be available for operations round-the-clock,” a Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) spokesperson said.

The third runway, christened 29/11, has CAT IIIB instrument landing system (ILS) on both Dwarka and Vasant Kunj sides which will allow aircraft to land even when the visibility is as low as 50 metres. The runway, built to Code F standards, can handle the wide bodied aircraft like Airbus A-380 and Antonov AN-225. DIAL, a joint venture consortium operating and developing the IGIA, had build Rs 1,000 crore the runway in a record time of 18 months -- six months ahead of schedule on February 2009. “This will enhance IGIA's capacity to handle more aircraft movements,” added the DIAL spokesperson.

The maintenance of the main runways (11-29 and 10-28) will be carried out on alternate days on the weekdays whereas secondary runway (09-27) maintenance will be carried out on Sundays between 1 pm to 4 pm.

According to a Press Trust of India (PTI) report, Kolkata’s Howrah region is proposed to get a second airport in a bid to ease the passenger congestion at the existing Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (NSCBIA). Speaking at a function in Howrah yesterday, Subhash Chakraborty, West Bengal Transport Minister said, “There has been a considerable increase of passengers at the NSCBIA and so it was necessary to develop another airport and Howrah was the appropriate place for the purpose.”

Laying the foundation stone of a bus terminus at Ramrajatala in Howrah, Chakraborty informed, “Currently, a consultancy agency deputed by the state government is doing the survey work and once they give the report, the whole project will be finalised. There is land belonging to the Eastern Railway beside the Kona Expressway, but there is some dispute with the land and so we are thinking of some other land. We have directed all the MPs and the MLAs of the district to look for land and once they give a report, we will finalise it.

When asked on why Howrah has been chosen for Kolkata’s second airport, Chakraborty said, “Howrah is the twin city of Kolkata and an airport in this town was necessary. Moreover Howrah's proximity to Kolkata will also help in developing this airport.”

Jet Airways, today connected Bengaluru with New York (Newark and JFK) and Toronto, via its European hub in Brussels with four weekly flights - on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays respectively, till December 14, 2008.

In keeping with the higher holiday season passenger traffic, Jet Airways will increase its frequency on the sector, operating daily flights between Bengaluru and Brussels effective December 15, 2008 to January 15, 2009; and will revert to flying four times a week on the same sector, effective January 16, 2009 onwards.

The launch of Jet Airways’ inaugural service on the Bengaluru-Brussels sector was marked by a multi-faith prayer session at the new Bengaluru International Airport, followed by the ceremonial lighting of the inaugural lamp by Mr. Albert Brunner, CEO, BIAL and Mr. Sudheer Raghavan, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways.

Flight 9W 132 departed the new Bengaluru International Airport at 0135 hrs, arriving at Brussels International Airport at 0755 hrs. On the return leg, Jet Airways flight 9W 131 will depart Brussels at 1010 hrs and arrive at Bengaluru at 0005 hrs the following morning.

With the launch of these services, arriving passengers from Bengaluru can now conveniently connect to Jet Airways’ transatlantic services to North America and Europe in a seamless manner, on board its state-of-the-art Airbus 330-200 aircraft offering an unmatched international Premiere and Economy Class experience.

Jet Airways’ passengers can currently connect to six additional destinations in the United States and seven destinations across Europe through its code share partnerships with American Airlines and Brussels Airlines respectively.

This enhanced connectivity on Jet Airways includes Washington Reagan, Dallas, Boston, Cleveland, Baltimore and Raleigh-Durham in the United States, via New York (JFK) and to Birmingham, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin Tegel, Manchester, Paris De Gaulle and Lyon in Europe, via Brussels.

Commenting on this new route development, Mr. Sudheer Raghavan said, “Jet Airways is proud to commence its signature wide body operations from Bengaluru to North America and Europe via its Brussels hub. Bengaluru will now be the fourth major Indian gateway for Jet Airways’ services to North America via Brussels, in addition to Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai”.

Bengaluru is also the ninth Indian city to be connected to Jet Airways’ international network.

The Brussels hub operation is ideally suited to offer Jet Airways’ customers flexibility with flight timings, to connect India with North America and Europe.

Passengers from Bengaluru will experience Jet Airways’ dual-class, state-of-the-art Airbus 330-200 aircraft featuring its acclaimed herringbone-configured Première, which makes every seat an aisle seat .Besides converting to 180 degree flat beds with lumbar support and massage systems, Première seats also offer the busy business traveller oversized tables, laptop power, telephony, SMS, Email and live text news.

The spacious new Economy class, passengers will enjoy seats more spacious than the norm and ergonomically designed to reduce stress and strain for perhaps the most comfortable ride in its class.

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) announced that it is all set for its maiden Haj operations from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.

GHIAL has provided all facilities at the new Haj Terminal for the convenience of the pilgrims this year. The facilities are meant for both the passengers and the visitors.

The Saudia Airlines Airbus A300 flight to Hyderabad will land at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at 4 a.m. on October 30, 2008 from Jeddah. The flight will take-off from Hyderabad to Medina with 300 passengers at 5:30 am.

The facilities include:

• Separate area for passengers and visitors.
• Separate toilets for male and female passengers are provided at the passengers and visitors area.
• Departure Lounge is provided.
• Security Hold Area has Tea/Coffee & snacks joints, telephone booth with local / STD / ISD, Forex Counters, & Duty Free area.
• First Aid facility.
• Paid Parking for the vehicles of passengers and greeters.

A Prayer Hall is also provided for Male and Female Passengers with facilities for Vazu (ablutions).

The airport is also providing buggies for elderly passengers besides wheelchairs for those who need this facility.

“An exclusive terminal for the first time in Hyderabad has been constructed with all integrated facilities like customs, immigration, security, food & beverage, retail / duty free, an exclusive car park for Haj travellers, which will bring down the processing time and enhance the standards of service provided by GHIAL”, said Mr. Viswanath, Chief Commercial Officer, GHIAL.

Customers can expect ‘business as usual’ with no immediate changes in operations

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE: DAL) announced, it and Northwest Airlines, Inc. merged, creating a premier global airline with service to nearly all of the world’s major travel markets.

The new airline, called Delta and headquartered in Atlanta, will begin its first day as a combined company with a commitment to delivering excellent service to customers in 66 countries and more than 375 worldwide cities – more than any other airline; with a dedicated base of approximately 75,000 worldwide employees; and with a best-in-class cost structure and strong liquidity balance that better positions the company to adapt to the weakening global economy.

“The airline industry faces a very difficult economic environment around the world and this merger gives Delta increased flexibility to adapt to the economic challenges ahead,” said Delta CEO Richard Anderson. “With much of the work to bring our airlines together well under way, the new Delta will be at the front of the pack in achieving the benefits of consolidation and is well positioned to navigate the tough waters ahead in a difficult economy.”

With the completion of the merger, Northwest Airlines is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta. Customers should continue to check-in and do business directly with the airline operating their flight just as they did before the merger. Delta will continue operation of the airlines’ separate Web sites, www.delta.com and www.nwa.com, as well as the two airlines’ reservations systems and loyalty programs.

The companies will be integrated through a thoughtful process with customer benefits rolled out over the next 12-24 months, including:

• The addition of Delta’s code to nearly all of the Northwest system by the end of 2008, creating thousands of additional connecting opportunities.
• Immediate complimentary upgrade reciprocity for elite members of both airlines’ loyalty programs, with airport lounge reciprocity continuing as usual.
• The launch of a fully consolidated worldwide flight schedule in advance of summer 2009;
• The introduction of elements of Delta’s brand throughout the Northwest system beginning in spring 2009, including Delta’s popular Richard Tyler designer uniforms, Delta’s livery, “signature cocktails,” enhanced in-flight entertainment and other onboard amenities.
• The consolidation of the Delta and Northwest loyalty programs, ultimately including the ability to combine miles from SkyMiles and WorldPerks accounts at a one-to-one ratio.
• The full integration of Delta and Northwest Web sites, kiosks, and customer-facing technology to ensure a consistent worldwide travel experience.

Delta has already invested significant resources to ensure a seamless transition for customers, including receiving clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the airline’s plan to achieve a Single Operating Certificate over the next 14-16 months; adding extra staffing and technology at check-in counters and kiosks to provide added customer assistance beginning today; and posting complete merger information at www.delta.com and www.nwa.com to provide customers added assistance.

Employees share in success of combined company with equity stake, platform for future growth

As a result of the merger, employees will share in the success of the new company through an expanded ownership share in the combined company. In the coming days, Delta will distribute an equity stake to substantially all U.S.-based employees with international employees participating through cash payments in lieu of stock.

"Ensuring our employees are able to share in the benefits of the merger from the beginning is a prime example of the Delta Difference," Anderson said. "By sharing ownership with Delta’s people, we are not only recognizing the critical role employees will play in successfully integrating two customer-focused companies, we are also making good on a longstanding commitment that our employees will share in the success of the company."

Delta also has completed other key steps to ensure that employees benefit from the merger and are protected as the two companies’ workforces are combined. Specifically, Delta:

• Completed an unprecedented agreement with the Delta and Northwest units of the Air Line Pilots Association, Intl. (ALPA) on a joint contract that unifies both pilot groups under one pilot working agreement effective tomorrow. Additionally, the two pilot groups have agreed to a collaborative process that will achieve a combined seniority list;
• Committed that no frontline employees will be involuntarily furloughed as a result of the merger and that no hubs will be closed; and
• Implemented a seniority protection policy that ensures that frontline employees of both airlines will be provided seniority protection through a fair-and-equitable process.

Financial footing strengthened, providing increased flexibility to adapt to challenging global economic conditions

The closing of the Delta-Northwest merger brings together two of the industry’s most financially secure airlines to produce a best-in-class cost structure and an industry-leading balance sheet. The transaction is expected to generate $2 billion or more in annual revenue and cost synergies from more effective aircraft utilization, a more comprehensive and diversified route system, and cost synergies from reduced overhead and improved operational efficiency. The company expects to incur one-time cash costs not exceeding $600 million to integrate the two airlines.

As approved by both companies’ stockholders earlier this year, Northwest stockholders will receive 1.25 Delta shares for each Northwest share they own. Based on Delta’s closing stock price on Oct. 29, 2008, this exchange ratio is the equivalent of $9.99 per Northwest common share.

“In today’s economic climate, this merger makes even more sense because we can capture $2 billion in annual synergies and build the foundation for profitable growth through improved revenues, a best-in-class cost structure and a strong liquidity position,” said Edward Bastian, Delta’s president and chief financial officer, and the new CEO and president of NWA. “As we have proven, this is a different type of merger for the industry thanks to the complementary nature of the two airlines and the caliber of the people who will make this the most successful merger in airline history,” Bastian continued.

Delta closed the merger after receiving notice from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) that it would not challenge the merger after reviewing its competitive impact. Earlier this year, the merger also received clearance from the European Commission.

Delta today also announced the members of its new Board of Directors, effective immediately. Delta Chairman of the Board Daniel Carp remains chairman while Northwest Chairman Roy Bostock becomes vice chairman. Other directors will include seven from Delta’s Board – Richard Anderson, John S. Brinzo, Eugene I. Davis, David R. Goode, Paula Rosput Reynolds, Kenneth C. Rogers, and Kenneth B. Woodrow, and four from Northwest’s Board – John M. Engler, Mickey P. Foret, Rodney E. Slater and former Northwest CEO Douglas Steenland. Delta had previously announced the structure of its new Board during the merger announcement last spring.

With its acquisition of Northwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines is now the world’s largest airline, and also becomes the only US airline offering a full global network.

CompareSasta.com is the newest entrant in the online travel search market, and has started its service by offering a comprehensive real-time price information of flights and bus travel in India.

CompareSasta.com is trying to be India's leading price comparison website by enabling consumers to search, find, and compare a complete range of products and services best suited to their requirements.

CompareSasta.com users will benefit from choosing and comparing from hundreds of flight options with all available real-time price and itinerary combinations, as well as results displayed according to relevancy.

I did a sample check on flights between Bangalore and Delhi and was impressed by the results, as well as the filters and options available.

“For Indian travellers who prefer to be price conscious, this site will offer a compelling value proposition. The users will be able to search for the cheapest fares online, regardless of where they're based” said Mr. H. Tanna, Director – Operations, ES Group India.

When asked how CompareSasta.com will differentiate its offering from the existing players online travel meta search, Tanna responded - “Travel is just one of the first product from our portfolio of services. We will be India’s first Online Comparison Portal offering services ranging from Travel, Hotels, Tour Packages, Broadband, Electronics, Finance and so on. We will keep innovating and helping our users to get best deals available”.

The bad news continues to roll in for Indian aviation.

Austrian Airlines announced that it will cease operating its service from Vienna to Mumbai (Bombay) from 1 March 2009 onwards.

All international airlines choose Mumbai, the economic capital of India, while ignoring less competitive cities like Bangalore. As a result there is drastic overcapacity between European airports and Mumbai. The weakening Indian demand and the consequences of the crisis in European financial markets only add to the loss of profitable operations in the medium term.

The measure also means that one more of the airline’s total of six Boeing 767 aircraft will no longer be deployed on long-haul routes. The question of how to use the aircraft freed up by the decision remains open at present.

Austrian has already cancelled services from London City Airport, Luxembourg and Riga, and Chicago, this year.

According to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced global international traffic results for September, with passenger traffic declining 2.9%, compared to the same month in 2007.

International load factors tumbled by 4.4% percentage points from August to 74.8% in September.

Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO said, “The deterioration in traffic is alarmingly fast-paced and widespread. We have not seen such a decline in passenger traffic since SARS in 2003. Even the good news that the oil price has fallen to half its July peak is not enough to offset the impact of the drop in demand. At this rate, losses may be even deeper than our forecast USD5.2-billion for this year.”

This is the first time since the SARS crisis in 2003 that global passenger traffic has shrunk. Capacity cuts were not able to keep pace with the fall in demand. September load factors in all regions fell compared to August.

For September, all major regions reported that passenger traffic shrank, with the exception of Latin American carriers which saw an increase of 1.7%.

Even this is down from the 11.9% growth of the previous month.

African carriers posted the largest decline in traffic (-7.8%), a continuation of the previous month’s trend.

This drop in overall international air traffic does not bode well for Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) and its promoter BIAL. The domestic air traffic has reduced drastically, with short-haul traffic all but disappearing. Only a spectacular growth in international flights has enabled BIA a modest 1.5% gain in overall passenger traffic. The recent announcement by the world's largest airline, Air France-KLM, of withdrawal of the Hyderabad Amsterdam route due to poor performance, highlights the problem.

It is imperative for the BIAL consortium to put its thinking cap on and try to raise the domestic traffic, lest the international airlines pull the rug from under its feet.

The Press Trust of India reports that the Government’s decision to shut down the old Bangalore airport could come under fresh legal scrutiny with a parliamentary panel asking civil aviation ministry to respond to charges of “irregularities” in the concession agreement it has signed with the airport developer.

Quoting records of its hearings with the ministry, Airports Authority of India, its employees and the private Bangalore International Airport Limited, the panel said that the clause relating to the old airport closure was brought into the concession agreement “at a later stage... After a demand was made to this effect by BIAL”.

In its report on the functioning of private airports, the Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture said the concession agreement initially prepared and approved by the Union Cabinet “did not provide for the closure of the Hindustan Aeronautical Limited Airport” in Bangalore.

However, the July 2004 agreement actually signed with BIAL had a clause making it obligatory on the government to notify that the old airport would not be available for commercial civil aviation operations from the date the new greenfield airport became operational, it said.

The Committee, headed by CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, said the AAI Employees Union (AAEU) had quoted the Aircraft Act to point out that an airport could be closed down only if security of the country and safety of aircraft were endangered. “In the given case of the HAL Airport, both these reasons are not present.”

KLM announced on October 22, 2008, that KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is suspending its Amsterdam–Hyderabad service, effective February 1, 2009.

KLM launched flights to this destination in October 2005 in anticipation of a growth in traffic to India.

KLM is suspending this service in response to financial results of this route and local market developments.

All passengers will be booked onto other flights.

KLM continues to serve the Indian market with daily services to both Mumbai and Delhi.

KLM and its partners will continue to focus on India, operating direct flights from Amsterdam and Paris to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Madras.