In major news since our last update; Air India Express announces a new Pune - Bangkok service, Thai Airways Introduces Premium Economy on the Mumbai and Delhi to Bangkok route, IndiGo signs a codeshare agreement with Japan Airlines, Indigo expands service to four new US destinations under the code share agreement with Turkish Airlines. In visa updates, South Africa to introduce ETA for Indian tourists to simplify the visa process, Philippines introduces E-Visa and Thailand also announces e-visa for Indians from January 1, 2025. These and more updates in the last edition for 2024. We take this opportunity to wish you Happy Holidays and a very happy New Year!.

After a successful pilot since February 2023 that saw over 2 million passengers opt for its ‘Green Fares’, the Lufthansa Group has announced that it is expanding these fares for more sustainable flying on long-haul flights and thus to its global route network.

In a press statement, the Group led by German flag carrier Lufthansa, says that the Green Fares will be bookable in all travel classes for more than 850,000 flights per year with effect from December 4. The company says that the more sustainable ticket already includes offsetting of individual flight-related CO2 emissions and that these fares are part of its growing portfolio of more sustainable travel offers.

Air India has placed an order for an additional 100 Airbus aircraft, including 10 wide-body A350s and 90 narrow-body A320s family aircraft including the A321neo.

This new order brings Air India’s total number of Airbus aircraft orders to 350 out of which the airline has already received six A350s. In 2023, the airline also placed an order with Boeing for 220 aircraft, of which 185 remain to be delivered.

Air India has extended its wireless inflight entertainment service, Vista Stream, to its single-aisle fleet, allowing passengers to stream content on personal devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops. The service, which debuted in August 2024, was initially introduced on the airline’s wide-body fleet (excluding the Boeing 777 and Airbus A350), and is now available on both wide-body and narrow-body aircraft for domestic and international flights.

Vista Stream offers over 1,600 hours of curated content, including Bollywood and Hollywood films, documentaries, music, and children’s programs. Additionally, the service features a live map for real-time flight tracking, and it is compatible with iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS devices, ensuring seamless access to entertainment for all passengers during the flight.

Air India Express (AIX) has announced the launch of thrice a week direct flights between Pune and Bangkok starting on December 21 as per the following schedule:

Expanding its presence in India, Vietjet Thailand has announced the launch of its inaugural Mumbai - Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) daily service, set to begin on December 23, 2024 with the following schedule:

The new service will offer passengers a convenient travel option to explore Thailand’s capital and beyond, while opening greater opportunities for tourism, business, and cultural exchange between the two vibrant cities.

Thai AirAsia X (XJ) is set to connect India and Thailand with new direct flights from Delhi to Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok starting December 15, 2024. With the Fly Thru service, travellers from Delhi can seamlessly connect via Don Mueang Airport to domestic destinations like Chiang Mai and Phuket or international locations such as Sydney and Shanghai.

The Delhi-Don Mueang route will be operated by with an Airbus A330 aircraft. Starting with twice-weekly flights on Wednesdays and Sundays, the frequency will increase to four times a week from January 15, 2025. The schedule till mid-Jan is as follows:

With the merger between Air India and Vistara, the former has taken over the air routes previously operated by Vistara. Now, the daily flights between Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi (DEL) and Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport (DPS) in Denpasar will be operated by Air India with the following schedule:

Thai Airways has introduced the New Premium Economy product on its A330-300 flights on the Delhi-Bangkok-Delhi (TG324/323) & Mumbai-Bangkok-Mumbai (TG318/317) routes.

Exclusive benefits include more spacious seating, premium dining experience, top-notch amenities including in-flight entertainment and an exclusive Amenity Kit as well as priority boarding privileges.

This strategic partnership will enable JAL to expand its connectivity to India initially, while offering IndiGo customers more travel options on JAL’s extensive domestic and international network in later phases. IndiGo, holding over 60% market share as India’s leading airline, and JAL will begin code sharing on domestic routes within India that connect to JAL-operated flights to/from Delhi and Bengaluru.

Currently, JAL operates daily services between Tokyo (Haneda) and Delhi, and five times weekly services between Tokyo(Narita) and Bengaluru. Through this new partnership with IndiGo, JAL will be able to establish a comprehensive network across India, connecting to numerous major cities via JAL-operated flights.

Indigo expands its code share with Turkish Airlines to 4 new US destinations:

Indigo announced the addition of 4 new US destinations to its network, beyond Istanbul, as part of Indigo and Turkish Airline Codeshare agreement. The four destinations are:

• Houston (IAH)
• Atlanta (ATL)
• Miami (MIA)
• Los Angeles (LAX)

The code share to these destinations becomes operational on December 18. With these additions, Indigo’s US network now spans 9 destinations, providing travellers with even more travel choices.

IndiGo announces Puducherry as the 89th domestic and 125th overall destination in the 6E network. IndiGo will start daily direct operations between Bengaluru - Puducherry and Puducherry - Hyderabad, effective from December 20, 2024, providing tourists with ease of accessibility, more flight options and strengthened connectivity to and from Puducherry. The schedule of the flights is as follows:

Here is a summary of the new direct and connecting flights on the Air India Express network from Pune starting from January 4, 2025.

South Africa has recently decided to replace its existing e-visa system with the more efficient Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for Indian travellers. This new system, when launched in 2025 is expected to significantly reduce the visa processing time, from the current wait of several weeks to just two to three days. This is a welcome move for travelers looking to visit South Africa, as it promises to make the application process much faster and more convenient.

After beta testing in August 2023, the e-visa system became fully operational on October 28,2024 at the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi, along with consulates in Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai.

The Singapore Consulate has updated the list of documents required for visa processing and applicants must now provide the following:

• Hotel Voucher
  Confirmation of your hotel booking for the duration of the stay


• Personal Bank Statement
  For applicants with a blank passport: Submit a personal bank statement for the last six months, showing a balance of over ₹50,000. Each page must have the bank's seal and signature
  If the applicant has travelled internationally before, a copy of the bank statement will suffice

The Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi has announced the implementation of Thailand’s Electronic Visa (e-Visa) system in India, which will take effect from January 1, 2025. The existing 60-day visa exemption for Indian ordinary passport holders traveling for tourism or short-term business purposes will remain effective until further notice.

Dec 8, 2024, 12.59 AM IST

Pune: As the Christmas and New Year holiday season approaches, travellers eyeing popular domestic destinations are bracing for soaring hotel tariffs. In hotspots like Goa, Coorg, Jaipur, and Munnar, luxury accommodation is charging anywhere between Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 30,000 or more per night around Christmas. Srinagar, meanwhile, is seeing 5-star properties priced as high as Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 38,000 per night.

Nikhil Thakurdas, CEO of Odyssey Tours and Travels, said these steep rates, coupled with limited availability in Rajasthan due to the wedding season, have prompted many Indian tourists to turn their attention to international travel, where affordability has become the USP. "Thailand, Vietnam and Sri Lanka have thus become popular choices this holiday season."
Read more here.

Dec 1, 2024, 01.21 AM IST

Nikhil Thakurdas, CEO of Odyssey Tours and Travels, said, "In the current travel period, airfares for holiday destinations like Sri Lanka have remained under Rs. 20,000 per person for a return journey, making the destination an attractive option. On the other hand, fares to Thailand, which were once reasonably priced, are now around Rs 40,000 per person for a round trip. Airfares for Bali and South Korea range between
Rs. 40,000 and Rs. 55,000. But these destinations are still being preferred for the upcoming holiday season,
as the associated airfares are comparable to some domestic holiday spots."
Read more here.

Nov 28, 2024, 01.21 AM IST

Nikhil Thakurdas, CEO of Odyssey Tours and Travels, said, “While hotel bookings and return tickets are reasonable requirements, the documentation needed for staying with relatives is quite cumbersome. It's quite awkward to ask relatives for documents like rental agreements and residence proofs.”

Thakurdas added, "The introduction of direct flights from Pune has sparked demand for destinations like Bangkok. The visa on arrival system there also simplifies travel. In contrast, the new Dubai visa rules could dampen spontaneous plans.
Read more here.