Monday, April 19, 2010

The “Volcano” Chaos For Air Travel – A Possible Lesson For ICAO?

The recent chaos in the global air travel, caused by an Icelandic volcanic eruption, probably established this point that there must be a guideline and/or plan of action to counter such incidents that may occur in the future.

Needless to say that this guideline or plan of action will be global in nature, with the airlines of every country being ready to adhere to it. And it is to be monitored by a global aviation body. And when we think of such a global aviation body, we have only one choice – International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN body concerned with the global aviation issues.

I feel ICAO should take this incident as a research study, and formulate one such plan of action that can be effectively used in case any such incident occurs in the future, disrupting the global aviation. Yes, that plan of action will not be able to rectify the situation. But it can at least alleviate the impact of the situation, thereby alleviating the harassments of the concerned air travelers.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Indrajit Hazra's Crap in Hindustan Times

What is one of the main reasons that always keep The Times of India ahead of its rival Hindustan Times? Simple. Every article that you will find in Times of India (TOI) has a basic quality, a standard. On the other hand in Hindustan Times (HT) you will often come across articles that are nothing but craps.

One such latest crap that I came across other day was the article "End with a Bong, not a whimper" (link - http://www.hindustantimes.com/rssfeed/columnscricket/End-with-a-Bong-not-a-whimper/Article1-531387.aspx) by Indrajit Hazra, a funny looking man with a funny face that only his mother can love.

In that article this guy has discussed IPL, and has actually focused on KKR's poor performance in the same. And while doing so, he has completely focused on criticizing Ganguly, as a player and captain.

He certainly has the right to criticize Ganguly. After all it is true that KKR has failed in the IPL, and everybody has the right to criticize the hapless captain of the team.

But what was disgusting was that while criticizing Ganguly and his performance, this audacious (and seemingly uncultured) person has unnecessarily focused on Ganguly’s ethnicity (i.e. his Bengali ethnicity), and has also shown (albeit indirectly) lack of disrespect for the Bengali community as a whole.

I post some samples here –

First, the heading – “End with a Bong, not a whimper”

Second – “I don’t see why I can’t say a few cathartic words in response to the post-defeat outbursts of the Bengali man’s dream of a Bengali man: KKR skipper Dada Moany.”

Third – “Not with a bang, but a frustrated Bong who says he could have won Shah Rukh Khan the tournament if he had ten more…..”

Just a look at these samples can make one understand how the person – in the garb of criticizing Ganguly – has actually tried to poke a fun at the Bengali community. As I said that every person has the right to criticize anybody, be it Ganguly or anybody else. But while doing so there should be no attempt to show any disrespect to his community. That is an extreme level of impudence that can be expected only from an ill-bred guy like this Indrajit Hazra. That will immediately give a communal colour to that discussion, which is bound to make people from that community to be emotional. It is for this reason that Bengalis get so emotional when people criticize Ganguly, as we find them that his critics do not perceive him merely as an Indian cricketer, but as a “Bengali cricketer”.


At the end of the article (read crap) Hazra has expressed his hope that Ganguly will not start tweeting. I will love to tell Hazra that if we can bear the burden of Hazra’s so-called articles, then we can certainly bear with Ganguly’s tweets.

God knows what type of family this person has come from, that he can so unabashedly make such cheap remarks to win some cheap claps from some equally uncultured people. It is not his fault that he is so uncultured. The problem actually lies with his blood.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Kingfisher Launches 2 New International Routes

A good news for the Indian civil aviation sector is that the private air carriers are constantly trying to upgrade themselves, in terms of infrastructure and service capacity.

Just recently Kingfisher Airlines launched 2 new international routes – Mumbai-Bangkok and Delhi-Bangkok.

The airlines will be operating in these routes through Airbus A320 aircrafts.

The Mumbai-Bangkok flight will offer connectivity with cities, such as Nagpur, Ahmedabad and Indore.

The Delhi-Bangkok flight will offer connectivity with cities, such as Jaipur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Patna. It will also have Hong Kong in its route network.

IndiGo Planning Hefty IPO

IndiGo – the Indian Low Cost Carrier (or budget carrier) with largest market share – is planning a hefty IPO of around Rs 2000 crores. Some reputable bankers including Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse have been appointed for the purpose.

The company seeks to raise some funds for expansion, which is actually a heartening news for domestic air travelers. A budget carrier is mainly meant for the middle class section of the society, and air travelers from that section of the society will eagerly await an expansion of one of their favourite airlines. Because the expansion means more service deliverability for that company, which ultimately means more gains for the middle class air travelers of India.
As of now IndiGo has 25 aircrafts. Let’s see how far they can go.

Good luck Mr. Aditya Ghosh. Please go ahead! Wish you all the best!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Swiss Airline Renews Code Sharing Agreement With Air India

There has been a positive development for the troubled Indian carrier Air India, with Swiss International Airlines renewing a code sharing agreement with the latter.

By virtue of this agreement, to be effective from 18th April 2010, Air India will be able to do business in some areas where it does not have any fleet presence, by using the fleets and crew of Swiss International Airlines.

Needless to say that it will be a good booster for Air India’s business prospects. Firstly, it is always great if an airline’s service capacity gets bigger in comparison to its infrastructure. Secondly, through this agreement Air India is getting an opportunity associate itself with a prominent brand like Swiss International Airlines.

Hopefully Air India will be able to make full utilization of the business prospects (as well as brand enhancement prospects) to be offered by this agreement.

Besides, Air India management may also think of using the example of this agreement with Swiss International Airlines to enthuse other major global airlines to sign similar agreements with them.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Jet Airways Retains No. 1 Position, Consecutively For The 6th Month

Jet Airways, along with its low-cost subsidiary JetLite, has retained its No. 1 position in the Indian civil aviation arena, consecutively for the 6th month. The airlines achieved this honour by capturing 26.1 percent of domestic market share in March 2010.

The 2nd and 3rd positions have been occupied by Kingfisher Airlines and Air India, respectively.

Congrats Jet!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Darjeeling – The Shangri-La In Eastern Himalayas

Protected by the mighty Mt. Kanchenjunga, and caressed by green carpets of tea gardens

Darjeeling is such a beautiful place, even with its thick fog and rains.

The beloved homeland of proud and self-respecting peoples, such as Lepchas, Bhutias and Nepalis

It is a land of amazing beauty, a land also endowed with eternal charm and peace.

Come here to witness how snow-covered mountains are bathing themselves in fast flowing chilly winds

Come here to observe the thrilling scene of vivacious rivers swiftly flowing through the surrounding rocks and greens.

Come here to relish a colourful flora, which comprises varieties of trees, flowers, plants and orchids

Come here to experience a rich fauna, ranging from Red Panda to singing birds and butterflies.

Come here to know about Mountaineering, one of the world’s top sports and many peoples’ craze

Come here to see the spectacular Darjeeling Toy Train, the wonder recognized by the UNESCO as an object of world heritage.

Come here to know about the cultivation of tea, which might be your favourite beverage

Or come here just to have an idle vacation, and spend some leisurely days.

Whatever may be your interest and objective, come to this astounding land before it is too late

Otherwise, who knows, not visiting Darjeeling might become your life’s greatest regret.