In an attempt to simplify and smoothen functioning at Indian airports, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has announced that they could be done away with stamped hand baggage tags at Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore airports from December 15. “We recently issued orders to do away with stamping of hand baggage tags at the time of security screening. The practice will be introduced on a pilot basis at five airports and if successful, may be expanded to other airports across the country. This will save passengers’ time while boarding and will not be a security hassle in any manner,” said R.N Choubey, Secretary, Ministry of Civil aAviation, in an interview to The Hindu. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which looks after security at airports, is likely to implement the move within a week, informed Choubey.

The Montcalm Luxury Hotels has opened its sixth property, the Montcalm Royal London House – City of London. Located just a stone’s throw away from Liverpool Street station and close to Shoreditch, the 253-bedroom hotel marks a remarkable transformation of an imposing mid-century office building into a stylish five star property with uniquely striking views of London’s City skyline. At the Montcalm Royal London House – City of London, the group’s trademark timeless elegance has breathed new life into the building’s fine mid-century features, with statement copper pipe lighting and exposed brick walls mixed with original reclaimed parquet flooring and silk-lined corridors, feature staircases and turquoise leather stools. More information on the hotel can be found at http://www.montcalmroyallondoncity.co.uk/.

Jet Airways has announced the appointment of Aldrin Kenneth as Country Manager – Thailand & Indo-China. An industry veteran with over 17 years of experience with leading global airlines, Kenneth joined Jet Airways as the Area Manager for Dubai/ Sharjah & Northern Emirates in 2008 and helped establish and strengthen the airline’s footprint in the United Arab Emirates. In his new role, he will be responsible for Jet Airways’ performance in the region including its commercial aspects and overall operations. He will leverage his vast airline experience to not only use innovative means to grow the business but also take steps to engage with key consumer communities to strengthen the airline’s brand story and value propositions in the rapidly growing, fast-paced travel market between Thailand and India.

Jet Airways has announced the launch of a daily direct flight from Bengaluru to Colombo with effect from January 05, 2017. With this new connection, Bengaluru will be the second Indian city after Mumbai to be linked to Colombo and Jet Airways’ third daily service to the Sri Lankan capital. Jet Airways flight 9W 278 will depart Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport at 0040 hrs and arrive in Colombo at 0210 hrs (Local Time). The flight 9W 277 will leave Colombo at 0310 hrs (LT) to arrive in Bengaluru at 0435 hrs (LT). Jet will offer added connection for travelers between South Indian cities and Colombo via Bengaluru. Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, said “Jet Airways is delighted to launch a direct service between Bengaluru and Colombo. With increasing economic activity between India and Sri Lanka, Jet Airways realized the gap in the connectivity and plugged it with this direct connection. Guests between these two destinations will be offered the best in-flight product and service excellence.”

GoAir has announced the pre-booking of seats starting at Rs 99. Passengers can now pre-book the seats of their choice across all sectors offered by GoAir across various blocks. GoAir is currently the only airline to initiate this affordable seat selection offer. Passengers can avail this offer on the airline’s website.

Trafalgar recently hosted its travel partners and agents from all over Asia on a familiarisation trip to Portugal for its ‘Best of Portugal’ itinerary. The group visited Lisbon, Porto, Fatima, Viseu and Evora. From India, it hosted eight agents from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi and Pune who experienced Portugal through the eyes of a Trafalgar insider.

Kamal Hingorani, Sr. Vice President & Head of Inflight Services and Customer Experience, SpiceJet, has taken over the additional responsibility of Corporate Communications vertical at the airline. At SpiceJet, Hingorani has been associated for almost a decade now managing multiple roles such as SVP & Head Ground and Airport Services , SVP & Head Global Sales and VP Marketing & Planning. A management graduate from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, Hingorani did his Post-Graduation in Business Management and is a Science Honors graduate from Delhi University.

Air Asia India plans to increase its flight connectivity between Bengaluru, Pune and Goa. The low-cost carrier will now operate two flights from Bengaluru to Pune, adding to the frequency to its current one daily flight between these cities. Also, the airline will operate its fourth daily connection between Bengaluru and Goa, starting December 18. “Our flights from Bengaluru to Pune are doing extremely well, so are our three existing connections to Goa. We see immense demand in this sector. We are confident that this new connection is going to be well received by our guests,” said Amar Abrol, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Air Asia India. The Bengaluru-based budget carrier currently flies to 11 destinations with its two hubs in Bengaluru and New Delhi covering Chandigarh, Jaipur, Guwahati, Imphal, Pune, Goa, Vizag, Kochi and Hyderabad.

Medical tourism in India has been growing year after year with 1,76,683 medical tourists in 2016, as compared to 1,34,344 in 2015, and 76,680 in 2014 as per a report by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The newly launched e-medical visa is expected to give further boost the segment which allows a triple entry as against the previous single entry, and a six-month duration that can be extended on case-to-case basis. In emergency cases, the medical visa can be approved within 48 hours. Medical attendants will be granted an attendant visa where two attendants are allowed, excluding Pakistan and Bangladesh. Separate counters for the efficient clearance and facilitation of medical visa is also being set up.

Singapore-based Banyan Tree Holdings enters into agreement with AccorHotels. Under a long-term partnership, both parties intend to collaborate to develop and manage BanyanTree branded hotels around the world. Banyan Tree will also have access to AccorHotels’ global reservations and sales network, as well as its loyalty programme Le Club AccorHotels. AccorHotels will invest an initial SGD 24 million (c. €16 million) in Banyan Tree and both parties will then co-develop the brands owned by Banyan Tree around the world. This investment will be made through a mandatory convertible debenture that at conversion will give AccorHotels an approximately five per cent stake in Banyan Tree. AccorHotels has an option to purchase an additional approximately five per cent stake. Ho Kwon Ping, Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree, said, “This agreement is not only transformational for Banyan Tree, but is also an innovation for the global hospitality industry. With the current consolidation of mega hotel companies, smaller but also global players – many family-controlled – are also seeking strategic alliances with the global giants. Our strategic alliance with AccorHotels allows us to remain an independent company,enabling us to continue securing hotel management agreements on our own andyet accelerating Banyan Tree’s speed and scope of expansion but with AccorHotels helping us to grow our brands around the world. We believe this agreement will propel our brands rapidly to global reach and range and strengthen our ability to embrace change and innovation in the hospitality industry with a strong global partner. We are excited and committed to this partnership.” Sebastien Bazin, CEO and Chairman of AccorHotels, said, “Our collaboration with Banyan Tree is a great opportunity to complement our business proposition to owners with iconic …