Online bookings in India are projected to rise from 25 per cent to 35 per cent as internet penetration increases from 33 per cent to 50 per cent, according to a latest study titled ‘How does India travel?’ by Bain & Company and Google. As India’s travel spending is set to grow from $94 billion in travel spending to $136 billion by 2021, around $24 billion (or 57 per cent) of the incremental bookings will be online. The report states that frequent flyers research online and make decisions on the basis of business needs and availability of flights and hotels. They rely heavily on travel provider websites online (59 per cent) and price comparison websites (51 per cent) for airline and hotel reviews and availability with a tendency to search first by mobile device (61 per cent) and then by laptop (26 per cent).

Indian travellers spend 51 per cent of their transport expense on airlines, as per a latest study titled ‘How does India travel?’ by Bain & Company and Google. The Indian airline industry is one of the fastest-growing in the world. With 10 new airports in the last four years and the decrease of nominal prices by 18 per cent in 2017–18), airlines dominated the transport spending despite operational pressures. Bus price hike due to GST, falling passenger footfalls and preference for self-drive hampered growth in bus travel. Railways’ growth remained stagnant and it lost share to airlines for long-distance travel (>500 kms) and to road for shorter distance travel.

In the wake of a temporary suspension of Jet Airways, airlines that have codeshare agreement with Jet, disclose the way forward for dealing with the crisis. Fiji Airways spokesperson says, “Fiji Airways has temporarily stopped codeshare bookings with Jet Airways flights. Guests holding existing bookings are being re-booked on alternative flights via either Singapore or Hong Kong.” Virgin Atlantic in a statement, said, “We understand that a number of Jet Airways flights have been cancelled.  As with many airlines, we operate a codeshare agreement with Jet. Any customers who have booked directly with Virgin Atlantic should check our website www.virginatlantic.com for the latest advice.  All other customers on Jet operated flights should contact them directly. Etihad Airways spokesperson reveals, “Following the announcement that Jet Airways has suspended its operations, Etihad continues to re-accommodate and support affected guests. Our teams are assisting guests with their travel arrangements and re-booking those affected onto the next available flights. We continue to work with Jet management, lenders and key stakeholders in the context of the lender-managed effort to restructure the company.” Aeromexico comments, “Regarding our codeshare, Aeromexico is taking actions to reduce the impact of our customers. Fortunately, the number of affected passengers is minimal and we have already reached them and we are working to get them to their destination. We are offering them the necessary support and we are relocating them in other flights with help of other SkyTeam partners.” “Delta is aware of Jet Airways’ financial situation and its inability to operate its normal schedule. Delta is assisting Delta customers booked on Jet Airways flights to support their reaccommodation via alternative travel options. We apologize for any inconvenience caused to Delta customers impacted …

SpiceJet has announced to add five more 90-seater Bombardier Q400 planes to its fleet, which will take its regional fleet size to 32. The move is aimed at increasing airline’s domestic capacity on the regional routes. Three of these planes will join the fleet in the next ten days while the remaining two will be inducted by June, said SpiceJet in a statement. On the new induction, Ajay Singh, Chairman and MD, SpiceJet said, “As part of our efforts to augment capacity and minimise passenger inconvenience, SpiceJet will induct five more Q400s in addition to the 16 B737s we announced last week.The sudden reduction of aviation capacity should in no way hamper air connectivity to the smaller towns and cities of India and as the country’s largest regional operator, SpiceJet will make all possible efforts in this direction.” The airline has a fleet of 48 Boeing 737, 27 Bombardier Q-400s and one B737 freighter.   (With Inputs from PTI)

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airlines to reduce fares on 10 domestic routes to “reasonable levels” as ticket prices on these routes have soared to 30 per cent in last one month, according to a senior official. Speaking about various steps being taken to address capacity and other issues, Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said the DGCA reviewed airfare movement in 40 high density sectors. It was found that airfares rose 10-30 per cent on 10 routes and on those routes, airlines have been asked to reduce the ticket prices to “reasonable levels”, Kharola said. (Source: PTI)

Hard Rock International continues intensifying its India presence with the announcement of Hard Rock Hotel Bangalore, slated to open in Fall 2020. Joining Hard Rock Hotel Goa, the second Hard Rock Hotel in India will be located in the city of Bangalore. “The city of Bangalore is full of culture and beauty and is the perfect location for our second property in India,” said Todd Hricko, senior vice president and head of global hotel development for Hard Rock International. “We are pleased to work with Convention Hotels India Private Limited who share in our vision, integrity and dedication to quality.”

Air India has announced that it will be launching its flight from Mumbai to Colombo, starting May 1, 2019. With a frequency of five times a week, the new flight would connect the financial capital of India with the Sri Lankan capital. From Mumbai it will be flying every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 23:00 hours and from Colombo, the departure would beat )2:30 hours evry Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

According to a recent report by HVS ANAROCK, the significant jump in 2018 and 2017 hotel openings over 2016 is partly a result of rebranding, the most notable being the migration of a 14 hotel portfolio with almost 2000 keys owned by SAMHI hotels in key locations, to Holiday Inn Express rebranded openings accounted for 24% of the openings in 2018. The year 2019 is expected to outpace 2018 with a total of 105 new branded hotel openings with a total key count of 8,574 keys. The effort to open new hotels, big or small, requires hotel operators to coordinate large amounts of preopening effort. So, while domestic operators opened 65 hotels of the total 134 openings in 2018, which represents nearly half of all the openings, in terms of key counts, domestic operators represented only 32% of the total 7,215 keys.

Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru at Embassy ONE is now confirming reservations beginning May 1, 2019, with introductory offers tailor-made for those who want to be among the first to experience the second Four Seasons hotel in India. The hotel is part of the new Embassy ONE development, encompassing the 230-room Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru, 105 Four Seasons Private Residences, and commercial space. The estate is conveniently located at about a 30-minute drive from the airport and well connected to the central business district. Within the Hotel, local guests and international travellers will find a warm and inviting all day dining restaurant, CUR8, featuring a showpiece grill and a custom-built, supersize pizza oven with interactive live counters; The Lounge & Terrace, which could be the perfect place for a relaxed afternoon tea; and a curated selection of whiskies from around the world at The Collection. The outdoor pool in the lushly landscaped private gardens will lend a resort-like feel to the place leading guests to Infuse Spa, an uplifting hideaway for modern and holistic wellness solutions. “An extraordinary journey is about to begin as Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru opens its doors. Experience an amazing culinary journey with us or visit the tranquil setting at the outdoor pool area – a spectacular and rejuvenating oasis for relaxation. Our teams are all geared up and excitedly look forward to welcoming guests as the curtains rise. The magic is about to unfold,” says General Manager Fredrik Blomqvist. Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru is located in the city’s northern corridor, close to Kempegowda International Airport, key business districts and landmarks including Bangalore Palace and Cubbon Park. It will be the second Four Seasons in India, joining …

In a bid to make it easier for customers to find affordable fares during the busy season, IndiGo will start operating 10 additional flights out of Mumbai (Terminal 2) and 8 additional flights from Delhi (Terminal 2), starting May 5, 2019. These flights will also connect to IndiGo’s existing domestic and international network. The bookings for these flights are already open. The destinations to be connected by these additional flights with Delhi include Nagpur, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Varanasi, Vadodara, Chennai, and Bengaluru. From Mumbai, these flights would connect Bhopal, Ahmedabad, Goa, Indore, Chennai, Kochi, Amritsar, Ranchi, Lucknow, Coimbatore and Bengaluru. Most of these flights are The new flights are designed to cater to business and leisure travellers who are constantly on the lookout for new and affordable flying options.