Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Paris Oct 2, 2013 With the background of the Eiffel Tower in the background,  Air France unveiled its new offer of products and services in the Premium Economy and Economy cabins.  Interestingly, we were sitting in the meeting room, called the Electric Room when the power went off! The French, used to nuke power that is almost always reliable, didn't know what to make of it. "This is the first time I have witnessed a power outage," an official told me. Buddy, you should come to India- we'll provide you that experience! The first stage of the move upmarket for all Air France customers, will be followed in 2014 by the new La Première and Business offers. The first flight with the new Air France cabins will take place in summer 2014. The airline says it is the ONLY carrier to serve champagne in its long-haul economy classes. so CHEERS! Good to hear that there will be some competition to Gulf carriers! Kudos. In Eco...

Neelam Mathews Dec 17, 2012 Tourism Australia and Etihad Airways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at bringing more visitors from the Middle East, UK and Europe to Australia by leveraging the airline’s expanding international network.  One wonders if there are any plans to do something similar with India? http://l.yimg.com Under the new strategic marketing agreement, the two will invest up to A$6 million over the next three years in a range of cooperative programs targeting visitors from the Middle East, UK and Europe. "In just five years of flying to Australia, Etihad Airways has demonstrated a strong and growing commitment to its Australian operations."  Andrew McEvoy, Managing Director, Tourism Australia " "We not only have 16 percent of our global seat capacity dedicated to the route but also major investments in community assets like Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium."  James Hogan, President and CEO, Etihad Airways said. “T...

Neelam Mathews Nov 19, 2012 The festival of lights may have come and gone, but commercial organisations don't stop at promoting their good deeds- which isn't such a bad idea sometimes. On my trip from KL, I was surprised to get diwali greetings from a smiling Malaysian Airlines staff alongwith a small packet of salted munchies. Give it to the French to bring in finesse- passengers on board the Air France flight were given candlestands. Kool and thoughtful.

Neelam Mathews Sept 26, 2012 So you think you can write? Prove it! Air France has partnered with famous author Chetan Bhagat to launch an online writer’s contest  ‘Diary of a Traveler’ .’ According to Yeshwant Pawar, General Manager South Asia, Air France – KLM, “The contest will help us strengthen our social media engagement and further create a deeper connect with our consumers. Also, as part of our CSR initiative, for every article received, Air France – KLM will donate “INR 100” to the NGO Smile Foundation” Starting October 1, 2012, travel enthusiast will get a chance to write about their most memorable trip and share it via their Facebook or Twitter accounts with their friends and family. All they need to do is log on to the microsite  www.diaryofatraveler.in and submit an article of 200-300 words on their most unforgettable trip. Each week, the top five articles with the maximum votes will qualify to feature under “Chetan’s favorites”. The entries will...

Neelam Mathews April 9, 2012 Jet Airways will increase its international flights to 518 flights per week from the current 370 by winter 2012. The 35 new flights will include destinations in Germany, France, Gulf and Vietnam, Aerospace Diary learns. .

Neelam Mathews Feb 2, 2012 Following a call for strike action from 6 to 9 February, Air France is doing all it can to limit the impact of this unions’ strike on its operations, says a statement. A ir France says it will directly inform its customers i n case of cancellations, delays by telephone, text message or e-mail.  This service is free of charge and is available to all passengers worldwide. The confidential information will only be used to inform them in case of disruption.