Pavan Lall And Aneesh Phadnis

Stories by Pavan Lall And Aneesh Phadnis

Will the new management manage to revive Jet Airways ahead of March deadline?

Will the new management manage to revive Jet Airways ahead of March deadline?

Rediff.com   4 Feb 2022

The consortium of UAE-based businessman Murari Lal Jalan and UK-based private equity fund Kalrock Capital is rushing to restart Jet Airways' operations, even though differences have emerged over who will fund expenses before operations commence, sources said. The airline applied to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for recertification of its air operator certificate in the last week of January. The regulator is likely to inspect the airline's preparedness to operate a flight in the middle of this month, after which it will be asked to operate a proving flight to demonstrate its ability to conduct flights safely and in accordance with rules.

Air India set to enhance in-flight service in first and business class

Air India set to enhance in-flight service in first and business class

Rediff.com   28 Jan 2022

Air India is set to enhance its in-flight service with a change in ownership from Thursday. This will include more variety in on-board meals, improved in-flight service procedures, and reintroduction of amenities. Non-vegetarian meals are being introduced in the economy class of domestic flights after a gap of nearly four years. Air India is set to enhance its in-flight service with a change in ownership from Thursday. This will include more variety in on-board meals, improved in-flight service procedures, and reintroduction of amenities.

Jhunjhunwala the biggest draw as investors line up to board Akasa

Jhunjhunwala the biggest draw as investors line up to board Akasa

Rediff.com   25 Jan 2022

Veterans in the travel industry, a well-known corporate lawyer, and a marquee US-based hedge fund have backed the upcoming low-cost airline Akasa Air. Founded by former Jet Airways chief executive officer (CEO) Vinay Dube, the venture counts ace stock trader and investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala as its biggest financial backer with an investment of around Rs 300 crore. A person with knowledge of the development said most of the people were well known to Jhunjhunwala and Dube, who approached them during the conception stage.

'Everybody wants to travel on an airline where they feel respected'

'Everybody wants to travel on an airline where they feel respected'

Rediff.com   21 Jan 2022

'Our focus is not going to be metro to metro routes.' 'We will begin by focusing on metro to non-metro (routes).' 'Metro to tier-2 cities or tier-3 cities is where there is a lot of space for affordable, efficient carriers.'

After brisk Dec, hotels face biz loss as Omicron drives cancellations

After brisk Dec, hotels face biz loss as Omicron drives cancellations

Rediff.com   13 Jan 2022

In a bad start to the new year, hotels are counting their losses again. Weddings and corporate events for this month have either been called off or postponed. The blow has throttled the nascent recovery which had kicked in around August. It is primarily hurting the banquet-driven hotel chains, some of which are seeing cancellations running into lakhs for a single day.

Problems continue to plague Jet Airways ahead of planned 2022 takeoff

Problems continue to plague Jet Airways ahead of planned 2022 takeoff

Rediff.com   13 Jan 2022

Jet Airways is seeing a churn in its senior management ahead of its planned take-off this year. Sudhir Gaur, accountable manager and acting chief executive officer, is the latest to quit the company. Finance head M Shivakumar and head of management information system (MIS) Farazad Patrawalla moved out a few weeks earlier. Gaur had been part of the initial team selected by the Kalrock-Jalan consortium, which secured approval from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) last June to revive the airline.

Airlines forced to cancel flights as omicron hits demand and frontline crew

Airlines forced to cancel flights as omicron hits demand and frontline crew

Rediff.com   10 Jan 2022

India's largest carrier IndiGo will cut 20 per cent of its flights due to lower demand as a rapidly spreading coronavirus upends the recovery of air travel. The airline was operating around 1,200 flights as on Saturday. Other airlines are being forced to cancel flights as states tighten restrictions to combat the spread of the virus, and people are dropping last-minute travel plans. Airlines carried 2,518 passengers on 260,251 flights on Saturday, compared to 2,794 passengers on 358,856 flights the day before.

Canada court orders seizure of Air India, AAI assets over dues

Canada court orders seizure of Air India, AAI assets over dues

Rediff.com   4 Jan 2022

A court in Canada has ordered the seizure of amounts collected by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on behalf of Air India and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Separate orders were passed on November 24 and December 21 on pleas by shareholders of Devas Multimedia Private Limited who have filed multiple petitions to enforce arbitration awards against the Indian government. According to a Devas spokesperson, more than $30 million has been seized to date under the IATA action.

Relaunched Honda Amaze looks like a brand new car

Relaunched Honda Amaze looks like a brand new car

Rediff.com   3 Jan 2022

It's a zippy, well-engineered ride that offers comfort, quality, low cost of ownership and fuel efficiency at affordable prices, says Pavan Lall.

Indians Want Offbeat Travel Choices

Indians Want Offbeat Travel Choices

Rediff.com   1 Jan 2022

On the itinerary: Luxury camping, tribal homestays, heritage cities.

Commercial 5G services will be rolled out in 13 cities in 2022: DoT

Commercial 5G services will be rolled out in 13 cities in 2022: DoT

Rediff.com   28 Dec 2021

Commercial 5G services will be rolled out in 13 cities in India, including the metropolises, in 2022, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said in a statement on Monday. These cities are Delhi, Gurugram, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Jamnagar. "These metros and big cities would be the first places for the launch of 5G services in the country next year," the DoT said.

'India is one of Starbucks' top 5 fastest-growing markets'

'India is one of Starbucks' top 5 fastest-growing markets'

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2021

'We were taking the Starbucks experience from the store to the home.'

Omicron Cancels Christmas, New Year Parties

Omicron Cancels Christmas, New Year Parties

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2021

'We are not organising any large celebrations on New Year's Eve to avoid last-minute changes in guidelines.'

Volkswagen Rolls Out Tiguan

Volkswagen Rolls Out Tiguan

Rediff.com   18 Dec 2021

Through a combination of local manufacture and imported CBU models, the company makes and sells four SUVs, one hatchback, and one sedan.

After discontinuing it in 2020, Audi brings back A4

After discontinuing it in 2020, Audi brings back A4

Rediff.com   13 Dec 2021

And it feels entirely different when compared to all its earlier avatars, observes Pavan Lall.

Expect flight delays as winter schedule kicks in

Expect flight delays as winter schedule kicks in

Rediff.com   11 Dec 2021

The issue of fog and low visibility primarily impacts airports in northern India and Bengaluru.

Meet The Man behind Skoda VW India

Meet The Man behind Skoda VW India

Rediff.com   7 Dec 2021

'Approach people with respect, mindful that they know their job better than you do, and that you're not superior to them just because you may be better educated or their boss.' Skoda Auto VW India MD Gurpratap S Boparai cites his management credo to Pavan Lall.

Omicron impact: Dark clouds gather over travel firms

Omicron impact: Dark clouds gather over travel firms

Rediff.com   6 Dec 2021

India's largest online travel agency, MakeMyTrip said that it is premature to assess the impact of Omicron variant on overseas tour bookings. Others in the travel sector however are worried about cancellations in the coming days as countries tighten travel restrictions. "It is too early to assess the impact of the new Covid-19 variant on outbound travel. "Additional protocols are already set in any case from several countries which will help contain the variant coming to India.

Fully charged up over Ola's electric scooter

Fully charged up over Ola's electric scooter

Rediff.com   1 Dec 2021

It takes a while to get used to the constant and instant supply of power that is the case with EVs, and handling the S1 Pro when it takes a corner or makes a turn can be tricky, says Pavan Lall.

Omicron: Airports ready to implement new health norms

Omicron: Airports ready to implement new health norms

Rediff.com   30 Nov 2021

Under the new norms, passengers coming from 12 'at risk' countries/regions undergo an RT-PCR test and wait for result at the airport before leaving or taking a connecting flight