AI’s Dreamliner Gets Trendy In-Flight Entertainment System

It seems that the wait for Air India’s Dreamliner is actually proving to be worth it! Passengers seeking cheap tickets with India’s national airline in a bid to seek a date with the carrier’s newly acquired Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be able to enjoy the state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment (IFE) system that has been provided by the French technology company, Thales.

The French firm is going to equip Air India’s prized possessions with i-8000, a highly modernised on-board entertainment system, allowing flyers with air tickets to experience the wonderful spread of leisure and informational pursuits on-board.

Travellers booking flights tickets for AI’s Dreamliner will have the privilege of having an entertainment system that is replete with wonderful options for amusement. One can make use of full audio and video on-demand (AVOD), games, shopping catalogues and a new interactive ASXi moving map application. And all this with an easy navigation user interface, which makes it comfortable to operate by those on flights!

Passengers taking business class flights tickets with AI’s Dreamliner can enjoy 15.4-inch seatback displays with USB port for charging personal electronic devices. Flyers who opt for comparatively cheap flights tickets on Air India’s economy class will be able to experience 10.6-inch seatback or in-arm display, USB port and noise cancelling audio jack.

With hubs in Delhi and Mumbai, Air India remains a highly popular choice among foreign flyers looking for flights tickets to the Asian country. India’s national airline recently inducted two of the 27 787s after a long wait. The airline will be including four more 787s in its fleet by December 2012. All Boeing 787s will have the Thales i-8000 IFE.

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Wait Over! Air India Gets First 787 Dreamliner

Finally the wait is over for Air India and also for those hundreds of keen flyers who wanted to experience the charm of the world’s most fuel efficient aircraft! India’s national airline took the delivery of its first 787 Dreamliner on Thursday, bringing cheers to the country’s aviation industry.

The carrier took the delivery of the aircraft at Boeing Co's final assembly plant in Charleston, South Carolina. The plane is scheduled to be flown into New Delhi on Friday. Altogether, the state-run carrier has ordered 27 aircraft.

AI’s Chairman & Managing Director, Rohit Nandan was elated with the development and said 787 will enable Air India to start new flights routes and offer the finest set of in-flight services for passengers taking flights with the operator.

AI’s Dreamliner will be featuring 18 business class seats and 238 economy class seats, catering flyers on both end of the spectrum.

Dreamliner has taken the centre-stage in the global aviation industry since its launch years back. The plane is made of lightweight carbon fibre materials and is lighter compared to other similarly sized planes. This allows the airplane to operate long-haul flights, enabling airlines to open new flight routes.

Media report suggests that AI is likely to ply 787 for running direct flights between India and Australia. It has also been hinted that the first B 787 will be plied on flights to London from India, a highly popular route among travellers that usually witnesses heavy traffic.

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Air India Braces Up for Stiffer Competition

As per the announcement made by the Indian civil aviation ministry, the state-run Air India will now share its rights on bilateral traffic with other Indian private carriers.

Though the news has brought big cheers for the private carriers seeking to expand overseas routes, it has left Air India twisting in the wind!

AI is the first choice of many travellers for taking air travel ex-India or for booking flights to India. But with the launch of the new deal, the airline will face severe competition from other private carriers including IngiGo, SpiceJet and Jet Airways to name a few.

On the contrary, with the increase in the frequency of flights on international routes, the holiday makers besides enjoying a wider choice of airlines may also benefit from cheap flight tickets easily. Even the international passengers questing for flights to India will have a numerous options to choose from to travel to India.

The Indian domestic carriers who are eager to commence more flights on International routes are highly optimistic with the new agreement.

For example, Spicejet, an economical airline known for offering cheap flight tickets is trying awaiting permission to start flights to many other International destinations including Male and Dhaka. The airline currently operates flights to destinations like Colombo and Kathmandu.

The announcement made by the Indian civil aviation ministry will make Air India to pull up their socks with private carriers breathing down the neck of state-owned carrier.

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Air India shows good financial results

Air India has reported strong financial results for December 2010, posting a record cash profit compared with the previous month.

The Indian carrier revealed it had an operating surplus of Rs 49.48 crore (£6.6 million) in the final month of last year.

In November, the airline had made a profit of Rs 21.66 crore.

According to Air India, this boost in income can be attributed to a "significant improvement in efficiency parameters" and the take-up of "better yield management strategies".

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Indian flights firm 'to be hived off'

Air India Express (AIE), a company offering cheap flights to India, will be spun off from parent organisation Air India as part of a drive to push down costs, it has been claimed.

The Economic Times reports that a new CEO is set to be brought on board within the next couple of weeks. Gustav Baldauf, chief operating officer of Air India, told the news provider: "By next summer schedule, restructuring operations of AIE will be complete and it will fly to domestic destinations too."

The move to reshape activities at the airline offering cheap flights to India comes after the company had to cancel a number of flights as a result of fewer bookings. Earlier this month, Jet Airways was rewarded for its business class travel offering, at an awards ceremony in New Delhi.

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Frequent fliers boosted by Air India and Singapore Airlines partnership

Air India and Singapore Airlines have announced a partnership that will benefit frequent flyers with both carriers.

A new bilateral frequent flyer programme agreement between the businesses means that passengers on both airlines can now redeem miles on flights offered by either company.

Both airlines claim that this will offer their customers a greater level of choice as well as increasing the number of available routes.

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