Archive for the 'India' Category
British Airways offers $300 to fliers who booked mistaken $40-$100 fares to India
October 9, 2009 2:10pm
British Airways, which declined to honor U.S.-India round-trip fares of $40 to $100 that were posted by mistake a week ago, is now making nice with customers. In an e-mail to travel agents today, the struggling airline said it would offer a $300 discount on a future flight to people who snagged the cheap fares. But it still didn’t say it would honor the fares, which it planned to refund to buyers.
The offer came after the U.S. Department of Transportation said it was investigating the incident, which has unleashed a barrage of criticism in Internet chat rooms on sites such as FlyerTalk and in comments posted on my earlier post. A DOT spokeswoman declined to elaborate on the investigation.
Some people who bought the low fares on Oct. 2 said they had thought they were valid because, with taxes and fees, they could total more than $500. Others worried that the mistake could wind up costing them hundreds.
British Airways goofs, sells $40 round-trips to India
October 7, 2009 6:38pm
How’s this for a dream deal: Fly round trip between the U.S. and India for as little as $40, plus taxes, fees and surcharges. For about two hours last week, that dream was reality for untold numbers of British Airways customers who booked these fares. Alas, it was a computer error, and now the carrier is trying to fix it.
“We sincerely apologize,” British Airways spokesman John Lampl said today. “We’re trying to figure out how to best rectify the situation.” He added that it might be taken on a case-by-case basis and involve not only refunds but possibly credits toward other flights.
In an e-mail sent to travel agents today, the airline was more specific.
“As these fares were so clearly below the normal fare levels, British Airways is unable to honor these bookings,” the e-mail said. “We have cancelled all affected bookings made during this two-hour window, and will make a full refund for any paid for and issued ticket.” It also said it would refund any fees associated with rebooking other airline segments on the same ticket.
Meanwhile, Lampl gave us the scoop on how the glitch happened.
Julia Roberts turns heads in Rome
August 30, 2009 12:21pm
It’s steaming hot in Rome, but regardless, everyone’s on the lookout for Julia Roberts. The Hollywood diva is in the Eternal City this week with director Ryan Murphy to shoot the film version of Elizabeth Gilbert’s bestselling “Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia.”
Guess which part of the title the heroine pursues in Rome.
You got it, the part that has to do with pistachio gelato and spaghetti alla carbonara.
Roberts has been spotted in sunglasses and a floppy hat near the posh Hotel Raphael on the Largo Febo, at Da Pancrazio restaurant on Piazza del Biscione and haggling for choice cuts at a butcher shop on Via dei Cappellari near the Campo de’ Fiori.
She costars with Javier Bardem and Billy Crudup in the story of a woman’s effort to find herself by traveling the world. The movie is scheduled for release in 2011.
Next stop for the film crew: India, then Bali. Read the rest of this entry »
American Airlines lowers free-bag limit for international flights
August 21, 2009 3:21pm
Well, that didn’t take long. Less than a month after British Airways announced it would limit economy-class fliers to one free checked bag, instead of two, on transatlantic flights, American Airlines said, “Me too,” with a few tweaks. And it did BA one better: American’s tougher policy will take effect Sept. 14, three weeks before BA’s will.
What about other airlines? From their websites, it looks as if Air New Zealand and United Airlines still allow those in the cheap seats to check two free bags across the pond. Delta Air Lines lowered the limit earlier this year. For travel starting on or after Sept. 23, Virgin Atlantic will lower weight limits from 70 pounds to 50 pounds per checked bag in first class but will still allow two bags per international coach passenger, said spokeswoman Emily Andariese.
Some details on American’s new bag policy, announced Friday, Aug. 21:
Holy cows, camels and other festive delights on 17-day tour of Rajasthan, India
July 19, 2009 9:49am
For the India that you see in the movies — of spectacularly colorful saris against a desert backdrop, of camels sauntering into the sunset, of ancient forts and even a city of blue — you must explore the state of Rajasthan. A popular region among tourists for good reason, it’s a feast for the senses.
In the festival-rife land, there is no shortage of vibrancy any time of the year — but some fall festivals are particularly noteworthy. A very popular one, and another that’s less well known, are featured on the itinerary of a tour by reputable San Francisco-based tour operator Geographic Expeditions.
[Click on the photo above to view other images of Rajasthan.]
Tour: During the 17-day “Festivals of Rajasthan” tour, you’ll hit the Pushkar Camel Fair, which draws throngs who participate in or observe the frenzied buying and selling of camels and cows, goats and sheep, jewelry, pottery and more. More than 50,000 camels can be seen in Pushkar for this extraordinary event, according to Geographic Expeditions. Read the rest of this entry »
For total solar eclipse, travel to Asia, or Griffith Observatory
July 10, 2009 9:45am
Around the world folks are gearing up for a major switch-off. The next total eclipse of the sun, on July 22 (July 21, California time), will “darken major cities, densely populated countryside, and a vast expanse of tropical ocean,” according to Sky & Telescope magazine. Lasting over 6.6 minutes at its point of longest duration, the solar eclipse will be the longest Earthlings have a chance to see until 2132.
To view this phenomenon, during which the moon completely obscures the sun, in person, you’ll have to get yourself to select portions of Asia or the Pacific islands. Destinations along the path include parts of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, China and Japan.
The “instant of greatest eclipse,” or the longest totality (6 minutes, 39 seconds), will occur above the Pacific Ocean well away from land at 2:35:19 UT on July 22, according to Sky & Telescope. But just before and just after this maximum is reached, the eclipse will be viewable in Iwo Jima and Kitaio Jima, and then the Marshall Islands and Kiribati.
Want to seek a pot of gold at eclipse’s end? Read the rest of this entry »
Abercrombie & Kent offers ‘Christmas in July’ sale to spur holiday travel
July 9, 2009 8:34am
If you are able to plan travel for the end of the year, you can save up to 30% off 11 amazing Abercrombie & Kent luxury small-group itineraries in Antarctica, India, Jordan, South Africa and more. But you only have until the end of the month to book. This is the first time that A&K has offered a “Christmas in July” sale. Knowing that they recently had a big one-day sale in mid-May, my first thought was to be concerned that the economy was taking its toll on this great tour operator.
Pamela Lassers, director of media relations at Abercrombie & Kent, explained that their clients’ booking habits are changing:
“The challenging economic environment has changed the way that people plan their travel,” Lassers said. “In 2007, most trips were booked six months in advance; last year it was five months and this year it is four months or less. The current holiday promotion reflects the stronger dollar in many destinations and incentives offered by suppliers to encourage travelers to book now.”
Deals: A 17-day Essence of India trip that was priced at $13,725 has dropped to $9,625. Travelers who want to spend Christmas and New Year’s in Antarctica — and can stand traveling with their family for 20 days — can save $3,099 per person on family holiday to Antarctica, south Georgia & the Falkland Islands for $9,296 per person, based on double-occupancy. The lowest-priced itinerary A&K has on its December sale ($2,885 per person, double occupancy) is for an eight-day trip to Jordan with visits to Petra (that was featured in ”Indiana Jones”), Wadi Rum and Kempinski Ishtar on the Dead Sea for New Year’s.
Abercrombie & Kent one-day sale Thursday: Get up to 60% off Galapagos, India, Africa and more
May 12, 2009 2:02pm
Not every exceptional travel deal right now needs to be a cheap flight or a 4-star hotel under $80. There are remarkable savings in the luxe travel sector too. Abercrombie & Kent, frequently awarded for their excellence in leading luxury tours, is dropping their prices up to 60% off this Thursday, May 14. Bargain shoppers will need to set their alarm clocks and get up early for this one. All discounted trips are based on availability and booked on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Deal: Between 7.am. and 1 p.m. PDT - prices will start off at 5% off and drop every 30 minutes until they reach a final sale price of 60% off the original price. Expect itineraries from India, East Africa, China, Galapagos, Antarctica as well as luxe European villas during the high season of June and July.
On the Spot: Arthur Frommer’s tips on finding cheap airfares
April 11, 2009 5:19am
In a prior “On the Spot” column (”For a value-added travel agent, start by getting references“), Richard L. James of Marina del Rey asked about how to find a travel agent but he also asked about how to find a travel consolidator.
I’ve not used one before but Arthur Frommer, a longtime traveler whose 1957 “Europe on $5 a Day” became the bible of budget travelers and opened a new era in European travel, has. So I turned to him for advice.
Here’s how he responded in an e-mail:
‘The Amazing Race 14′: From Siberia to India — and one-team elimination
March 23, 2009 12:04pm
If I had been a contestant on “The Amazing Race 14″ this year, I would have been toast.
On the sixth lap of the race last night, the remaining teams went from the sub-zero temperatures of Siberia to the sweltering heat of India. None of seven remaining teams, though, caught a cold or a sniffle from the extreme temperature changes. I probably would have caught pneumonia as soon as I arrived in India.
The teams traveled to Jaipur, a.k.a., the Pink City, in India where they took a taxi through some of most startling poverty-stricken villages to receive their first clue underneath a sacred tree. The site of cows and dogs eating garbage and children running around naked was too much for the teams, especially hearing-impaired Luke Adams, who couldn’t stop crying even as his mother Margie tried to comfort him.
The taxi drivers in India, though, were rather clueless on the location of the tree or needed to stop in the middle of the race for gas.
