Wednesday, January 19, 2022

World's safest low-cost airlines 2022 revealed

 AirlineRatings.com has revealed its top 20 safest airlines for 2022.




While Air New Zealand nabbed the top spot, Etihad Airways came in at second place. Emirates also ranked in the top 20.

AirlineRatings was launched in June 2013 and judges the safety credentials of 385 airlines, taking into consideration elements such as crashes over five years; serious incidents over two years; audits from the aviation industry's governing bodies and lead associations; fleet age; and Covid-19 protocols.

Also appearing in the top 20 are Singapore Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, SAS, Qantas, Alaska Airlines, EVA Air, Virgin Australia/Atlantic, Cathay Pacific, Hawaiian Airlines, American Airlines, Lufthansa/Swiss Group, Finnair, Air France-KLM Group, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Qatar Airways.

“Our top 20 safest airlines 2022 are always at the forefront of safety innovation, operational excellence and the launching of new more advanced aircraft like the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787,” says Geoffrey Thomas, editor in chief of AirlineRatings.com.

“However all airlines have incidents every day, and many are aircraft or engine manufacture issues, not airline operational problems. It is the way the flight crew handles these incidents that determines a good airline from an unsafe one.”

Thomas cites Air New Zealand’s constantly high safety standards and the care it has shown for its flight crews as reasons for its ranking at the top of the 2022 safety list.

“Air New Zealand has won countless awards and has a firm focus on safety and its customers. Over the past 18 months, Covid-19 has brought yet another new dimension to the challenges. Air New Zealand has excelled across the broad safety spectrum, never losing sight of the smallest detail while caring for its flight crews who have worked under significant stress.”

AirlineRatings.com's top 20 safest airlines for 2022:
Air New Zealand
Etihad Airways
Qatar Airways
Singapore Airlines
TAP Air Portugal
SAS
Qantas
Alaska Airlines
EVA Air
Virgin Australia/Atlantic
Cathay Pacific
Hawaiian Airlines
American Airlines
Lufthansa/Swiss Group
Finnair
Air France-KLM Group
British Airways
Delta Air Lines
United Airlines
Emirates
In a separate ranking by the Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre, Emirates was named the world’s safest airline in the world. The carrier ranked first among 25 global airlines, with a risk index of 95.05 per cent in a JACDEC survey carried out for aviation magazine Aero International.

JACDEC ranks the safety credentials of the 100 biggest airlines in the world, based on revenue passenger kilometres.

UK’s newest airline Hans Airways to launch scheduled flights to India this year

Hans Airways, UK’s newest hybrid, long-haul airline venture, is preparing to launch scheduled international flights to India later this year after it secured its first aircraft after signing a Letter of Intent (LoI) for an Airbus A330-200 (MSN 950) in the first week of January 2022.



The aircraft has been operating with a leading European airline since 2008, configured in a two-cabin layout, which Hans Airways will operate with 275 economy and 24 premium economy seats.

Hans Airways’ senior management has identified a high demand for regular secondary city air links between the UK and India, drawing on its CEO’s considerable experience instigating a series of charter flights for Monarch Airlines and FlyJet.

UK base in Birmingham Hans Airways has applied to the UK Civil Aviation Authority for its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) in March 2020 and is hopeful of obtaining the status in time to start revenue service this summer. The airline will operate in secondary cities in India from Birmingham Airport.

Its application for an Operating Licence and Route Licence has already been published by the UK CAA. Financial support for the airline has come, inter alia, from the Indian community in the UK.

Commenting on the development, Satnam Saini, CEO, Hans Airways, said, “We are delighted to have achieved this very important milestone in our twoyear journey. Our scheduled operations centre on the Airbus A330, a popular and spacious long-haul widebody, excellent for cargo too, and we are grateful to everyone who has helped us to ratify this agreement at the start of the new year.”

Pilot and cabin crew training commences

The first set of flight crew (four pilots and cabin crew) commenced their first day of training from January 3 in Crawley, UK with Hans Airways’ flight training partner IAGO Flight Training and L3 Harris Commercial Aviation for the simulator. The recruits were welcomed by Saini, investor Kirpal Singh Jass, and Nathan Burkitt, the airline’s Director of Flight Operations and Crew Training. The A330 will be re-registered as G-KJAS, adopting the surname of one of Hans Airways’ principal early investors, who have believed in its community airline model since the project was conceived in 2019.

Loyalty programme

The airline said it is also working on a loyalty programme which will be known as HAPEEI (Hans Airways Passengers Environment Education Initiative) and it will reward passengers with all the regular benefits of a frequent flyer programme and with a strong emphasis on corporate social responsibility, create opportunities to donate to children’s educational charities in India or conservation and water preservation projects. The airline also intends to have a close working relationship with travel agencies and travel management companies.





rehanshienterprises.com/news/3407

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Goa tops the list of favourite destinations for Indian travellers

 New Delhi: A majority of Indians would prefer to go local and explore domestic destinations instead of international ones this year with Goa topping the bucket list followed by Manali.




OYO Travelopedia, the annual consumer survey by OYO to study travel intent and expectations among its user base across some of its core markets, including India, Indonesia and Europe, took responses of nearly 3,000 people in December 2021.

As per the survey, 61 per cent of Indians would prefer to go local and explore domestic destinations, while 25 per cent would like to try international as well as domestic trips in 2022.

Despite the excitement to travel, 80 per cent of respondents said safety continues to be a key concern amid the pandemic and the arrival of booster dose would give them the reassurance to travel.

As far as the favourite destination is concerned, Goa topped a third of the respondents' 2022 bucket lists, it said.

"This is followed by Manali, Dubai, Shimla and Kerala," hospitality chain OYO said adding other international destinations on Indian travellers' bucket list include Maldives, Paris, Bali and Switzerland.

When it comes to travel partners, 37 per cent of the respondents said they would like to travel with their spouses or partners. On the other hand, 19 per cent said they would "love to take that much awaited vacation with close friends", while 16 per cent opted for a family vacation, and another 12 per cent preferred solo backpacking.

"A good 16 per cent of respondents said they would like it all!," the survey said. According to OYO Travelopedia, in Indonesia, Bali emerged as the favourite destination for 2022, while in Europe, a majority of respondents opted for Bornholm, the Danish island in the Baltic Sea.

A vast majority of people in the Netherlands said they would love to travel to Austria this year.

REALME BUDS AIR 3 DESIGN, SPECIFICATIONS & EXPECTED PRICE TIPPED

 The Realme Buds Air 3 TWS earbuds’ awe-inspiring design and key specifications have surfaced online ahead of launch. Realme brought its true wireless earphones dubbed the Realme Buds Air 2 into the market nearly a year ago. Now, the Shenzhen-based tech company seems to be prepping to launch a Realme Buds Air 2 successor in India. Earlier this month, a report by MySmartPrice suggested that the Realme Buds Air 3 TWS earbuds’ India launch is around the corner.


Regrettably, the report did not divulge the exact launch date. Nevertheless, it is no secret that Realme is gearing up to breathe new life into its TWS range by launching new TWS earbuds since some vital information about the upcoming buds has been leaked. Aside from that, Realme would understandably want to cash in on the Realme Buds Air 2 TWS earbuds’ success. To recall, the Buds Air 2 was the most affordable TWS to offer ANC (active noise cancellation) at launch. It will be interesting to see if the Buds Air 3 adopts the same pricing strategy, In the meantime, let’s check out the Realme Buds Air 3 design and leaked specifications

REALME BUDS AIR 3 DESIGN & EXPECTED SPECIFICATIONS


The upcoming Realme Buds Air 3 is likely to retain the outward appearance of its predecessor, the Buds Air 2. Furthermore, the earbuds will feature a triple-microphone array to facilitate the active noise cancellation feature. The three microphones will come with Transparency Mode support as well. Aside from that, new earbuds will come with a noticeably smaller charging case. There will be app-based testing to ensure a fully customized user experience.

In addition to that, the users will have the option of further customizing their overall listening experience as per their preferences. There will be a Dual Device Connection, which will come in handy for connecting the device to two different devices at the same time. Also, it will enable users to toggle between the two connected devices with just a tap. Furthermore, the Realme Buds Air 3 will deliver low latency game mode for an unparalleled gaming experience.

WHAT ELSE TO EXPECT

Much to the delight of bass heads, the earbuds will offer a Bass Boost+ mode. Moreover, the Buds Air 3 will support in-ear detection like the Buds Air and Buds Air 2. This feature ensures that the music playback automatically pauses when the earbuds are removed from the ears. Without ANC turned on, the Buds Air 3 will offer a battery life of up to 30 hours (with the case). Also, it features a Type-C charging port.


XIAOMI FOLDABLE PHONE TO BE POWERED BY THE SNAPDRAGON 8 GEN 1 CHIP

 The upcoming Xiaomi Foldable Smartphone will reportedly pack a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor under the hood. Xiaomi fans have been waiting with bated breath to get their hands on the Chinese tech giant’s maiden foldable smartphone. While nothing is set in stone yet, a vital piece of information about the purported handset has popped up online. The latest leak divulges the Xiaomi Foldable Smartphone’s key specifications.


If rumors making the rounds online are anything to go by, Xiaomi is gearing up to go toe-to-toe with Samsung. The South Korean tech giant’s Galaxy Z Flip 3 recently took the foldable device segment by storm. In a new development, some partial specifications of the upcoming Xiaomi foldable device have been leaked. Aside from that, the phone’s design details have surfaced on the web. Moreover, these leaks show that Xiaomi is not shying away from adopting bolder designs even for its flagship devices.

XIAOMI FOLDABLE PHONE TO PACK QUALCOMM SNAPDRAGON 8 GEN 1

The latest leaked Xiaomi Foldable Phone’s specifications come from a reputed leaker Digital Chat Station. Furthermore, the leaked details suggest that the device will be the Xiaomi Mix Flip. However, regardless of the moniker the phone will be carrying, its key hardware details have made appearance online. According to a Weibo post by DCS, the Xiaomi Foldable Smartphone will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. It is worth mentioning here that the newly launched Motorola Razr packs the same processor.

Aside from that, the phone’s internal, folded OLED display will reportedly deliver a high refresh rate of 120Hz. According to a report by 9To5Google, Xiaomi has launched its latest 12-series smartphones with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, and 120W fast charging support. Aside from that, the Xiaomi 12 series smartphones boast an impressive array of other features and top-notch specs. Also, offering a 120Hz refresh on a folding screen is particularly notable, given that the iPhone 14 will reportedly not be offering the same refresh rate.

OTHER LEAKED DETAILS & EXPECTED PRICE

In addition to a slew of other details are available in the latest leak. For instance, the leak includes Xiaomi Foldable Phone’s camera specs. The foldable handset will reportedly house a 50MP camera with an f/1.5 aperture lens. If this speculation turns out to be true, the foldable phone will be capable of capturing really good photos. Aside from that, pricing details about the handset are now available. The information suggest that the phone will cost like any other “normal” flagship. Last year, a report indicated that the Xiaomi Foldable Phone could go official on March 29.



However, it is still unclear whether this information is about the Xiaomi Foldable Phone or another smartphone from one of its competitors. Nevertheless, the Xiaomi Foldable Smartphone could retail for less than $1000. This is quite a reasonable price tag to carry, especially compared to the prices of the Samsung Galaxy S22 or the iPhone 14, which aren’t easy on the pocketbook. Also, it will be interesting to see whether Xiaomi will launch its maiden foldable handset outside China.


Introduce Travel Experiences Identification Tags, define road trips routes under travel circuits & promote virtual tourism: Rajasthan Studio to PM Modi

 Rajasthan Studio, a startup working on the promotion of traditional art and culture across the country, presented their vision for the local and global theme with regard to the experience economy to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a virtual interaction on the eve of National Start-up Day, to be celebrated every year on January 16.




The Jaipur-based company was allowed to present suggestive policies regarding travel and tourism in India to the PM as part of the Startup India Innovation Week 2022. Kartik Gaggar, CEO, Rajasthan Studio presented his views during the virtual conference and suggested new travel policies to be implemented keeping in mind the Local to Global theme.

In its presentation, Rajasthan Studio highlighted policies and measures such as making India the preferred country to travel virtually, introducing Travel Experiences Identification Tags (TEIT), and defining road trips routes under 13 travel circuits.

The interaction with the Prime Minister was organised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, where 26 startups from nine states and 11 cities of the country, also gave policy suggestions focused on the Prime Minister's Local to Global theme. Over 150 startups were invited to the discussion and representatives of various startups from Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Noida, and Indore also participated.

Gaggar’s suggestions included creating VR encounters where people can virtually explore monuments in India. He also put across why travel tags are going to be needed to identify authentic travel experiences like boarding the Mumbai local train, heritage walks in Delhi, and more. He concluded by mentioning road travel and how the government should identify and create thematic routes of touring the country.

On this occasion, PM Modi praised Gaggar’s suggestion of virtual travel and suggested that on the onset of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, competition can be organised for the children of schools and colleges all across the country. “Put together experiences, historical facts, and monuments which are compiled by startups like you and further invite the entire country for a virtual tour for the 75th year of Azadi,” mentioned the Prime Minister.


Kerala Tourism launches major initiative to showcase Mystical Malabar

 In order to bring the so far unexplored region of Kerala, Malabar, into the tourism map of the world, Kerala Tourism has launched a major marketing initiative. Titled FAM 2 Malabar500, the initiative will host 500 travel agents and tour operators from India and abroad to see for themselves the tourism spectacle of the Malabar region of the state to help package and promote it to their clients.




The idea is to showcase destinations that mainly fall in 7 districts - Trichur, Palghat, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasargod - as part of the Mystical Malabar. The first batch of around 70 tour operators will be reaching Kannur on January 17, to be hosted by the North Malabar Chamber of Commerce.

This will consist of tour operators from Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, and Kolhapur, and they will be taken to various places of interest in Kasaragod, Kannur, and Wayanad districts till January 20.

Kerala Tourism Minister, PA Mohamed Riyas released the logo of the initiative and expressed the hope that the initiative will help place the Malabar region firmly on the global tourism map and attract domestic and international visitors to the region.

The Malabar region of the state has a distinct history, culture and heritage, and landscape that is picturesque. The effort of the state government and the Tourism Minister to spread the tourism benefits evenly to all regions of the state was evident in the successful organisation of the maiden Beypore Water Fest in Kozhikode district last month.

The logo release function was attended by Dr Venu V, Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism, Government of Kerala, and Prasanth Vasudev, Deputy Director - Tourism, Kerala.

SAMSUNG CAME UP WITH A LAPTOP THAT CAN BE FOLDED IN FOUR

 Samsung Electronics is so obsessed with promoting its flexible displays that it is starting to use them to create the most bizarre devices of dubious value in terms of design features. In January of this year, a patent application was discovered describing a hybrid laptop, each of the parts of which can be folded in half.




The SamMobile resource told about the outlandish invention of Samsung specialists. The patent application, which appeared on the website of the international organization WIPO, describes the design of a laptop with a detachable keyboard unit. The part of the device endowed with a display can be used as a full-fledged tablet, it is possible to enter information with a pen and a touch interface. The flexible display allows you to fold this part of the device twice more, reducing the area it occupies during storage or  transportation.

Accordingly, the keyboard unit also folds in half. It probably contains the bulk of the battery cells, as well as ports for connecting peripherals. The appearance of such a patent application by no means guarantees the entry of this laptop into the market, but as a concept sample, Samsung may well demonstrate it in the future.


FOLDABLE SMARTPHONE SHIPMENTS TO GROW 10X BY 2023

According to Counterpoint Research’s latest Foldable Smartphone Shipment Forecast; the shipments for 2021 will remain in single digit, at around 9 million units. However, it will still be a 3x growth over 2020; with Samsung dominating with over 88% market share. By 2023, we expect a 10x growth in foldable smartphone shipments. Even with more OEMs entering the foldable smartphone space, we expect Samsung to continue dominating with nearly 75% market share. If Apple is on track to release its foldable smartphone by 2023; it will not only be an inflection point in taking foldables mainstream; but also improve the component yield and scale for the entire supply chain.



The upcoming Samsung Galaxy foldables are highly anticipated smartphones as they are expected to bring major improvements over their predecessors. “With a significant price drop, improved design, and appearance; Samsung is likely to target younger customers with the new foldable Flip smartphone. The new Galaxy Z models will get S Pen support too; which can help absorb existing Note users,” said Senior Analyst Jene Park, who leads the foldables research at Counterpoint.

The premium smartphone market in China will be particularly interesting for Samsung. So, “Despite having a negligible market share, Samsung can secure Huawei’s vacant spot; and its success can contribute towards total shipment and sales volumes for its new foldables,” Park added.

Bengal government relaxes Covid-19 curbs as positivity rate drops

 The West Bengal government on Monday relaxed some of the restrictions imposed due to spiralling Covid-19 cases, as it allowed gyms to reopen and gave permission for jatra (theatre) and outdoor shooting.




The move comes at a time when the positivity rate of Covid-19 cases in the state has dipped from 33.8% on January 9 to 26.4% on Monday.

An order issued by the state government on Monday said that gyms could now reopen with 50% of the capacity every day till 9 pm, provided staff and users were either fully vaccinated or were RT-PCR negative.

Jatra (theatres) have been allowed up to 9 pm with 50% capacity in an outdoor venue. In an indoor venue, a maximum of 200 people may be allowed. Outdoor shootings for films and televisions have also been permitted.

“The daily count of Covid-19 cases had shot up to more than 24,000 on January 9, while on Monday it dipped to 9,385. The positivity rate, too, had dropped during the same period,” said a senior official of the state government.

On Monday, Kolkata registered 1,879 fresh cases of the Covid-19 infection. According to statistics published by the Union health ministry, the weekly positivity rate of Kolkata, which had shot up to 57.9% between January 2 and January 8, has dropped to 53.5% between January 10 and January 16.

“There is no place for complacency and we have to be very cautious at least till the first week of February. The positivity rate of Kolkata, even though it has come down, is still higher than most of the cities including Delhi and Mumbai,” said Sukumar Mukherjee, Mukherjee, is a member of the expert committee that was set up in 2020 to advise chief minister Mamata Banerjee on pandemic-related matters.

While the death toll was 18 on January 9, it has jumped to 33 on Monday. On January 15 and January 16 at least 39 and 36 people had died. The recovery rate has also dropped from 94% to around 90% in the last one week.

It was only on January 2 that the state government imposed restrictions closing down schools and colleges while allowing only 50% workforce in offices and putting a 50% cap on trains and metro. Direct flights from UK were stopped and flights from Delhi and Mumbai were allowed to land only three days a week.

On Saturday, the West Bengal election commission had postponed the polls in four civic bodies by three weeks, even as the state government relaxed some of the restrictions. Marriage ceremonies were allowed to be held with 200 people or 50% of the seating capacity of the venue. Earlier the cap was 50 people. The state also allowed fairs and melas to be organised following Covid-19 protocols.

Monday, January 17, 2022

Goa tops the list of favourite destinations for Indian travellers

 New Delhi: A majority of Indians would prefer to go local and explore domestic destinations instead of international ones this year with Goa topping the bucket list followed by Manali.




OYO Travelopedia, the annual consumer survey by OYO to study travel intent and expectations among its user base across some of its core markets, including India, Indonesia and Europe, took responses of nearly 3,000 people in December 2021.

As per the survey, 61 per cent of Indians would prefer to go local and explore domestic destinations, while 25 per cent would like to try international as well as domestic trips in 2022.

Despite the excitement to travel, 80 per cent of respondents said safety continues to be a key concern amid the pandemic and the arrival of booster dose would give them the reassurance to travel.

As far as the favourite destination is concerned, Goa topped a third of the respondents' 2022 bucket lists, it said.

"This is followed by Manali, Dubai, Shimla and Kerala," hospitality chain OYO said adding other international destinations on Indian travellers' bucket list include Maldives, Paris, Bali and Switzerland.

When it comes to travel partners, 37 per cent of the respondents said they would like to travel with their spouses or partners. On the other hand, 19 per cent said they would "love to take that much awaited vacation with close friends", while 16 per cent opted for a family vacation, and another 12 per cent preferred solo backpacking.

"A good 16 per cent of respondents said they would like it all!," the survey said. According to OYO Travelopedia, in Indonesia, Bali emerged as the favourite destination for 2022, while in Europe, a majority of respondents opted for Bornholm, the Danish island in the Baltic Sea.

A vast majority of people in the Netherlands said they would love to travel to Austria this year.

Here's the shortest flight that lasts just over a minute

 Air travel offers different experiences to different people. For some it is the excitement of touching the sky, for others, it is the outpouring of fear within. Longer flights often do not necessarily mean that everyone enjoys it. Travelling by air is not as easy as travelling by car, bus, or train. But what if the flight is limited to a maximum of two minutes? There really is such a plane.




According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Loganair is the smallest scheduled airline in the world. Loganair is a Scottish regional airline based in Glasgow Airport, near Paisley, Scotland. It is the largest domestic airline in the UK with respect to the number of passengers and aircraft size. But Loganair's LM711 is also the shortest flight in the world.

The island where passengers land
The service runs from the island of Westray in the Orkney Islands to the north of Scotland to the nearby island of Papa Westray. The flight distance is just 1.7 miles (2.7 km). On a day with favourable winds and low luggage, the journey time is 53 seconds. There are two or three daily flights.

Westray is a small island with a population of over eighty people. Many tourists visit this place during the summers. They board a flight from here to Papa Westray Island. Westray is about a 15-minute flight from Kirkwall, the capital of Orkney, the largest island in the archipelago known as the Mainland.

Papa Westray Island is also nicknamed 'Papa' by tourists. It is a beautiful island rich in soil and biodiversity. Papa Westray, the ninth-largest island in the Orkney Islands, covers an area of about 918 hectares. Fewer than a hundred people live here. The island has a beautiful beach, a nature reserve, and a view of migratory birds. The island is also of historical significance as 30 copper coins were discovered during the reign of Charles II and George III.

Queensland eyes off quarantine-free travel, 90% double dose milestone

 Queensland will likely reach the critical 90 per cent double vaccination rate this week, the trigger point to open up international travel to and from the Sunshine State.




Flight Centre CEO Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner said it was great news.

“I think it’s great for Queenslanders to be able to travel overseas, there are still some questions of the availability of flights out of here because the airlines become quite wary of governments not necessarily delivering or changing their minds, but I think that has changed now,” he told Scott Emerson.

He said it was a “mixed bag” in terms of the international carriers coming into Brisbane.

“We think the fares, as soon as capacity comes back, will be pretty reasonable, similar to pre-COVID levels.”

Mumbai revises SOP for people travelling from Dubai as Covid cases drop

 The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has withdrawn the additional restrictions that it mandated for passengers flying to the city from the United Arab Emirates, including Dubai. The new rules will be applicable from January 17, the civic body said. In its earlier order, the civic body had mandated compulsory 7-day quarantine and RT-PCR test on arrival for passengers arriving from the UAE. "No special SOP henceforth will be applicable for passengers coming from UAE, including Dubai. Guidelines applicable to international travellers arriving from countries other than countries at-risk will be made applicable to travellers arriving from UAE," the notice said.




However, according to the latest guidelines issued by the civil aviation ministry, which came into effect from January 11, all international travellers have to undergo a seven-day home quarantine.

The daily cases of Mumbai reached the peak of over 20,000 in January and since then, cases have been coming down. On Sunday, Mumbai reported 7,895 infections.

The decision to remove the additional surveillance on people coming from Dubai was taken in a virtual meeting of the civic officials where it was discussed that Mumbai seems to have reached its peak of the third wave.

Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope on Sunday said the state government will be considering reopening schools after the next 10-15 days if the declining trend continues. "Demands are rising from certain quarters for reopening of schools as children are suffering the education loss. We will consider it after 10-15 days as there is a low (rate of) infection among children. The chief minister will take the final call in this regard," the minister said.