Fly the good times to the US

For the business traveller, flying to the US has never been better. As competition hots up with the entry of new airlines (Air India has launched a non-stop fight from Mumbai to New York and Jet’s flying to Newark via Brussels), airlines are dropping fares and throwing freebies to wean away customers.
Delta Air Lines, for instance, is offering complimentary chopper service between downtown Manhattan and the JFK Airport on purchase of a qualifying non-stop ticket between New York City and Mumbai, or vice-versa.
Now, you can fly to or from the airport in 10-15 minutes while it can take 45-90 minutes by road.
Air India is offering its first class guests a free pick-up and drop facility for its new non-stop Mumbai-New York service, while Emirates offers its business class and first class passengers a complimentary pick-up and drop, subject to a maximum distance of 40-60 miles from the airport. This service is available in all key cities served by the airline, including New York.
ther airlines like Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines had a companion-free offer for the US and Europe on full-fare business class tickets, which ended in June and July, respectively.
“Customers often weigh things like frequent flier miles when choosing an airline. To wean them away, other airlines may come up with such offers,” said Deep Kalra, founder and CEO, makemytrip.com.
Many frequent fliers are influenced by freebies like upgrades and other services like lounge facilities or pick-up and drop.
16/08/07 Ranju Sarkar & P R Sanjai/Business Standard

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Categories: Foreign Aug 2007