Blanket sayings

Air India reviewed its inflight alcohol service policy on January 24 and made some adjustments after embarrassing onboard incidents that triggered fines and public anger. As part of the review, the airline said it will adopt the US National Restaurant Association’s traffic light system to tactfully refuse alcohol to passengers if they seem to be at risk of behaving inappropriately. What is the National Restaurant Association’s traffic light system? The National Restaurant Association’s traffic light system asks servers to determine whether a customer needs to be cut off from being served liquor. The system categorises passengers into green, yellow or red stages based on their behaviour, body language, facial cues, and ability to comprehend instructions. Read More COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to … [Read more...] about MC Explains | Air India’s new system to identify drunk passengers

Pramod Sawant, re- appointed as Goa CM. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said all cities need to identify long-term revenue models based on the infrastructure, which is being created under the Smart Cities Mission. Sawant was addressing the Smart Cities CEOs conference on data and technology, which is currently underway in the state. "In Goa, we have the saying ’Swayampurna Goem’, which is related to the concept of ’atmanirbharta’ (self-reliance)," the chief minister said. There is a need for all cities to identify long-term revenue models based on the infrastructure that is being created under the Smart Cities Mission, he said. This will ensure self-sustainability of all smart cities once the mission has concluded and will help fund future endeavours of the special purpose vehicles (SPVs), Sawant said. The Smart Cities Mission has covered a lot of ground, but smart cities need smart people as well. Universities, students, private and government institutions … [Read more...] about Cities must identify revenue models based on infrastructure created under Smart Cities Mission: Goa CM Sawant

An Air India aircraft. As the Tata group completes the first year of taking over Air India, the airline on Friday said it is finalising a historic order of new aircraft while the airline's chief Campbell Wilson highlighted that the carrier's progress has been quite remarkable. Stepping into the second year of Air India 2.0, Wilson, in a message to employees, acknowledged that there will be challenges along the way and emphasised that more than successes, "it is how we respond to our lapses ... that will define us". The airline has put in place a roadmap under Vihaan.AI for transformation over the next five years and has taken various measures, including committing USD 400 million to refurbish the interiors of its entire wide-body fleet. However, in recent weeks, the carrier has faced certain headwinds related to the unruly behaviour of passengers onboard two international flights and has also been penalised by the aviation regulator DGCA. Listing out major initiatives, … [Read more...] about Air India has made ‘quite remarkable progress’: CEO; airline finalising historic aircraft order

January 27 marks one year of Air India (AI) returning to the Tata fold Air India is set to place an order for 190 Boeing 737 MAX narrow body planes along with 20 Boeing 787s and 10 Boeing 777X today, a Reuters report quoted industry sources as saying. The order comes on a day when Tata Group will mark the first anniversary of its acquisition of Air India from the government. This is half of the order worth billions of dollars for around 495 jets, the report quoted industry sources as saying. This is part of an effort by the Tata group to make Air India more competitive in a tough aviation market. The other half of the order, sources told Reuters, is expected to be completed over coming days. This includes around 235 Airbus single-aisle jets and about 40 Airbus A350 widebody aircraft. The order comes at a time when the travel industry is seeing a strong post-COVID surge. Read More Flying high Marking the first anniversary of the take over, Air India … [Read more...] about Air India likely to seal half of jumbo plane order with Boeing today

The Life Insurance Corp. of India headquarters in Mumbai. Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg Shares of Indian banks and Life Insurance Corp. of India plunged on Friday amid concerns about their exposure to the Adani Group following a scathing short-seller report. The NSE Bank Nifty Index extended declines of the previous session, underperforming broader stock benchmarks. Bank of Baroda and State Bank of India were among the biggest decliners. “Negative sentiment is prevailing in the market, which is weighing on bank stocks,” said Kranthi Bathini, chief market strategist at WealthMills Securities Pvt. “Some of it is due to worries about Adani collateral,” although there’s also a bout of profit-taking after the rally in recent months, he added. Indian banks have reported sterling results over the past weeks, with their quarterly profits soaring driven by scorching credit demand. That euphoria has now been overshadowed by the drama unfolding in the country after US … [Read more...] about Adani report fallout: Banking, LIC shares crack

The incident occurred at a McDonald's outlet in Cambridge. (Representational image) A UK man’s McDonald’s meal became the most expensive he had ever had after he was fined £100 (Rs 10,000) by a private parking company for taking too long to eat in the car park. Shapour Meftah received two penalty notices from a private car parking company at his home for his visit to the restaurant at New Market Road in Cambridge on January 4 and 6 respectively. His brother too has received the penalty tickets. "It was parking from hell - the most expensive McDonald's I've ever had", Meftah told local news outlets. He was meeting his brother at the fast food chain and spent eating for over 90 minutes – the maximum parking time allotted by the parking company. If he doesn't pay the fine within a week then the fine will go up to £100 each. He went for help at the McDonald’s too but they were not able to do anything. Meftah also claimed that there was no signage at the restaurant that … [Read more...] about UK man fined Rs 10,000 for exceeding parking time limit at McDonald’s

Representative Image The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on January 25 announced new guidelines asking airlines to refund passengers that were downgraded to a lower class. As part of the new guidelines, the aviation regulator has asked airlines to issue a 75 percent refund of the cost of ticket including taxes to passenger that were downgraded when flying on a domestic route. Similarly, for passengers flying on international routes, if the route length is 1,500 km or lower, airlines will have to provide a refund amounting to 30 percent of the cost of ticket including taxes, if a passenger's seat is downgraded. For international flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km, airlines will have to provide a refund amounting to 50 percent of the cost of ticket including taxes, if a passenger's seat is downgraded. ALSO READ: DGCA sets new rules for duty timings of air traffic control employees Read More COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions … [Read more...] about DGCA amends norms to provide refund to passengers who were shifted to lower class

The “watch duty time limitations and rest requirements” set forth by the DGCA on January 11 for controllers state that an air traffic controller's shift cannot last longer than 12 hours (Representative Image) The Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA ) rejected the Airports Authority of India ( AAI ) proposal to provide relaxation for airports with fewer flights in order to enable it to overcome a manpower shortage and instead issued new rules for the duty hours of air traffic controllers, as per a report in The Hindu . Although a version of these rules was initially announced in November 2020, the AAI found it challenging to comply with them because it required more staff to offer the required rest period. Since then, it has requested exemptions five times and suggested various duty hours for four distinct types of airports based on the volume of air traffic they handle: large airports, or those with more than 400 flights per day, as well as airports with up to … [Read more...] about DGCA sets new rules for duty timings of air traffic control employees

On January 9, 55 passengers who were bound for New Delhi from Bengaluru on a 0630 IST GoFirst flight G8 116 were left behind in a bus. (Representative image.) The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on January 27 imposed a Rs 10 lakh fine on Wadia-Group-owned airline GoFirst (formerly known as GoAir) for failure to ensure adequate arrangements for ground handling for the flight. "The airline failed to ensure adequate arrangement for ground handling, preparation of load and trim sheet, flight dispatch and passenger/cargo handling," the aviation regulator said in a notice. On January 9, 55 passengers who were bound for New Delhi from Bengaluru on a 0630 IST GoFirst flight G8 116 were left behind in a bus. The stranded passengers were later accommodated on another flight a few hours later. The DGCA on January 10 sent a show cause notice to the carrier, highlighting "multiple mistakes" that could be easily avoided. Following the incident, GoFirst announced that the … [Read more...] about DGCA imposes Rs 10 lakh penalty on Go First