Archive for September, 2010
Dissecting Vijay Mallyas Fly With The Good Times
When Kingfisher and Vijay Mallya promised a Fly with the Good Times experience I wish they had been speaking the truth. Dr Vijay Mallya might be referred to as the King of Good Times and perhaps in his personal life he is. However flying with his airline can be anything but good at times. Mind you I am not belittling the quality of the aircrafts themselves. I certainly believe the King when he says that he is proud of his fleet of new aircrafts that are fitted with the latest safety technologies. I even accept the cutting edge technology that is guaranteed. And perhaps the best is the checkin assistance you get with baggage etc.
But is that all it takes to make an airline enjoyable. Perhaps not. There is a key word called Hospitality which seems to be missing from the airhostesses parlance altogether. One look at the airhostesses in red and we perhaps begin to see just what the King meant by Good Times. Tight and even tighter pants and skirts to the point of being tasteless would best describe these so called pagans of hospitality. In the Chairmans message on the airlines branded website Dr Mallya proudly talks about personnaly handpicking the crew himself. Perhaps that is why they are all stereotyped with packs of foundation to hide away the Indianess of their heritage. I have not heard of any unwritten rule that insists airhostesses to be pale to the point of being ghostly and the tropical Indian weather makes this effort even more incredulous.
Vijay Mallya also boasts of the fact that every crew is instructed to treat a guest in the same manner as when they visit his home. Having flown Kingfisher a few times I can only say that if this is true nobody would be visiting the king. 10 minutes after being seated by the haunted anorexic looking hostess you are handed this little red pouch which might excite a 2 year old and that too perhaps. We are mostly adults in the flight and I see no joy in being woken up only to be handed something I definitely do not want. I mean what happened to Class or is cheapness the way to fame these days. You sit back for a renap with what you hope is a do not disturb sign on you and this time it is the juice. Then it is the fact that you have to listen to the long speech prepared in case of emergencies because you are sitting on the emergency exit. All attempts to tell the lady that you would rather shift your seat in the half empty flight fall on deaf ears since the lady is not listening lest she loose track of the tirade she has memorized. So you just walk off into the next row mid sentence to settle down once again to sleep hopefully. Food teacoffee means more awakenings and by now you are beginning to take on the look and mood of Hagar the horrible. I know that Mr Mallya demands individual attention and he supposes that his guests do to but perhaps this is taking things a bit to far.
The rest of the experience can only be described as terribly ordinary. Neither the food nor the service is exceptionally different from any other airline in the country. In fact I would rather fly Indian Airlines where even if the airhostesses are nothing much to look at years of experience ensure comfort whilst flying.
The individual inflight entertainment system so proudly mentioned in the Chairmans speech exists. But is it entertaining no. Unless you mean being forced to listen to ads being run over and over again at top volume. Most international flights provide headphones so that you may or may not listen at your discretion and the entertainment entails a movie or two. Something Vijay Mallya needs to learn about.
Would I accept an invitation to fly the Good Times. Probably not. Would most of the male population of country. I think definitely yes. After all the red stirs a hidden though trashy inner cord in some bizarre way. Perhaps exactly what the King calls Good Times.
Zorba CafeSpeak
http://www.cafespeak.blogspot.com
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Zorba’s articles can be found at http://www.cafespeak.blogspot.com/ She writes about true expereinces and topics of interest would be Sailing Hotels Travel Hospitality Art and Revenue.
Zorba CafeSpeak
http://www.cafespeak.blogspot.com
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Detailed Information About Dulles International Airport
The following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.
When many travelers make the decision to visit another country many try and find an international airport that is located close to their home. That is not always the case with the Dulles International Airport. While the majority of travelers use the Dulles International Airport because it is located within a reasonable distance to their home not everyone does. Since Dulles is located in Washington DC many travelers make the decision to schedule a minivacation before they begin their big one often overseas.
Whether you are a Washington DC resident or not there is a good chance that you will use the Dulles International Airport when it comes to taking a flight across the country. If you are there are number of things that you should do before you leave for your flight. Perhaps the first thing that you should do is familiarize yourself with the Dulles International Airport. All travelers whether you have visited the airport before or not are encouraged to examine the airport. You will want to be on the lookout for important air travel information as well as airport changes. One of the best ways to get your research started is to visit the online website of the airport.
Once at the online website for the Dulles International Airport you will have access to an unlimited amount of information. Some of that information is likely to pertain to air travel rules and safety precautions. You are advised to examine all of this information especially if you are planning on taking on an international flight. You will want to learn more about the airport baggage screening centers as well as prohibited items. As with most airports especially international airports you will find that security has intensified over the past few years. For this reason you are advised against taking any unnecessary risk such as arriving at the airport late or tying to sneak prohibited items in your carryon luggage.
Since the Dulles International Airport is located in the nation’s capital and is one of the most well known international airports in the Untied States a large number of travelers use the airport. For that reason you will find that the airport is large in size. This is why it is important that you familiarize yourself with the layout of the airport before arriving there. On the online website for the Dulles International Airport you should be able to find an airport map which you can print off for your own viewing. This same information can be found at the airport but you may benefit from familiarizing yourself with this information ahead of time.
Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable. You might also want to consider the following:
In addition to the location of each airport terminal you will need to learn about the rest of the airport namely the parking arrangements. If you are leaving your vehicle behind while you travel internationally you will find that you have a number of different options. With longterm parking you will have to use the airport’s transportation services to make it to the main terminal. With the Dulles International Airport there is a good chance that you will be relying heavily on this transportation service especially since not all airport terminals are connected.
As previously mentioned you should review the online website of the Dulles International Airport. If by chance you do not find what you are looking for you are urged to contact the airport’s customer service department. When taking an international flight especially at an airport the size of Dulles International you are advised against arriving without knowing what is in store for you.
Take time to consider the points presented above. What you learn may help you overcome your hesitation to take action.
About the writer: If you would like to know about Dulles International Airport visit daily air travel tips.
Cyprus Flights. Getting The Best Deals
Cyprus isn’t one of the cheapest destinations to fly to but if you are prepared to shop around for your Cyprus flights there are still some great deals to be had. The introduction of “green taxes” has not helped the situation any either so locating the best prices is now even more of an issue. Charter companies offering flights only are a good bet but you need to brave enough to wait until the last minute before you book. This is not ideal if you have already reserved your hotel accommodation and there is a hire car waiting for you at the Cyprus airport. The other problem with many of the charter flights is that they don’t always cater for longer stays or one way flights. These are becoming more and more in demand as those owning holiday homes spend more time on the Island.
Sometimes it’s worth checking with the travel agents in Cyprus if you are looking for a one way flight or even a return to the U.K. Rumor has it that most of the empty seats from Cyprus to the U.K. are passed to these agents especially seats with the national carriers. Even the charter companies and global travel businesses like Thompson and First Choice will need to put bums on seats so to speak so they too must be worth a try. Of course the best tool at your disposal is the internet which will give you the ability to make instant price comparisons on your Cyprus flights. That said it may still be worth a visit to the local Cyprus travel agent if you are looking to travel the other way.
One of the reasons that flights to Cyprus are so expensive is the cost of landing taxes on the Island. This coupled with the journey time goes towards making the Island a pricey option for flight only deals. There have been several occasions where it has actually worked out cheaper to book a last minute package tour rather than a flight only. The party have then just forgone the accommodation and made their own airport transfer arangments such as a taxi or car hire. Once again however the major drawback to this option is that you may have to wait untill the last minute before you book your Cyprus flight. However for retired couples or people not tied to set holiday entitlements like the self employed this option could work real well. It really does come into it’s own too if you are one of those lucky people who own a Cyprus villa or apartment.
For most people wishing to stay on the Island for more than the standard two weeks the best option may be to book with a company that makes scheduled Cyprus flights. Unlike the charter flights where a tour operator hires a plane and then fills it the scheduled plane travels the same route at the same time every week. Most of these companies will fly to a specific U.K. airport about twice a week or more from Cyprus and then back again. Just like trains or buses they are scheduled to fly on a pre defined date and time as per their timetable. The only downside is that they will more often than not only operate from the major locations like Luton or Heathrow which may involve some additional travel to and from the airport. The upside is that these companies need to fill those Cyprus flights so the cost may be quite competitive.
Another reason that Cyprus flights seem so expensive is because the budget airlines have spoilt us with those cheap flights to other parts of Europe. When you stop to consider the real cost of flying in terms of fuel plus the capital outlay air travel is in fact actually relatively cheap and affordable. Imagine for instance paying a taxi driver by the mile to take you and your luggage 2400 miles! Bearing in mind that the cost of buying a taxi is only a tiny fraction of the price of the plane and would probably use less fuel for the whole trip than the plane consumes at take off. If you look at it that way a couple of hundred pounds or so to travel such a huge distance so quickly actually makes them cheap Cyprus flights.
About the writer: Kevin Moore lives half the year in Cyprus writing regular articles about the beautiful Island of Cyprus and maintaining his web site. Take a look at it here Cyprus Flights