Metro Rail (India)

Metro Rail is one of the biggest revolution in Delhi and NCRs. Previously we used to commute by buses or autos from one place to other but now we can easily commute with the help of metro rail. Now metro rail has spreaded all over Delhi and NCR too. Now we dont have to think twice before going to Gurgaon or Noida or any other NCR from any part of Delhi. The only negative of delhi metro is crowd. Its safe for women, girls, old aged people, kids etc to travel in metro rail. You can reach your destination in no time. The metro rail is so well connected that it you can travel from any part of delhi to anywhere in delhi or ncr and vice versa. Now there are separate compartments for females so that they can travel safely. The underground metro stations are quite beautiful. Once you get down to any of the underground stations you will feel that you are in abroad. Now because of the heavy crowd the metro rail department has introduced many trains so that they can reduce the crowd in one metro. They have increased the frequency of metro trains and I guess they have also added two more boggies in the trains so that more people can get into it in one go, passengers dont have to wait long to catch another train. In busiest stations like Kashmere Gate, Rajiv Chowk(Connaught Place), Central Secretariat etc., the frequency between 2 trains have been reduced to 2 minutes so that the passengers dont create chaos at the station.

Dubai Mall

Dubai Mall is located just next to the tallest building in the world which is Burj Khalifa. Dubai Mall is one of the biggest mall in Asia. It is as big as a football ground and it has got around 10 or more than 10 floors. There is a prayer room inside the mall where the muslims can offer prayers. It has got the biggest aquarium in the world where you can find many fishes. It has also got the Guiness Book Of World Records award for the biggest artificial aquarium in the world. It is about 10 minutes walking from Burj Khalifa which makes it more happening. You can find all the renowned brands over there or you can say if you have got good money to spend then it is the best place for you. You can find many unheard famous brands over there which makes it an aristocrat place to freak out. If you are going there by Metro Rail then you have to get down at Dubai Mall metro station and you can board bus to that place or you can walk from there itself. It is about 20-25 minutes from the metro station. You can find all the luxurious cars parked at the parking area. You can find good costly restaurants inside the Dubai mall. As I didnt have that much money so I couldnt get the chance of buying or having anything from there. Its located at the heart of Dubai. I recommend all the visitors to visit Dubai mall at least once during their visit to Dubai.

Connaught Place

If you are a shopping freak then Connaught Place is the right place for you. Its the biggest aristocrat shopping area in Delhi. You can find many reputed brands over there. It is surrounded by other shopping areas like Janpath, Palika Bazar, Bhagirath Palace. You can find many foreigners hanging over there. If I am not wrong I guess it was built during the Britishers time. You can also spend your time in Central Park which is inside Connaught Place. If you are looking for cheap stuffs then you can pay a visit to Palika Bazar or Janpath etc but you have to bargain a lot with the shopkeepers. If you are looking for branded stuffs then Connaught Place is the right place for you. There are 4 movie halls in Connaught Place where you can watch movies and countless restaurants where you can enjoy your meal. For me its the best shopping area in whole Delhi. Its a must see place for all the people who are visiting Delhi. At night when the street lights are on then it looks more beautiful. Even the metro train stop is also there which makes it connected with other parts of delhi and easily commutable for the people. It is also called as the "Heart of the City". It was built in the Britisher's style.

Samosa (Indian snack)

Samosa is a very popular snack in India. You can find different kinds of samosas in India. When you go to West Bengal then you find small samosas which are called as Singhara and they are small in size as compared to samosa. It is very tasty and many foreigners who visit India never forget to taste samosa and once they taste it they get addicted to it. I remembered that Sunita Williams took samosa in the space shuttle along with her as food. She being an american took samosas with her in her way to space. Samosa is made up of potatoes, cashew nuts, peas, spices etc. The shopkeepers provide you different kinds of sauces along with it. There are some good restaurants from where you can get good qualities of samosas which are Haldirams, Bikanerwala, Aggarwal Sweets, Annapurna Sweets etc. Its not that spicy in taste so it wont trouble your stomach. Mostly Indians eat it as snacks. They love to eat samosas with chutneys (sauce which the shopkeepers provide you with samosas).

Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan (mughal emperor) for his ill wife Mumtaz in 17th century. Taj Mahal is located in Agra which is in India. It is made up marbles. Mumtaz was buried inside Taj Mahal. It has been included in the list of modern 7 wonders of the world. People from various countries specially come down to India to see Taj Mahal. It looks quite beautiful at night specially when the moonlight falls on it. Agra is in Uttar Pradesh which is a state of India so if anybody wants to go there then you have to catch a train from Delhi or you can also go by tourist buses or by hiring cars. In summer it gets quite hot so I would recommend you guys to visit Taj Mahal in winters. You can also hire travel guides from there who can tell you each and everything about Taj Mahal. Travel guides for different languages are also available there. If someone is visiting India then they should pay a definite visit to Taj Mahal.

Shawarma - Lebanese Dish

Shawarma is a famous lebanese dish. During my visit to Dubai I had lots and lots of Shawarma. It costs around 5-6 dirhams over there. I liked it a lot. Its is made up of Kubooz and mutton. They cut mutton into small pieces and put it inside the kubooz along with mayonnaise, cabbage, onions. There are two types of shwarma available in Dubai one is spicy shwarma and the other one is non spicy one. I liked non spicy one more. You can easily get shwarma on dubai streets. Its a damn yummy dish which will make your mouth watering. I used to have it as snacks or dinner because the shopkeeper starts this preparation from evening only. You cant get shawarma in morning or afternoon. They mix the mutton pieces with mayonnaise, cabbage, onions etc and wrap it up in Kubooz and then serve it to the customers. Like the way in India we have Aloo Tikki, chaat, bhalle papri, cutlets, pao bhaji etc as snaks similarly over there its considered as snack. I will recommend all the Dubai visitors to go for Shawarma at least once during their visit. 

Kubooz

Kubooz is a kind of bread which we find in Middle East countries. Like the way we have Chappati or Roti in India similarly they have Kubooz over there. It resembles with Roomali Roti. I have eaten lots of Kubooz in Dubai. At first I thought that I wouldnt get any chappati sort of thing in Dubai but later on I found that with this bread. I liked it. Its like normal Indian bread so we can eat Kubooz with any curries like the way we eat rotis over here. Shawarma is very popular dish in Dubai. Its basically a lebanese dish. Chicken or mutton which are used in the preparation of Shawarma are tightly kept in kubooz and mind it they are quite tasty. I must recommend everyone to have kubooz with curries once they visit Dubai and I bet they will like it.

The tallest building in the world (Burj Khalifa)

As everyone knows that Burj Khalifa is the world's tallest building and it is located in Dubai. I consider myself lucky because I got to see that. It looks damn beautiful. If I am not wrong there are around 150 floors in Burj Khalifa. It has been named after Khalifa Sheikh. In the evening it looks more beautiful because of lighting. Many people like to visit Burj Khalifa during evening time because of the lighting, Arabian music with light fountain etc. People gather over there and spend some good time with their closed ones. Burj Khalifa is the major attraction of Dubai. If a person visits Dubai but couldn't get the opportunity to visit Burj Khalifa then that means that person hasn't seen Dubai. You shouldnt miss the opportunity to visit Burj Khalifa once you visit Dubai. You can find lots and lots of foreigners freaking at Burj Khalifa. There are many street restaurants over there where people can enjoy their food. I guess you need to pay around 100AED to enter Burj Khalifa, I didnt have that much money so I couldnt get the chance to enter Burj Khalifa. As Dubai is a small place so Burj Khalifa can be seen from everywhere. As I missed the chance to enter Burj Khalifa so I wish I get the chance to visit it in the near future. Specially on thursday which is the last working day of a week in UAE people gather over there in huge numbers. The great Dubai Mall is just next to Burj Khalifa. You can find all the luxurious cars over there. I recommend everyone to visit Burj Khalifa for once during your visit to Dubai. I am damn sure you guys are going to like it.

AA Files Antitrust Suit Against Travelport

American Airlines in U.S. District Court of Northern Texas filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Travelport and Orbitz to prevent the distributors from engaging in "exclusionary and anticompetitive business practices. AA claimed that Travelport, "which effectively controls the distribution of fares and other content to a large number of travel agencies and their corporate customers," has unlawfully stymied "new competition by alternative technologies that are both less expensive and more capable." Those retaliations, according to AA's suit, thus far have included a doubling of AA's booking fees for non-U.S. reservations, misrepresenting AA's fares "in a manner that made them appear more expensive than they actually were to consumers outside the United States" and other actions affecting GDS displays.

Orbitz launches Mobile Solution for Business Purpose

Orbitz has launched mobile solution for business purpose allowing air, car and hotel bookings from web-enabled smartphones. It is more like a mobile website rather than downloading apps, offering "policy, control and compliance requirements of corporate travel managers and their programs," according to a statement. Trip tracking, itinerary management and flight status functions are also included in this website. It will be quite useful for the busy customers.

US Airways is coming up with First-Class Cabins On Regional Jets.

By January 2012 US Airways will install first class cabins on 110 US Airways express aircraft. The upgrades will be done in limited aircraft like Embraer 170, Embraer 175, Bombardier CRJ700 and Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft, impacting 640 daily flights to 85 cities, according to senior vice president of marketing and planning Andrew Nocella. Even Delta Airlines, American Airlines and United Airlines also have reconfigured some regional jets to provide first- or business-class service.

American Airlines signs deal with Expedia

American Airlines has signed a deal with Expedia to work together more effectively. Now customers can get all fares and schedule information of American Airlines and its subsidiary American Eagle on Expedia and Hotwire sites. This deal falls out in January 2011 when American Airlines were withdrawn from Expedia site. Expedia said it plans to access American’s fares, schedules, and customised travel products and services via American’s direct connect link by using aggregation technology provided by a GDS. Expedia wants to work with airlines as its a big traveling site. In January Expedia was forced to stop selling American Airlines tickets due to some disagreement over terms.

Thomson Airways makes safe landing following bomb threat

A Thomson Airways flight has made a safety landing in Athens (Greece) after a bomb threat. Greek fighter jets were there to escort the Thomson Airways flight (Boeing 757- 200) which was on its way to Bristol to resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. There were 213 passengers in that flight without any injuries as reported. Two F-16 jets were sent to escort the flight in Athens. Passengers were evacuated once the aircraft was on the ground. Thomson is owned by UK-based TUI Travel.

Strong support for further strikes at BA

Cabin crew of BA( British Airways) have gone for a strike over pay and conditions. This strike might go till Easter break. The row began about cost-cutting but now centres on travel concessions taken from striking staff and disciplinary action against Unite union members.The dispute started from November 2009 when BA reduced the cabin crew and introduced a two-year pay freeze from 2010. This led to a series of strikes in the spring and summer of last year. Staffs have walked out for 22 days for the present dispute.

Also today, British Airways has launched flights to Puerto Rico for the first time, following the inauguration of its first direct service to Buenos Aires on Sunday. BA now flies daily from Heathrow to Buenos Aires.

AirAsia Incorporated seeks Clark hub in Philippines

AirAsia Incorporated, the Philippine-based affiliate of the AirAsia Group, has chosen Clark as its hub in the country. The airline, which announced its set up last December, will be basing its operations at Clark’s Diosdado Macapagal International Airport from the fourth quarter of 2011. “AirAsia, Inc., is excited to start contributing to the economy of Clark and the rest of the country by boosting tourism and offering job opportunities to Filipinos.” “We plan to make Clark the hub for flights to popular destinations including Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Korea and Japan,” added Ms Hontiveros. Travel will become much more easier for the tourists and overseas Filipino employees. Hontiveros, Antonio Cojuangco Jr. and Michael Romero own 60 per cent of AirAsia, Inc. in equal partnership.The remaining 40 per cent is owned by AirAsia Berhad.

Embraer links up with Alitalia for 20 jets

Embraer the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer has signed up a contract with Italian airlines Alitalia for the delivery of 20 jets through a lease structure by third parties. 15 Embraer 175 and 5 Embraer 190 jets are included in this agreement. “Benefiting from a strong reorganization, Alitalia is developing its regional network to meet new market and passengers requirements,” said Frederico Fleury Curado, Embraer president.The delivery of the new jets are scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2011. These new aircraft will help in covering all the short and medium destinations without any stopovers. One of the youngest airline of Europe, the new E-Jets will increase the efficiency levels of the Italian airline, from economic and environmental perspectives, by reducing fuel consumption.

Etihad begins services to the Maldives

Etihad will be commencing its flights to Male the capital of Maldives from 1st of November. Etihad has been recognized as the World’s Leading Airline for the second consecutive year in 2010 by the World Travel Awards. The route will be operated by Airbus A320 aircraft with two cabins and 1904 seats each week. James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive, said: “Malé is gateway to the premium leisure destination, the Maldive Islands, and given the strong increase in visitation numbers we are seeing in the market, the time is right to launch services to this popular holiday destination.” Mr Hogan said the commencement of the services in November was perfectly timed to coincide with the start of the busy Northern winter period. Etihad airlines hail from Abu Dhabi. As Maldives is one of the topmost tourist spot for tourists so it will be a great idea to commence a flight from Abu Dhabi, capital of UAE to Maldives. Maldives has got 300,000 people with 1200 islands grouped into natural atolls, including 200 inhabited islands and 97 resort islands. Maldives has got beautiful seas, hot climate, tropical climate and warm temperature which make it as a honeymoon spot.

United Continental: US-Japan traffic declines

There has been a decline in the flights from USA to Japan because of the earthquake. United, Delta Air Lines Inc., and American Airlines flew their full schedule of flights to Tokyo. Meanwhile German airlines Lufthansa and Italian airlines Alitalia have shifted their flights from Tokyo to different parts of Japan whereas United Airlines, Delta Air Lines Inc., and American Airlines flew their full schedule of flights to Tokyo. "Since the earthquake we have seen a modest decline" in overall traffic to and from Japan, said United Continental spokeswoman Megan McCarthy. Besides Tokyo-U.S. flights, United flies between Tokyo and other cities such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. Traffic from the U.S. to Japan has seen a "measurable decline," she said. Airlines have been waiving the usual fees for changing a ticket. Delta and United also took the more unusual step of offering full refunds for travelers who had not used any part of their ticket. Airlines usually offer refunds on non-refundable tickets only if they cancel the flight but now they are not doing this because of this massive tsunami. Airline shares have fallen sharply this week, with United Continental down 7.7 percent, Delta down 9.2 percent, and American parent AMR Corp. down 2.4 percent.

Japan Airlines offers free flights for tsunami relief workers

JAL is offering free flights for tsunami rescue workers. The third explosion occurred at the Fukushima nuclear plant on Tuesday, which caused radiation levels rise in the surrounding area. The government ordered any inhabitants remaining in the 16km radius exclusion zone to evacuate immediately. The prime minister, Naoto Kan, has warned there is a very high risk of further radioactive material being released. JAL said it was supporting the rescue and recovery process by providing free transport of relief goods and for aid personnel, as well as through a mileage donation scheme to raise funds to help victims of the disaster. JAL will transport relief goods and supplies at no charge until April 15 on its domestic and international network.JAL is offering to transport rescue team members for no charge at the request of the Japanese government and regional authorities.

Tsunami hits Japan

Tsunami has hit Japan and many people have died in that massacre. It was one of the biggest tsunami which has ever occurred till yet. Many houses, cars, belongings etc have been devastated by this incident. Many children have lost their parents and became orphans. Now travelers are spooked up to visit Japan after this massacre took place. Foreigners have been trapped in that country because some of the international airports have been affected by tsunami. Reactors 1 and 3 have been exploded and radiation is emitting out of it which is quite harmful for human beings. Till yet Japan authorities have confirmed about 1,597 deaths, but the final toll is expected to be much higher.This tsunami was recorded as 8.9 Richter scale which is considered to be quite high. Japan prime minister has quoted the situation at the nuclear plant was alarming, and the earthquake had thrown Japan into “the most severe crisis since World War II”. Natira International Airport has returned to operation, with flights departing as scheduled. Many countries have advised citizens to avoid traveling to Japan as many aftershocks expected.