Jet Airways, Qatar Airways offer steep discounts on business class

Mumbai: The price war in the skies has spread to the business class. Jet Airways and Qatar Airways are offering huge discounts in a desperate bid to take on Emirates and Singapore Airlines whose recently started A380 flights are scooping passengers in big chunks. Jet Airways is offering all-inclusive one-way business class fares to London at just Rs 28,382 from Delhi and Rs 27,727 from Mumbai, which are just onefourth of usual business class fares and almost half of regular economy fares.
The offer is effective for bookings between September 16 to 18 for travel between October 16, 2014 and July 31, 2015. Under the same offer, one can fly to Singapore in business class at just Rs 18,672 from Delhi and Rs 18,282 from Mumbai, about one-third of normal fares. Jet, however, clarified that none of these fares are valid on flights that operate via its new international hub Abu Dhabi. The airline made Abu Dhabi its global hub after selling 24 per cent stake to Etihad last year.

Jet pilots bash media for 'misreporting', launch own technical cell for analysis

Criticising sections of the media for misreporting on a recent incident involving loss of altitude by a plane, the pilots' union of private carrier Jet Airways today said it is forming a 'technical cell' to provide the right perspective on civil aviation issues. The National Aviation Guild (NAG), the Jet pilots' union, said a 2,900 ft drop in altitude by a Jet Airways Boeing 777 last month was erroneously reported as a 5,000 ft plunge by the media.

It said while the reasons for the sudden loss of altitude by the flight are still being investigated, the loss of altitude at 800 ft per minute "is less than prescribed for a controlled radar environment."
Stories about the 5,000 ft drop got circulated due to the media's reliance on a "publicity hungry" official from the civil aviation regulator DGCA, it alleged.
The flight commander was having his "controlled rest" and was not flouting any norms, while the first officer was also not playing on her tablet computer as being reported, it said, adding that the tablets are used as a reference tool by all pilots.

Jet blames fuzzy rules

New Delhi: Jet Airways today said the aviation regulator’s findings on lapses in its training programme were due to “lack of clarity” in its rules. The DGCA has last week cracked down on Jet’s over 130 pilots on charges of flouting training norms.

“Some of the audit findings have resulted because of a lack of clarity in the regulatory interpretation of the processes,” the private carrier said in a statement here.

A Jet spokesperson said its senior management will meet the director-general of civil aviation (DGCA) and his team to “discuss the ambiguity in some of the regulations and will work closely with them to close all the findings”.

JetLite pilots threaten to quit unless seniority maintained in integration with Jet

Jet Airways has begun the process of integrating pilots of LCC subsidiary JetLite with itself but close to 250 of these pilots have been put in a quandary. JetLite will eventually be shuttered and therefore Jet Airways has asked these pilots to apply for positions in its fleet. Here's the catch though: the hours they logged for JetLite will not be taken into account while calculating their total experience. In others words, though Jet Airways says their seniority etc will be maintained, the pilots of ill-fated JetLite are sure to suffer a career loss.

Top management of Jet, including CEO designate Cramer Ball and COO Hamid Ali today met JetLite pilots. Our sources tell us the pilots have made it clear that unless their seniority is maintained, they will look for greener pastures. "Today JetLite's senior most pilot is being asked to join Jet below their junior most pilot. Which simply implies that a pilot with 40 years of aviation experience and 25,000 hours of flying would be junior to a co-Pilot who is literally learning how to adjust his seat in the flight deck," sources said.

Jet Airways meets JetLite pilots to discuss integration plan

Cramer Ball, chief executive officer (designate) of Jet Airways and senior airline executives today met with JetLite pilots in New Delhi.

Discussing future plans for the Jet Aviation Group, Ball detailed the airline's three-year business plan, the airline's proposed single brand strategy, specifically operational requirements for Jet Airways, JetLite and the opportunities this would create for the pilot community.

DGCA notice to 131 Jet pilots for flying without test

New Delhi: In one of the biggest crackdown on pilots of a single airline, the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) Friday issued show cause notice to 131 pilots of Jet Airways for flying without clearing a mandatory biannual exam. The regulator asked Jet why flying licences of these 131 pilots should not be suspended or cancelled, apart from ordering the airline to remove its chief of training and issuing a show cause to the chief of operations.

Jet was also asked to ground three more pilots "whose training was found to be deficient" along with the regulator initiating action against some trainers who "imparted deficient simulator training to pilots". In all, the regulator acted against about 140 Jet Airways pilots in one go Friday.

DGCA may ask for Jet Airways training chief to go

New Delhi: Jet Airways looks to be flying into deep trouble with aviation regulator DGCA. Sources said the DGCA, after conducting a training audit of the private carrier, is likely to ask for removal of the airline’s chief of training in view of alleged lack of supervision of flight crew training and permitting release of flight crew for flying duties without corrective training, and could also recommend action against the airline’s chief of operations for allegedly permitting flight operations by pilots without undergoing corrective training. Also, show cause notices may be issued to about 130 of the airline’s pilots as to why their licences should not be cancelled on grounds of allegedly flying after the expiry of validity of pilot proficiency checks.

Confident Our Pilot Training Meets International Standards: Jet Airways

New Delhi: After Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) took action against 140 Jet Airways pilots and issued a show cause notice to 131 of them, who were flying without clearing the mandatory exam of bi-annual pilot proficiency check (PPC), the airline company has dismissed the notice. The company has clarified that it was confident that its pilot training met international standards and any minor discrepancies could be straightened out.

Merger plan puts JetLite pilots in a spot

Mumbai: Raising concerns over their career prospects, JetLite pilots have expressed apprehensions that they could be treated unfairly once JetLite’s operations get merged with Jet Airways in line with the board’s decision to go in for a single full-service brand by the year-end.

In such a situation, they feel, their seniority will be compromised. They also apprehend that they could be moved from their base stations.

“Since our transition from Air Sahara to JetLite at no stage was it intimated that our seniority would be compromised, or that the seniority of Jet Airways pilots would be maintained above. At the same time, we have seen a steady reduction in fleet and routes, which has cast a shadow of doubt on the future of JetLite,” the pilots have said in a letter to Jet Airways CEO-designate Cramer Ball.

Jet’s Single Brand Agenda Gives Sleepless Nights To Pilots

Naresh Goyal's Jet Airways plans to merge its Low Cost Carrier (LCC) Jetlite with its flagship carrier. According to company sources, the management will soon induct pilots from Jetlite to the parent company Jet Airways.

"Nearly 230 pilots will be shifted from Jetlite to Jet Airways. This is a point of concern for us because it may lead to drastic changes in our salary structures as well as our seniority," said a senior pilot who requested anonymity.

He further revealed, "Cramer Ball, CEO of Jet Airways, will be meeting with the company pilots on 9 September to discuss the future plans of the airline with us. Basically, they want to explain their decision to ensure a smoother transition".

Jet Airways to operate flights to Vietnam via Bangkok

Mumbai: Jet Airways Wednesday announced the addition of two daily flights to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN) region from its primary hubs in Delhi and Mumbai during its winter schedule with an all inclusive economy fare of Rs 37,506 to Rs 35,500.

"Both Vietnam and Thailand are emerging as increasingly popular destinations for tourism, trade and investment in Asia and it was only logical for Jet Airways' to facilitate the same for the Indian traveller," said Gaurang Shetty, senior vice president - commercial, Jet Airways.

Air fare war: Now, Jet Airways announces Rs 500 fare offer on domestic routes

The fare war that started in August last week with SpiceJet and Air India offering special tariffs, saw a new entrant on Tuesday in Jet Airways. Jet Airways on Tuesday announced special fares for domestic flyers traveling in economy class.
The all inclusive fares starts from Rs 500 excluding statutory taxes and customers will be able to enjoy these substantial discounts
across all destinations on the airlines' domestic network. This special fare offer will be not be valid for indirect flights (connecting flights) and for group bookings.

Now its Jet Airways with Rs 500 fare offer on domestic route

A day after budget carrier SpiceJetBSE 3.97 % announced fares starting at Rs 499 across its domestic network, Jet AirwaysBSE 0.31 % too jumped on the bandwagon rolling out Rs 500 fares for the economy class on its domestic flights for a limited period today.

The all inclusive fares of the city-headquartered Jet Airways, starts from Rs 500 excluding statutory taxes and customers will be able to enjoy these substantial discounts across all destinations on the airlines' domestic network, the airline said in a release.

Jet Airways unveils digital travel platform for SMEs

Mumbai:  Jet Airways has launched a digital travel and business networking platform on its website exclusively for small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs), primarily in the hope of regaining some corporate passenger share it has lost in recent years to low-fare carriers.
"The segment is quite big. As (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi said, 65% of India's economy is dependent on SMEs," Rajeev Nambiar, Jet's vice-president, sales told ET. "To give a classic example, Ahmedabad itself has about 2,500 SMEs. Now, we may have direct connect with 300 but there's good scope for another 1,800 as well and that's the link this product would form," Nambiar said.

JetLite pilots to lose seniority on Jet merger

In an unprecedented move in India’s aviation sector, pilots of JetLite, the no-frills carrier owned by Jet Airways (which will soon cease to exist) have been told that their previous flying experience will not hold any value as and when they are absorbed into the parent airline.
The move has created a lot of anxiety and uncertainty among JetLite pilots regarding their future. Jet Airways’ chief executive-designate Cramer Ball is scheduled to meet with JetLite’s 230 pilots on September 9 and shed further light on the company’s future plans.
Some pilots of the low cost-airline that Jet acquired from the Sahara Group in 2007 told FE on condition of anonymity that they may quit following the meeting, if the management’s explanation doesn’t satisfy them.

Aiming at cost-cutting, Jet Airways asks JetLite pilots to join its crew

In the service conditions however, the airline said "only flying hours logged on 9W (Jet Airways) aircraft shall be counted for the purpose of pilot movement with 9W for career progression," which means hours clocked on operating JetLite flights will not be counted.

"It is absurd that the flying hours we have put in on a Boeing 737 on JetLite will not be taken into account when we join Jet Airways. This means my junior in Jet will automatically be promoted much before me," he said. A Jet spokesperson said the induction "will open career opportunities not only for a command upgrade but also for exposure to flying international routes and also movement to wide body aircraft".

Jet Airways executives to meet Icra following downgrade

Mumbai: Jet Airways executives will meet credit ratings agency ICRA  on Monday, following Saturday's downgrade of its debt rating to 'D' from 'BB' after the airline failed to meet loan repayment schedule.

According to ICRA's rating scales, "instruments with 'D' rating are in default or are expected to be in default soon." "Indeed Jet has been downgraded to 'D' rating because of cases of defaults. We have been informed of the same by financial institutions and the airline's auditors," said Naresh Takkar, managing director and chief executive officer of the agency. He didn't elaborate on the amount Jet had defaulted on.

Jet Airways ratings downgraded to 'D' by ICRA

Credit-rating agency ICRA has downgraded Jet Airways' debt to "D" rating from "BB" after it "got information" on payments by the airline.
According to Icra's rating scales, "Instruments with 'D' rating are in default or are expected to be in default soon."
"Indeed Jet has been downgraded to "D" rating because of cases of defaults. We have been informed of the same by financial institutions and the airline's auditors," said Naresh Takkar, managing director and CEO of of the agency. He didn't elaborate on the amount Jet had defaulted on.

SpiceJet topples Jet Airways for the first time, becomes India's no. 2 airline

Mumbai: Low fare carrier SpiceJet has said it crossed Jet Airways in market share figures to become India's number 2 carrier--a historical first--in July.
In a release, the carrier said it controlled 20.9% of the market in July compared to 19% a month earlier. Jet Airways and JetLite's share was at 19.6%, the same as the previous month.

Jet Airways seeks month's time to clear Rs 100 crore worth of salary arrears of pilots

Mumbai: Jet Airways today sought a month's time to clear about Rs 100 crore worth of salary arrears of its pilots, who have been expressing their ire against the delay in making the payment, airline sources said.
The management's plea came during an almost six-hour meeting with representatives of pilots at the airline's headquarters here this afternoon, the sources said.
The meeting was attended by chief executive-designate Cramer Ball and other officials while the pilots' representatives came under the banner of National Aviators Guild ( NAG) which acts as an interface between the pilots and the management.