AIR INDIA launches daily flights fromChicago to India
Midwest Travel given Air India Sales Performance Awards
Katherine Thorat, Mr. Jude Crasto, Manager,Air India Midwest, Mrs. Chitra Sarkar, Executive Director,Americas,Air India, Mrs & Mr, IQBAL
PAGANY of Travel King, Mr. Rumi Khariwalla, Sales Manager Midwest.
Air India, the national airline of India, hosted a gala dinner at the Ashiyana Banquet Hall, Downers Grove, IL last month to honor their travel agents who had excelled in booking passengers for Air India over the last two years. During the glittering ceremony Air India presented Sales Performance Awards to select Consolidators. Air India’s Executive Director Chitra Sarkar flew in especially for the event from New York. Ashok Kumar Attri, the Indian Consul General in Chicago, Mrs. Attri and Air India’s new Airport Manager Mahesh Palkar were among other dignitaries, who attended the event.
Chitra Sarkar, who recently took charge of the airline’s operations in the United States and Canada, as well as sales and marketing activity throughout the Americas, announced the launch of the new services from Chicago. She also referred to Air India’s induction of new aircrafts, especially the newly acquired LR777 series aircraft, which is technically advanced and hailed by all those who had traveled in it.
She thanked the travel fraternity for their support and remarked, “Travel fraternity is our life line and it is difficult for airline industry to do without the support of travel agents.” She expressed confidence in the business growth of Air India, especially in the Americas.
Mrs Chitra Sarkar, Executive Director,Americas,Air India, Consul General Ashok Kumar Attri and Mr Jude Crasto, Manager, Air India Midwest.
Air India is making Frankfurt its hub for some of its West-bound flights. Passengers bound for Newark from Delhi will be transferred to Mumbai-Newark flight at Frankfurt. Likewise, passengers from Mumbai who wish to fly to Chicago will be transferred to the Delhi-Chicago flight at Frankfurt. Later this year, the carrier plans to launch non-stop flights to San Francisco from Delhi, which would take the total number of non-stop flights of Air India to three.
The daily flight from Chicago to Delhi via Frankfurt would have a convenient departure time and would help all the passengers traveling to and from Chicago to Delhi to connect with Indian destinations through Indian Airlines. Similarly, Mumbai-Newark flight will also be routed through Frankfurt, enabling Chicagobound passengers to get a seamless transfer to the flight at Frankfurt. All flights would be operated by brand new Boeing 777-300 (Extended Range) aircraft in a three-class configuration, offering a total of 342 seats. Air India is working towards joining Star Alliance, the consortium of 21 carriers from across the globe. The alliance offers 16,500 daily departures to 912 destinations in 159 countries and it would give Air India an extended global reach.
Jude Crasto, Manager Midwest, announced Air India’s new route - daily Chicago to Delhi direct via Frankfurt. AIR INDIA has launched a daily flight from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, departing from Terminal 5 at 4 pm, and reaching Delhi and Mumbai via Frankfurt, with connections to over 50 other cities in India. He said the daily flight to New Delhi will continue to Hyderabad with convenient connections to all major Indian cities, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Cochin, Trivandrum, and Chennai.
The Flight AI 126 departs Frankfurt at 9.25 a.m., arrives at Delhi at a convenient time of 9.05 p.m. and from thereon departs for Hyderabad at 00.05 a.m. the following day. It reaches the destination at 2.05 a.m, AIR INDIA is also offering connections from Frankfurt to Mumbai and Ahmedabad via daily flight AI 144. From India, AI 127, the daily flight, departs from Delhi at 1.10 a.m and arrives at Frankfurt at 6.20 a.m. Thereafter it departs Frankfurt at 8.50 a.m. and arrives into Chicago O’Hare at 10.50 a.m. the same day. The Hyderabad connecting flight departs at 9 p.m. the previous day.
All passengers traveling from Chicago and who have made reservations earlier are requested to contact their travel Agent or call toll free 1-800-223-7776. They can also email chi@airindiausa.com. They are required to get their reservations updated with the correct timings and the tickets reissued to incorporate the revised routings and timings.
Consul General Ashok Attri of Chicago Consulate in his brief remarks praised the excellent services offered by Air India, especially in the context of the newly introduced state of the art aircraft, Boeing LR 777. He recalled the pleasant traveling experience he has had in this aircraft and said that he did not feel slightest degree of jetlag or any discomfort after a long journey of over 18 hours of flight from New Delhi to Chicago.
Earlier, after a brief opening remarks Rumy Khariwalla, AIR INDIA’s Sales Manager Midwest said that the annual awards function was not held last year for some reasons. However this year’s awards function was combined both for the year 2006-2007 & 2007-2008. The two major multimillion dollar producing travel agents for Air India were Mafat Patel from Air Tours and Umesh Patel from Sky Bird Travel.
Air Tours Chicago was on top in the Sales Performance list with Orbit Travel followed by Sky Bird Travel, Krisbi Travel, Hari World Travel, Travel Center, Aero Travel and RK Travels. Evia Travel Inc also received Outstanding Sales Award. Adam Travel, Natraj Travel, Direct Express Tours, All Airline Agency, Travel King, Seema World Travel, Royal Travel were the other traditional winners.
Presidents and officers of leading agencies, including Mafat Patel, Naren Soni, Birju Bhagat, Sunita and Manhar Lal were among the distinguished guests present. The fellow travel agents and friends on celebration of his 75th birth anniversary congratulated Naren Soni.
His association with the Indian American community in Chicago as a long established Travel Agent and beyond that as a popular hotelier known among both Indian and Chicago American communities were admired and appreciated by all those present and greetings were exchanged wishing him many more years of happy life and useful, friendly services to the community.
A delicious dinner and exuberant dancing, participated by the agents, their spouses and friends, followed the award ceremony. Katherine Thorat, District Sales Manager proposed vote of thanks.
BY AJAY GHOSH & MADHU PATEL
