Airport
PIA leaves two coffins behind in New York as shocked family waits in Lahore
The Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) last flight from New York left behind two bodies, booked for Lahore, at the JFK Airport to the utter shock of the waiting family members back home.
Expressing regret, PIA spokesperson Mashood Tajwar said that the mistake was committed by the agency providing luggage handling service to the airline on the ground at JFK Airport.
The PIA expressed solidarity with the mourning families. The two coffins were meant to be flown to Lahore on October 28, Dawn online reported.
PIA said it “regrets the inconvenience caused due to negligence on part of the airline’s ground handling agency… and expresses its sympathies with the family members of the deceased persons”.
It was PIA’s last New York-Lahore flight as it had just suspended the route, so Etihad Airlines had to step in.
A man who was accompanying the body of his brother, and his family members who were waiting in Lahore, left for New York to locate the body after waiting for two days for any remedial step by the PIA.
“The grieved family had been agonised,” said Hasan Mubarak, a relative, who was to receive the body at Lahore airport.
Mubarak said his cousin Nauman Badar, 28, died in the US on October 25. He said the flight arrived at Lahore airport nearly two hours behind its scheduled landing time. And to the utter horror of the waiting family members the body was not found in the luggage area.
They also came across a family from Sialkot who were also trying to find the body of a relative which was expected to reach Lahore by the same flight.
Mubarak said the bodies were enlisted in the cargo list and it was initially found that they were replaced by luggage containing catering items. The bodies lay unattended at JFK Airport for 14 hours and nobody from the PIA knew where they were.
Mubarak said he and his family members contacted the funeral company that had prepared the coffin which actually found the abandoned bodies.
Finally the body of his cousin was retrieved by the funeral company and was being kept in its morgue.
Airport
IndiGo Eyes Widebody Jets, Ramping Up Air India Competition
IndiGo, Asia’s largest budget carrier, is edging closer to a significant strategic move as it explores the purchase of widebody aircraft, according to Bloomberg.
This potential decision not only signifies the airline’s ambition to expand its international reach but also sets the stage for heightened competition with established players like Air India Ltd.
While IndiGo is still in the process of evaluating various options, insiders suggest that an order for approximately 30 Airbus SE A350s is emerging as the frontrunner. However, these sources, preferring anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information, stress that the airline has yet to make a final announcement. They caution that factors such as timing and the final number of planes could still influence IndiGo’s decision.
indigo airlines booking contemplation of acquiring widebody jets is not a spontaneous move. The airline has long pondered the idea of venturing into long-haul services to cater to the increasing demand from affluent Indian travelers seeking destinations like the UK and Europe.
IndiGo’s already substantial relationship with Airbus, underscored by a monumental order for 500 A320neo family aircraft last year, further underscores its position as a major player in the aviation industry. With a backlog of around 1,000 aircraft, indigo manage booking
stands poised to make a strategic leap forward in its operational scope.
Recently, Under the terms of its extended codeshare arrangement with Qantas Airways, the national airline of Australia, IndiGo, the preferred carrier of India, has announced the addition of 11 new routes, effective March 31, 2024.
Customers of indigo flight can now travel across popular tourist destinations with ticket sales beginning on March 12, 2024. indigo flight booking Australia’s major cities, including Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast, Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne.
Airport
Gateway to UAE: Visa-On-Arrival Now Access for 87 Countries
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates has announced an amendment to its visa exemption policy, which is a significant step towards improving tourism and making travel easier.
Now, residents of 87 nations will be able to visit the United Arab Emirates without having to worry about securing a pre-entry visa.
The visa process has been made more open and accessible, even though nationals of 110 countries still need one to enter the UAE. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ official website makes it simple for interested parties to see the list of exempt countries and visa requirements.
For citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the entry process is even smoother, as no visa or sponsorship is required. Simply presenting a GCC state passport or identity card upon arrival at UAE ports of entry is sufficient for entry.
Notably, visas on arrival are available to Indian individuals with passports, US visit visas or green cards, and UK or EU residency permits good for at least six months. Travellers from these areas will have flexibility because they can stay for an additional 14 days after their initial 14-day stay.
The list of countries now eligible for visa-on-arrival privileges encompasses a diverse array of nations, including Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany.
Hungary, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Nauru, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Russia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Bahamas, The Netherlands, UK, Ukraine, Uruguay, US, Vatican, Hellenic, Bosnia, and Kosovo.
Airlines
Top 10 best airports in the world for food
A satisfying pre-flight meal can ensure that your international trip gets off to the best possible start. Numerous studies have demonstrated that eating well does improve mood.
According to a study conducted by radical storage, which examined what eateries were available, how passengers evaluated them from over 1.2 million reviews, what options were available for persons with dietary restrictions, and the typical amount customers would pay for a main meal or lunch item.
The best airports in the world for food
Rank | Airport | Country | Number of Eateries | Average Rating of Eateries | Average Food Cost($) | Vegan/Vegetarian Options | Gluten-Free Options |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Incheon International Airport | South Korea | 270 | 3.2 | 8.18 | 3 | 0 |
2 | Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport | United States | 138 | 3.4 | 11.07 | 14 | 36 |
3 | Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport | Taiwan | 29 | 3.7 | 5.65 | 1 | 0 |
4 | Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport | United States | 125 | 3.7 | 8.62 | 13 | 22 |
5 | Jeju International Airport | South Korea | 28 | 3.7 | 10.86 | 0 | 0 |
6 | Narita International Airport | Japan | 28 | 3.8 | 7.86 | 2 | 0 |
7 | Haneda Airport | Japan | 146 | 3.5 | 12.15 | 16 | 2 |
8 | O’Hare International Airport | United States | 130 | 3.4 | 12.78 | 16 | 12 |
9 | Los Angeles International Airport | United States | 112 | 3 | 11.4 | 11 | 19 |
10 | Singapore Changi Airport | Singapore | 194 | 3.6 | 20.39 | 20 | 2 |
The Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea, is the best airport in the world for food. There are a whopping 270 selections to pick from, and a normal main menu or lunch dish there costs $8.18 on average.
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which has 138 restaurants there and received an overall rating of 3.4 out of 5, came in second. There are 36 options registered online, the most of any airport in this survey, which is what makes this airport stand out in terms of its gluten-free food offerings.
The busiest airport in Taiwan, located just west of Taipei, was Taoyuan International Airport, which came in third place. Even though there are just 29 restaurants at this airport, they are rated higher (3.7 out of 5) and have a low average dish price of $5.65, making them ideal for travelers searching for a cheap pre-flight meal.
Airlines
Qantas Retains Top Spot as Most Punctual Major Domestic Airline
Amidst storms, a shortage of air traffic control staff, and high holiday demand, Qantas emerged as the most punctual major domestic airline once again in December.
According to the most recent government data, which was made public today, Qantas (Qantas and QantasLink combined) departed on time 69.5 percent of the time in December, compared to 56.5 percent for its main domestic competitor. Although Qantas has been the most punctual major domestic airline for 16 months running, there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Overall, Qantas’ cancellation rate was about half that of its main rival, at 3.7% as opposed to 7.5%. In December, 5.5% of Jetstar’s flights were canceled, leaving just over 62% of flights to depart on schedule.
Uncontrollable factors, primarily weather and air traffic control issues, contributed 8.2 percentage points and 7.9 percentage points, respectively, to Qantas’ and Jetstar’s on-time performance in December. Roughly half of all Qantas and Jetstar cancellations for the month were caused by uncontrollable factors (1.8 and 3 percentage points, respectively).
More than 75 percent of Qantas flights have departed on time so far in January. Following a September 2023 announcement and gradual rollout, more investments in operational reliability and customer experience are beginning to enhance millions of passengers‘ travel experiences. More backup aircraft are kept on standby, catering is enhanced, baggage tracking is enabled through the Qantas app, and customer recovery procedures are modified if flights are severely disrupted, among other investments.
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