AirAsia to make its India debut this October with Visakhapatnam

The much awaited low-cost carrier, AirAsia, will soon be starting operations in India with thrice-weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur to the port city of Visakhapatnam from this October. 

The airline, which is popular because of its cheap air tickets and good connectivity within the Asian continent, has already started recruiting in India. It will alter its strategy here to include travel agents within its fold - a break-away from it's normal routine because let's face it, a lot of us still can't do it without help!

Depending on the success of the KL-Vizag route, AirAsia may think of running flights between Bangkok and other Indian destinations too. 

Best wishes to our Bombay boy Tony!

Now, traveling to Europe just might get easier

I can't remember the number of times I have cancelled my plans to travel to Europe because of visa restrictions and the problems in obtaining a Schengen visa. But it seems like my European backpacking dream has inched a little closer.

It seems that India and the EU are looking at easing visa restrictions because of the red tape involved. Every year, more than one million Indians apply for a visa to travel to Europe. But most of them decide not to because of the difficulty in obtaining a visa.
To tackle this, the European Union is seriously looking into updating visa procedures. The EU plan is just in the proposal stage though and proposes mostly minor changes. 

Under the proposed rules, visitors to Europe’s 22-member-state Schengen area would have their applications processed at least five days faster than it is now. Application forms would be available online and frequent travelers will have the option of applying for a three-year visa.

India has gone ten steps further. It allows travelers from 180 countries (except Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka) to apply for a visa to India online, and get a confirmation in five working days.  

Wonder why the US isn't doing something about it! Getting a tourist visa to enter the US is insanely difficult, involving multiple application fees, interviews and long waits. You're not even allowed a cell phone that has been switched off inside the consulate and neither do they have lockers for people coming alone. The least they can do is alert people through their website and social media. 

'Have your own opinion regarding wines'

Post the lovely wine-tasting evening with Caliterra Wines from Chile recently, I had the opportunity to talk to Nicolas Happke, who is the area manager for the Southeast Asian region for Calittera.

He spoke about Indian wine consumers vis-a-vis those from more mature markets, why he enjoys wine and how you can get a hold of some fine ones. An excerpt:

Nicolas Happke

Why is Caliterra Wines looking to import to India? 
India has been on the radar as an upcoming market for wines for several years now. I believe that one of the main reasons is its high population. Currently, beverage consumers are still mainly drinking spirits, specially whisky. But we believe that there is a tendency of the spirit-consuming market to evolve and look for lower alcohol content drinks, and that’s where wine finds its opportunity.
India is one of the largest whiskey consumer in the world and if only a percentage of those consumers start buying wine, it could mean good business.


How is the Indian wine drinker different from those in other countries?
On my last visit to India, I was pleased to see so many young people interested in wine. But I'd say that Indian consumers still like to stay in their comfort zone. They are probably more price-sensitive as far as day-to-day wines are concerned. High taxation has also restricted the offering in terms of variety as well as price.
In more mature markets, people look for better quality wines and are more open to trying new origins and appellations. They like to look beyond the label and find out more about the concept behind the wine.


Why do you enjoy wines? 
I enjoy wines because they are fun. Whenever a bottle is opened, it is usually shared with people who gather around so there's always conversation accompanied with wine. Also, wine is more interesting than other beverages because someone always has a comment regarding the wine. 


A simple rule to go by for wine novices?
Have your own opinion regarding wines. There is no rule for liking or disliking a particular wine. Also, be open-minded at the moment of tasting; you could be amused at what you find. What I look for in a good wine is balance, which should be a perfect harmony of sweetness, acidity and tannins.


Tell us a little about your wines.

Caliterra’s philosophy is to craft environment-friendly wines under the concepts of precision wine-growing and sustainable vineyard management where each variety stands out for their fruity, fresh and distinctive style, expressing the quality and pureness of Chile’s nature, terroir and fruit.

Caliterra produce

Where can we buy it and what is the price range?
Our wines can be found in several restaurants, hotels and retail stores. Consumers also have an option of contacting our importer FinewinesNmore directly at msampat@finewinesnmore.com or call 022-40330044 to order and get it delivered.

Caliterra Chardonnay Reserva: Rs 1,809
Caliterra Merlot Reserva: Rs 1,809
Caliterra Sauvignon Blanc Reserva: Rs 1,809
Caliterra Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva: Rs 1,809

On an aside: Like the FinewinesNmore Facebook page and get introduced to some more international wines. They have some amazing offers too. 

Air India offers special excess baggage rates on India-Muscat sector

Have friends or family traveling from Oman on Air India this summer? You're in luck! 

Now you ask them to go all out when buying gifts for you. Air India is offering special rates on excess baggage this summer to travelers boarding ex-Oman to their final destination in India and ex-India to Muscat.  

Only the first 10 kilos (1-10 kg) of additional baggage, over and above the free baggage allowance, will be offered at a slab equivalent to US$ 40 - or Rs 2,400 - as against US$ 80-120 on normal days on the Muscat/India/Muscat sectors.

For Goa and Mangalore bound passengers, the discount will be approximately 60%. For those travelling to Guwahati, Raipur, Ranchi and Vishakhapatnam, the discount will be close to 65%.