Campbell Wilson travel tips

Cash-strapped airline Go First said it would raise salaries in an effort to retain workers during the ongoing insolvency proceedings that has forced the airline to temporarily suspend its operations since May 3. It said it would raise captains’ monthly salariesby $1,211; first officers will get a $605 increase. The additional pay along with their existing salary, which the airline calls a retention allowance, will go into effect on June 1, Go Air said in an internal note. The airline has also offered the allowance for pilots who have recently resigned, but are willing to “withdraw their resignations by June 15.” Go First further noted that it would soon roll out a “longevity bonus” to reward its long-serving staff members. The note also added that “if things shape up as per the present progress and plan, it won’t be long before we will be flying again which will also enable us to be regular on salary payments.” On Monday, Go First discussed revival plans with the officials of Indian aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation where the airline’s management team presented the roadmap for the revival of operations. Last week, the regulator asked the crisis-hit airline to submit the status of availability of operational aircraft, pilots and other personnel, maintenance arrangements and funding, among other details. 

Getting its first overhaul in 14 years, online travel agency Cleartrip unveiled a revamped version of its booking tool for agents. With what Cleartrip describes as a user-friendly design and round-the-clock support center, AgentBox 2.0 enables travel agents to book over 100 airlines, more than 500,000 hotels, exclusive holiday packages, group bookings, and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions. “While the earlier version, first introduced in 2009, was more about making agents familiar with online adoption, the upgraded tool focuses heavily on the backend stack, offering a suite of products including flights, hotels, packages, buses and trains,” said Sukesh Shetty, head of B2B at Cleartrip. One of the reasons why the tool was never upgraded after 2009, he said, was because the company was so extensively concentrated on business-to-consumer that business-to-business was just an ancillary product for Cleartrip. “We want to be a catalyst in agents’ growth and not just another platform provider,” Shetty added. Additionally, Cleartrip registered 70 percent growth in monthly agent transactions and onboarded over 5,000 agents in the financial year 2022. The company also reported a 200 percent surge in summer travel bookings compared to the same period last year.

Having revised the salary structure for flying staff in April, Tata Group-owned Air India has now initiated a revamp of employment contracts and compensation for its non-flying workforce in India.

India’s outbound tourism is expected to reach $44.7 billion by 2032, according to a report titled ‘Unlock the Potential: A Look into Outbound Tourism’ by Nangia Andersen, in association with the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The report also highlighted the recommendations for growing the future of outbound tourism, which include tax rebates, collaboration with destinations and airlines, streamlining visa processes, among other ideas.

Air India, under government control until 2022, has long had a problem with its interiors: Broken seats and dysfunctional in-flight entertainment topped the complaints.