Flying With Fish The Blog for Those Who Fly & Those Who Want to Fly Smarter

Following the mergers of Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines followed by Continental Airlines and United Airlines talk of further airline consolidation was rampant. Discussions of ‘the next’ merger was frequently fueled by US Airways’ CEO Doug Parker, with the logical tie up being a US Airways and American Airlines merger.   Now, as American [...]

Airline alliances are made up of autonomous member carriers, frequently airline websites will have some legal wording that separates what an airline has on its website from its alliance, and its fellow alliance members.   Egyptair, having never been a member of an airline alliance before entering Star Alliance, came into Star Alliance as the [...]

There is the old saying that someone should not count their chickens before they hatch … although in the case of Air India it seems that not only did the airline believe they’d be admitted into Star Alliance on the 31st of July, many of the alliance’s member airlines believed Air India would be joining [...]

After a three-and-a-half year serious, but not committed, relationship Air India was left at the alter by Star Alliance on the 1st of August 2011.  Now as Air India tries to hold its chin up and assure everyone that they are OK, SkyTeam has reportedly stepped into try and swoop the airline off its feet. [...]

A day after Star Alliance rejected Air India, following a three and a half year courtship, the Indian Government has announced it will inject INR5,000,000,000 (approx US$113,000,000) as equity in the financially failing airline.   This equity cash stake in the government run airline will be paid out in two payments.   This cash infusion follows [...]

Two days ago I wrote Air India May Be Forced Out Of Star Alliance Before It Joins …   … early this morning Star Alliance’s Chief Executive Board, in Frankfurt, officially notified Air India’s management in Mumbai that their courtship for membership, which began on the 13th of December 2007 in Beijing, was effectively over. [...]

This Sunday, the 31st of July is the deadline for Air India to meet more than 75 requirements to join Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline alliance.  After 18 months of Air India delaying its entry into Star Alliance, since being invited to join the alliance in December 2007, the airline claims to now meet [...]

Air India is not an airline known for being punctual and now the airline must either be on time or be left all alone.   On December 13th 2007 Star Alliance, the worlds largest airline alliance, formally invited Air India to join as a member, with the intended entry date of March 29 2009. As [...]

On October 31 2010 Air India bid farewell to its short-lived European hub at Frankfurt Airport, in Germany.   Air India had established a hub in Frankfurt only 17 months before its closure, however despite referring to the Frankfurt hub as “crucial” the airlines’ expansion, Air India quickly determined that the hub inefficient. With the airline [...]

Operating an airline is expensive and complex and it seems many airlines seem to be in existence only because their government keeps them afloat. In 1932 Air India was created, as Tata Airlines, a mail carrier.  In 1953 Tata Airlines was nationalized and renamed Air India, an international airline, while Indian Airlines was created as [...]