Jaunted

Air India / Airlines / Airline News / In-Flight Dining / Airplane Food / Food Travel / → All Tags

No Naan for You: Air India Ditches Some Free In-Flight Meals

There’s bad news for those who enjoy the in-flight catering aboard Air India flights, and that’s because it’s going away. Just like many of the airlines in the United States, Air India has decided to ditch in-flight meals for some of its passengers on some of its flights. Of course the blame falls squarely on the cost, but at least they still might throw a granola bar or something your way.

As of February 1, short-haul domestic flights received this new revised in-flight menu, and that means no more freebie meals for those in the economy cabin. For flights less than 90 minutes the typical breakfast, lunch, or dinner selections are gone, but in their place the airline is promising “heavy snacks and soft drinks.” Honestly, for less than 90 minutes we’d be happy with some in-flight Naan and a Diet Coke, but still, clearly this is an overall bummer.

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Tom Cruise Takes the Taj Mahal for 'Mission Impossible 4,' Despite a Small Scandal

Tom Cruise spent a whirlwind weekend in India, taking part in everything from a photo-op at the Taj Mahal to an all-night party in Mumbai, but it's his "fans" who are making headlines overseas.

According to the Hindustan Times, hundreds of the fans who were waiting for Cruise to arrive at the Mumbai Airport weren't fans at all, but rather "junior artists" being paid 150 INR ($3) for the day. One of the "fans" even admitted she never heard of Tom Cruise before arriving at the airport for her paid gig. That's a bit farfetched (who hasn't heard of Tom Cruise), but let's go with it.

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Low Cost Carriers / LCCs / Air India / Airlines / Airline News / India Travel / → All Tags

Air India Reconsiders Trying to Make Its Own Low-Cost Airline

It’s time for another low cost carrier to hit the market, and this week it looks like Air India is going to try their best to get their brand of cheap fare into the air. Unfortunately, don’t expect the 787, as we’re pretty sure they’re going to save that for the more expensive routes.

At first it sounds like this will be just a domestic venture, so your dreams of cheap nonstop flights to New Delhi from JFK might have to wait a few years—or longer. Air India already has its own regional carrier known as Alliance Air, but it sounds like those at the top of the airline are looking to revamp things into a true LCC capable of cut-throat fares and little to no frills.

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Obama's Long, Busy Weekend in India Included the Gandhi Museum

Despite that whole $200 million/day vacation trip myth clouding President Obama's visit to India this weekend, it looks as though the brief stop in Mumbai went off without a hitch. Mr. and Mrs. Obama arrived to India for a 3-day stop as part of an Asian tour to talk foreign economic relations.

Hopefully they caught some Zzzs onboard Air Force One, because over the weekend while in both New Delhi and Mumbai, they dropped by the Holy Name High School and another elementary and college for Diwali celebrations, Humayan's Tomb (pictured above) for some sightseeing, Mumbai's port for a speech, and Mani Bhawan Gandhi Museum (for Barack) and Kamathipura (for Michelle) for goodwill. On top of all this, the pair stayed at the Taj Mahal Hotel, where they visited the memorial to those killed in the terrorist attacks on hotels almost exactly two years ago.

Today, Barack will address Indian parliament before flying off to his next stop, Indonesia. The next week will also see the Obamas landing in South Korea and Japan.

[Photo: AFP/Getty]

Presidential Travel / India Travel / Mumbai Travel / Political Travel / Travel News / → All Tags

How Much Was Your Last Vacation? Obama's Mumbai Day Trip to Cost Millions

[Update 10am November 5] It is finally coming out that the $200 million pricetag is "wildly inflated, " says the White House and that the original press release that communicated these numbers was based solely on an unverified statement by an Indian provincial official. Anderson Cooper on CNN delves into the report and states that the White House is not releasing numbers for security reasons, however, in the 90s, President Clinton's visited 6 African countries to the tune of $5 million per day (inflation adjusted), so one way to guesstimate the cost of this India trip is to extrapolate from the cost of Clinton's trip. Remember, at the end of the day, we are all still guessing at the number until it is officially released.
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We hope you aren't planning on traveling to Mumbai, India this weekend, as President Obama is planning to visit the city for a whopping 24 hours, during which time Mumbai air space will be shut down for periods and the city will be on heavy alert. In fact, with all the needed security, the accommodations and the full media and tactical teams that are accompanying the prez, the cost of Obama's little daytrip to india has the heart attack pricetag of $200 million dollars [new reports show that this figure is a guess made by an Indian official, see above].

That makes the Maldives 5-star bungalow vacations of celebs look like child's play and in effect, it is. $200 million is getting Obama a suite at the renowned Taj Hotel, plus his usual Air Force One flight and all of the greased palms that it requires to make the state visit go over without incident. Barack is heading to Mumbai to talk economic foreign relations.

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Airport Photo Shoot / Celeb Travel / Airports / Russell Brand / Katy Perry / Wedding Travel / India Travel / → All Tags

Katy Perry Covers Up As She Arrives to India for Her Wedding to Russell Brand

Katy Perry tried to hide behind her coat yesterday as she, and fiance Russell Brand, wheeled their luggage through Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. The couple seemed uncharacteristically dour as they arrived in India where their wedding will take place later this week. Cold feet perhaps?

Russell and Katy will be joined by 85 of their closest friends and family for a week long celebration, at the luxurious Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, the same venue where the couple was engaged earlier this year.

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Theme Parks / Amusement Parks / Universal Studios / Harry Potter / Roller Coasters / → All Tags

A New Universal Studios Park Could Bring Harry Potter to Bollywood

Harry Potter and friends just finished putting the final touches on their new home away from home, but they’re already looking to bring their wizarding world elsewhere around the globe. Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group—we’ll just call them R-ADAG for short—has been chatting up Universal Studios about the possibility of building a brand new Universal Studios theme park over in India.

They’re looking to spend around $1.5 billion on the new park, which would most likely be in either Mumbai or Delhi. The park would be similar to current parks, and it would draw inspiration from Hollywood movie classics. We’d expect to see rides and attractions from Jaws, ET, and Jurassic Park like parks in California and Florida, but they’d also try to incorporate a little bit of Bollywood movie magic as well.

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Fast Food Travel / Taco Bell / India Travel / → All Tags

Could There Soon Be a Taco Bell at The Taj Mahal?

Ok, probably not but Taco Bell did just open its first location in India on March 16 and plans on opening 1,000 more Taco Bells, Pizza Huts and KFCs in the next five years.

Located in a mall in Bangalore, the first Taco Bell in India has attracted 2,000 to 2,500 customers every day since it opened, according to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal.

Taco Bell had to take all the beef out of its regular menus, using chicken instead, and it recreated many vegetarian options for Indian customers.

Its "Crunchy Taco--Potato" and "Paneer [cheese] and Potato Burritos" are attempts to give Indian consumers a Mexican fast-food experience without the meat.

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Train Travel / Trains / Travel News / India Travel / Luxury Travel / → All Tags

The Maharajas' Express: $2,500 Per Person Per Day for a Train Through India

One of the several luxurious Orient Express trains may have just closed up shop (track?) recently, but that doesn't mean that opulent trains are over and done for; in fact, quite the opposite if we're talking new regions. For instance, India has just welcomed the Maharajas' Express to the Kolkata-Delhi line, a "Palace on Wheels" complete with flat-screen TVs, DVD players, individual temperature controls and WiFi internet.

If you want to do it in grand style, you'll be paying $2,500 per person per day for the presidential suite, which is still nowhere near the size of a suite you'd get at a hotel, but then this one moves from Indian city to Indian city, taking in Gaya, Varanasi, the Bandhavgarh forests, Khajuraho, Agra and Gwalior. There are 20 Deluxe Cabins, 18 Junior Suites, 4 Suite Doubles and a Presidential Suite, a panorama car, two dining cars, a bar, and a gift shop to keep you busy and entertained when you don't care to simply look out the window.

We'll venture a guess that the bulk of the train's first passengers are British or Russian, so expect imperial glamor to reign with regard to the interiors of the train. No contemporary modern here.

Related Stories:
· Maharajas' Express [Official Site]
· Like a maharaja chug from Kolkata to Delhi [Times of India]
· Orient Express Loses Steam; Finally Calls It Quits [Jaunted]
· Train Travel news [Jaunted]

[Photo: Maharajas' Express]

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La Lohan Heads To India To Save Children And Talk Politics

Lindsay Lohan's apparently busy saving lives this week, taking a break from ruining her own. The Mean Girls star/trainwreck is currently in India making a documentary about the trafficking of women and children for the BBC and, according to a recent tweet, she has already saved 40 children! Yesterday, she exclaimed, "Over 40 children saved so far… Within one day’s work. This is what life is about… Doing THIS is a life worth living!!!"

A Hindu stateman, Rajan Zed, advised Lindsay to take a dip in the holy Ganges if she really wants to change her ways. Zed said, "Lindsay Lohan should rediscover herself by taking a dip in the holy Ganges. It is believed that bathing in the sacred Ganges purifies one of all sin and its waters confer immortality." But, Lindsay hasn't taken him up on the offer yet. She's been way too busy saving lives and debating political issues. She just tweeted, "Having a heated debate w/ my security guard about politics & I'm seconds from leaving my table! Never debate over dinner!! You'll leave hungry."

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Royale with Cheese / Fast Food Travel / The Little Differences / Food / Restaurants / Dining / → All Tags

Chicken Maharaja-Mac Anyone? International Versions of American Fast Food

Vincent Vega said it best. They've got the same things overseas that we have here in America, but as a traveler you notice the little differences, like beer served in movie theaters, French fries served with mayonnaise, and funny names for fast food sandwiches like Royale with Cheese. LA Weekly must have been thinking along the same lines when they published their funny list of American fast food items that you can't get in America.

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Train Travel / India Travel / First Class Travel / → All Tags

India Re-Imagines The Orient Express For $950 Per Night

If you know even the littlest bit about train travel, then you've probably heard of both the Orient Express and the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Both luxury trains associated with the gilded age, they are now shadows of their former selves, carrying fannypacked tourists on shorter or altered routes instead of the evening gown-wearing, long cigarette-smoking moneyed classes who indulged in a leisurely trip between Paris and Istanbul, or through Mongolia and into Moscow.

Luckily for those who have romanticized these luxury trains, there is a country that still embraces the idea: India. In the new few months, two new opulent trains will launch on routes that aim to cover some of the most famous sites in India, including the Taj Mahal and Varanasi of course. Per person, per night prices for the trips—the shortest trip being a week—begin at a staggering $500. But you'll be getting your money back in spades with these choo-choos...

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