Any comments?
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...1302720300.htm
Non-stop Chicago-Delhi daily flight from Air Sahara-American Air
Our Bureau
New Delhi , July 12
IN a move that will benefit passengers and the movement of freight between India and the US, American Airlines (AA) and Air Sahara today announced the start of a daily non-stop flight between New Delhi and Chicago from November 15 this year.
Speaking to newspersons, Mr Craig Kreeger, AA's Vice-President, Europe and Pacific, said that the 7,484-mile distance would be the longest non-stop route on the airline's international network.
The airline will operate a Boeing 777-200 aircraft offering 236 seats including 16 in first class and 185 seats in economy class.
The two airlines have entered into an agreement that will see them jointly market and promote the flight.
The new service will carry the flight number of both Air Sahara and AA, thereby giving the Indian carrier a presence in the US market.
The agreement in no way affects the future plans of Air Sahara to launch its own flights to the US.
The new flight will also provide connectivity for cargo shipments between the India and the US as AA's cargo division provides over 100 million pounds of weekly cargo lift capacity to major cities in the US, Europe, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, and Asia.
"The launch of the flight will have an immense impact on the flying time between India and the US, which will be reduced by between 20-25 per cent. The tie-up between us will benefit the traveller in many other ways including allowing a passenger flying between San Francisco and Bangalore to check in just once. Besides, they will also be able to accrue frequent flyer points and use business lounges worldwide," said Mr Ronojoy Dutta, President of Air Sahara.
The tie-up will also provide passengers from across India with fast and convenient connections to destinations throughout the US, Canada, and Central and South America.
Meanwhile, Air Sahara officials said that the airline was moving towards joining the global airline alliance, Oneworld.