Emirates adds easyJet as new Skywards partner | GulfNews.com

Emirates adds easyJet as new Skywards partner | GulfNews.com

Is it me or I find this hilarious. easyJet - a completely no frills carrier joins hands in the "award winning" frequent flyer program of Emirates, now i figure this is a good move for easyJet but Emirates? How does a no-frills airline work with a full service carrier like Emirates?

Emirates wants access to the secondary European markets, which easyJet has, but does it really drop to such lows of actually going into an agreement with easyJet?

Pakistan girl ‘fated’ to die in acid attack: mother | GulfNews.com

Pakistan girl ‘fated’ to die in acid attack: mother | GulfNews.com

This might be the most disgusting thing I have read. It is 2012 and yet we follow honor killings in some parts of the world? I am sure this goes on not only in Pakistan but also in India, what irks me is the fact that even the authorities can't put a stop to this?

Looking at my own country, i was able to find that there are more than 10,000 honor killings in India every year. As the world progresses, i am sure that there would be some way of educating the masses in villages and such that they shouldn't try to play God. Honor killings did happen in the past, maybe then it was acceptable but i find it quiet a disgusting thing to do, to actually play with someone's life? What's sadder is that fact that most of the victims are young and probably the children of the criminals.

I would suggest reading Honour Killing India to understand the intensity of these killings.

"Since the Arab Spring, Turkey has become a role model for many Arab countries for their law reforms. However, it should be asked that while Turkey and its legal system guide those Arab countries, is the country successful in order to deal with fundamental rights within its territories? In which extend Turkey deals with the domestic violence? The European Court of Human Rights (the Court) fined Turkey for violating the Articles 2, 3, and 14 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR) in 2009 with the Opuz v Turkey Case. This decision was clear evidence that the State is unable to protect women from domestic and honour based violence and there is a certain discrimination against women."

The above is a representation of what the women in Turkey have been going through. I wonder how many more countries have the same issues but the fact remains that many countries are turning a blind eye to these issues. Honor killings are not "honorable" in any form or even in any "era". As a human, you do not have the right to take another human's life - especially in the name of God!

Every year thousands of lives are sacrificed, irrespective of caste, creed, religion or social status of the family. People kill their own kin and kiths in the name of family’s/caste’s pride and honour. The worst thing is that where the Panchayats pronounce death penalties for the youths who dare to enter in a relationship outside their caste/creed/religious and economic circle. The police act as a mere spectator and they don’t even register a case and if, by chance a case is registered, no proper action is taken in lieu of the excessive social pressure. In history of Indian democracy, no law has been enacted against the regional caste panchayats who pass such ‘judgments’. The regional and caste panchayats are so harsh and unquestionable (partly due to their role in elections) that they give death penalty straight away irrespective of the circumstances and ignoring Indian law.

The love stories that we hear of in the northern region is just the beginning and it is a glimpse of change which is just trying to penetrate vertically in the society. The society is confused on the change because these changes are against their perceived social beliefs. A large number of people in our society are the biggest critique of the change. But the good thing is that the voice of criticism and the definitions has understood this change.

There are many differences of opinion regarding relationships and marriages in Indian society. Northern Indian rural societies have double standards favoring men regarding the change. It is said that number of unmarried or widowers are high in these societies. And in these villages out of two brothers only one will get married and the other one will have illicit relationship with the bride. Many unemployed boys who are from well reputed families buy girls from east India for their marriages. As a whole the paucity of girls are cited as the reason for inter-caste/class marriages. Whereas in such incidents of honor killings the girls family give excuses of morality and then comes the question of social status and family background. Later on respect of family, village, caste and gotra comes one by one. Panchayats sit in groups for discussing the issue and religious gurus and contractors of social morality pass their judgments.

In a sentence, honor killing is a result of a self-contradictory fight between tradition and neo-cauterized generation. Khaps and other social systems are losing their territory and young couples are breaking the traditions and odd social customs.

Etihad Airways and RAK Airways sign codeshare deal

Etihad Airways and RAK Airways sign codeshare deal | GulfNews.com

This make me laugh. Do you know why? RAK Airways is marketed as a low cost carrier but it has certain frills, and Etihad is aiming to be a boutique carrier. RAK Airways has had a rocky start, it was shut down initially then restarted and now its plagued with lengthy delays. Etihad seems to be partnering up with a lot of airlines and investing in ailing airlines. Previously AirBerlin and Etihad have signed a partnership deal - Etihad heavily investing in the airline and boom, Etihad demanded change of the AirBerlin CEO....

Anyway the partnership of Etihad with airberlin might be a good move, since Etihad will not become a global player but remain mostly as a regional player. Emirates has taken the position of global player in the market years back. Etihad service might be much better, but it does not compare in terms of sheer size when you put Emirates in the picture. What's funnier is the start of Abu Dhabi to Ras Al Khaimah flights. Now, I do know that RAK is trying to come up as an Emirate in the UAE by luring in investors at its free zone and its also become much easier to start a business in RAK but I just don't see the market potential. 

Dubai and Abu Dhabi have crossed the limits and they were the first two emirates to invest in a free economy and well they are reaping the benefits. RAK has woken up too late, i think trying to compete with these two might be a tough task as Abu Dhabi has ample amount of money to support itself and also Dubai. The distance between Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah is a mere 234 kms, which traditonally people have been driving. UAE does have a wonderful network of roads which allows this. RAK is not a business center or a major tourist destination. Most tourists bound for RAK fly into Dubai or Abu Dhabi and then tour operators have already arranged transport for them. 

Anyway for me a domestic flight in the UAE is pointless, the partnership between the two arilines is also pointless, but who knows they might make it work? It two totally opposite business models trying to make it work. More over, flights between Abu Dhabi and RAK are also not worth the effort, the drive down is much more scenic and less hectic than going through check-in, security, etc etc.... and lets not forget about RAK Airline's on time performance.

Qantas, Emirates sign partnership deal

Qantas, Emirates sign partnership deal | GulfNews.com

Reading the above article, well of-course i had my views to express. What I don't understand is Qantas, an age old player in the market doesn't have a strong hold in the European market, but alas it is a part of One World alliance which gives it access to numerous destinations in Europe via British Airways, which is also a part of OneWorld, besides BA, Qantas has an access to a numerous amount of destinations via Germany (Air Berlin). 

Moving on, what other benefits would Qantas have to sign a partnership with Emirates - Indian subcontinent and Africa. Well Cathay Pacific is well covered within India. Africa is a big loop hole and maybe Emirates would be able to fill that. For its European destinations, Qantas has a scissor hub at Singapore, which is a Star Alliance dominated territory. Much of the move to sign a partnership deal seems a bit pointless to me. Qantas could easily make the Australia - India route work with its own aircraft.

Emirates, I don't see much of a gain in this. Partnering with Qantas doesn't boost anything for Emirates since it already has a good market presence in the Australian market. 

Well that's how i see it, let's see what happens in the future, maybe this is a strategic move on the part of Emirates as it tries to tap into the lucrative Australasia to West Coast US market which it has been trying to do for years now. 

The Air India Refut

The Article

Before you start reading my post, read the article above. Just a brief background, the Mint is an online newspaper which is a joint venture between The Hindustan Times and The Wall Street Journal. 

Couple of years back there was talk of Air India possibly joining Star Alliance in order to help the ailing carrier with passengers and access to different markets throughout the globe. Just recently before joining into the alliance, its entry was revoked by Lufthansa and other Star Alliance members. It was given 5 years with further extensions to comply with the Star Alliance integration but according to Star, it was unsuccessful. 

Air India has leaked out the emails that have gone between Star and itself and how they have now turned their attention to Jet Airways, the whole scenario is explained in the article. It makes an interesting read but there are certain things that just don't add up. 

Since the deal didn't go through, Air India's response was predictable. Rather than admitting to its own faults it has gone all out on blaming Star Alliance for the deal falling through. Because, as we all know, Air India is a shining beacon of meeting goals and requirements. 

I am no Air India apologist nor am I for Star Alliance. Untimely, I think, Star is a business, they would do whatever best suits them. For the Government of India to bend over backwards to allow all this to happen under their nose was not Star's fault. I am sure, India is big economy to handle itself. They didn't need to allow extra frequencies to and from Germany to India exclusively for Luftansa. They could have denied it all together. Now that Air India wasn't able to get it  together, now they blame Jet and Lufthansa. 

Again, how the GOI could have allowed this to happen i am not sure. Bypassing Air India (a government entity) and then allowing a go-ahead for Jet a private Indian airline. Frankly speaking, I doubt Jet's entry into Star Alliance would be beneficial as Singapore Airlines is already a founder member. This situation is very similar to the one where Air India put an arbitrary amount "owed" by Boeing due to the delay of its 787 aircraft delivery. Boeing had then made it very clear that the amounts, in case of a delay, were mentioned in the contract and that they are not liable to pay a penny more than that. Did no one read the contracts?

I wonder how long this airline would be run by the government. As i always say, there is so much potential for the airline, but due to the government interference, its been run aground. India is a country of more than a billion people, of which even if 30% have a disposable income or travel by air, AI is due to succeed. NRI's and POI's would prefer to fly their own airline only if it were more reliable and more accessible. 

  

Lunch Conversations - Love Notes

A few days back i was having lunch with colleagues and we were discussing the topic of love, which got me thinking about it. 

How did it start? Well, two of my staff who had been in a relationship for more than 10 months had an argument about an iron and decided to physically hurt each other. Now these are two girls beating each other up. Sure there are differences in any relationship, but i believe, no matter how angry or hurt you are by your other half doesn't give you the right to get physical and beat each other up. 

How many times have you asked your self that question? Or better yet, how many times have we said, "Oh! She is the one for me", or even "He is the right guy" after dating someone for two weeks? The problem is, we really don't know what love is... what does it really mean! "Love" is used as a passing word in every sentence we use. 

How did you know that you love someone within two weeks of dating someone? Love needs time to grow. Love is full of compromise. Love isn't about mushy, romantic evenings, expensive gifts, romantic dinners with champagne everyday! Love is about adjusting, understanding and many more things which we might not think are exciting. 

If you say that the person you have dated for a few weeks is the one your going to marry, welcome back to reality. Give it one year and i can assure you that you will be re-evaluating that decision. In this day and age, humans have evolved. We require space and time. We are no longer interested in our partner's progress but our own. We focus on our goal more often than focusing on our relationship. 

Someone might come back to me and say that i am wrong, but i never asked for an opinion. All i need you to do is close your eyes and think about it, do you really love your partner? or is it more about the human needs for just a companion when they are down and when your happy, well you really don't need the person because everyone will share your happiness but only that someone special will be next to you during your tough times. 

Love doesn't always give immediate returns. When you plant a rose, it doesn't blossom the next day. Love doesn't ask perfection of us. In fact, it rejoices in our imperfections as much as our strengths. It's our imperfections that give us empathy with others who are in pain and struggling with life, and empathy is very much part of love. 

Well i guess enough of my lecture and back to some thinking. What do you think? Love is easy? NOPE! Love takes time, love takes patience, love takes some thinking, love takes adjusting!

Growing Up In Dubai

Living & growing up in Dubai in the olden era (well definitely after 1985) had me thinking about a lot of things happening here. The immigration building in Deira was once the longest building in the UAE... I could see World Trade Center all the way from my little one story villa in Jumeirah along the beach road (now known as the Jumeirah Road). Al Ghurair Center was one of the only malls around. 

Hanging out with friends from school meant only a few things, either play CS!! (Counter Strike) in some small internet shop with your friends, or go bowling on SZR or watch a movie! 

Unfortunately the luxuries of all those activities were attainable for only a few. For me, fun meant something different while growing up. It meant spending more time with my dad, helping around my mom and being a (quite literally) "home" boy. 

Life as you know it now in Dubai, was quite different then. I was quite different then, simply untouched by the materialism in those days, i would find pleasure in little things. I would be happy if i got a nice ink pen for my birthday from my parents. I would be happen when i got a nice book to read as a gift. I would be happy with a new pencil case. Things changed, upon getting into university at Penn State, i believed my future had changed for the better. Dubai had evolved, so had i. Dubai was on the verge of modernization, and i was leading to a more open-minded life. Accepting who i was, who i am because my only goal for that moment. 

Who knew that the decisions i make in life, would directly affect my future? Well now it seems all realistic and logical to think that decisions you make early in life affect your future, but in the age, when you are still maturing and trying to find yourself, you tend to make decisions unknowingly and blindly. I would never regret my decision, but I do think that i could have taken more wiser choices, if given a chance again. 

Who knew that a small dot in in the world map would one day become a world renown tourist destination?

That is the old SZR... miss the times when going from point A to point B in Dubai wasn't such a headache! Miss the times when making a personal decision wasn't such a task!!