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Air Deccan ties up with Travelguru to offer budget travel solutions
BANGALORE: Air Deccan (AD) India’s second largest airline announced a strategic tie up with Travelguru, (TG) an online travel portal to provide budget hotel bookings and holiday packages. The tie up will provide AD passengers the option of selecting and making confirmed reservations in 2,500 hotels including over 1,500 budget/ economy hotels, through its website www.airdeccan.net. The hotels are located in 160 cities across India including all destinations that AD flies to.
TG claims that the hotels included offer a wide range of facilities such as free airport transfer, breakfast and other value adds, making this a single window service for all travel solutions. AD claims that their passengers are assured the best available hotel rates along with instant confirmation of the booking. Passengers will have online access to both AD and TG contact centers for speedy and accurate response to their queries.
The deal announced today is one more initiative towards ancillary revenue generation (revenue generated form income other that seat charges), for AD, whose Captain Gpinath dreams of having people to fly for free, the revenues for the airlines to be generated by ancillary income.
For TG, this means that 8 million passengers that AD will fly this year are potential customers.
“Travelguru focuses on help customers find the best options for their travel. Besides, smart airfare options and deals, Travelguru’s biggest differentiator is its strong leadership position in Hotel & Vacation Packages offerings. Travelguru offers instantly book able stay options within over 1500 hotels across 160 cities n India and 70,000 hotels across seven continents, the largest any online travel company can do currently, ” said TG co-founder and CEO Ashwin Damera.
“Another differentiator in the true sense is transparency to a consumer and true real time booking experience. At Travelguru, we display all rates on flights and hotels inclusive of all applicable taxes. We only show available rooms and flights that the customer can actually view and book instantly, making his interaction with Travelguru real time whether it is online or offline through our call centre. We have chosen to stay away from the most frequently followed book on request model that other portals tend to follow, some have now started following a hybrid model.”
TG with revenues of around US$25 million recently received funding amounting to US$15 million from Sequoia and Battery ventures, a US based VC company. Damera says that his company spent around US$5million annually towards marketing and promotion, most of which is focused on the internet. Contract look after the creative work and MPG the media buying for TG.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
