For people like us living in the West Coast of United States, there is no Air India service to India. Air India does code sharing with Malaysian and Singapore Airlines due to the lack of aircraft and some geriatric agreements which restrict the number of flights. But now India and US have started negotiations which will increase the number of flights and carriers operating between the two countries.
The new agreement will enable US airlines, many of them on the verge of bankruptcy, to fly unhindered from any city in the US to any in India, while also giving an equal chance to India’s fledgling airlines that have long been squashed by the monopolist Air India. There will be no restrictions on how often carriers fly, the kind of aircraft they use and the prices they charge.
A top Indian official involved in the talks said India would protect its national carrier interest, but “you can’t allow corporate interests of one airline to undermine India’s overall trade interests” –
I think Air-India does fly to Los Angeles now. Only that they fly via the Atlantic and not over the Pacific. Something to do with landing rights in Singapore I think.
AI in fact has landing rights to 13 cities in the US. It just doesn;t have the aircraft to fly these routes. As usual new aircraft acquisition has been held up forever. May be they are waiting for Airbus or Boeing to pony up the right amount before they can sign the contract. It’s high time the monopoly is busted. Let the other guys fly these routes. California and Texas are now very underserved. An open skies policy will deifinitely help
maan, you must be kiddin me! when ah came to the us, it was over $4 for the first minute and $2.5 for every subsequent minute!