The inter-ministerial group (IMG) that is to decide on the contours of Air India’s divestment is evaluating all options and is still in the process of receiving suggestions, Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said. “Let’s not go into any kind of speculation at this moment. The group of ministers has just met twice and is still in the process of inviting suggestions. As part of the group we are looking into all the possible options to make Air India a vibrant airline,” the minister explained. This means that the IMG has still not ruled out the idea of selling the airline by hiving off the international operations from the domestic. Similarly, it has still not ruled out foreign airlines from buying Air India subject to the caps applicable to the aviation sector under the foreign direct investment rules. <br/>
star
Star Alliance has formally launched a branded “Connection Service” at Chicago O’Hare. The goal of the new service is to help ensure that passengers with tight connections that are arriving on Star Alliance partner flights have the very personal assistance they may need to successfully make it to the onward flight. The Connection Service (CS) springs into gear when special software in the CS command centre at O’Hare alerts staff that one or more passengers on an arriving Star Alliance partner flight might have an unusually tight connection. A CS staffer is then dispatched to meet the arriving passenger and help expedite movement through passport control and then on to the gate where the connecting flight is departing. Chicago is the fourth largest transfer hub for Star Alliance partner carriers worldwide. <br/>