The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) has decided to raise airport charges, including UDF, by a whopping 346% for two years, with airlines protesting the move and saying they and the passengers would have to face the brunt of the massive hike.

From today a departing international passenger from IGI Airport here, traveling over 5,000 kms would have to pay Rs. 1,068 as UDF and an arriving passenger Rs. 881.10. For passengers who travel between 2,000 and 5,000 kms, a departing traveler would be paying Rs. 845.50 and an arriving one Rs. 699.17. The international travelers flying short distances below 2,000 kms would have to pay Rs. 534 for departing from here and Rs. 436 for arrival.

In the domestic sector, a departing passenger would pay Rs. 462.80 for travel over 500 kms and an incoming passenger Rs. 391.60. For travel up to 500 kms, a passenger would pay Rs. 231.40 and Rs. 195.80 for using the airport for departure or arrival.

This is the first time that even incoming passengers are being included in the ambit of UDF. The UDF rates applicable from today would go up further next year, as per the AERA order.

The ticket prices would also get hiked depending on to what extent the airlines pass on the additional burden to passengers due to the hike in various airport charges, like those on landing, parking, navigation, fuel throughput and usage of CUTE (Common User Terminals).

Terming the move as “extremely disappointing”, the airlines’ global body, International Air Transport Association had earlier said the increase in airport charges would make Delhi “the world’s most expensive airport.”

Airline industry sources said the higher charges would not only burden the passengers at IGI Airport but also discourage overseas airlines from operating from here.

Noida is in Uttar Pradesh and is close to Delhi. Places which one can visit during weekends in Noida are malls and one such amazing mall is The Great India Place (TGIP). This huge mall is very famous and also nearby and has almost all the famous brands. One can visit Blue Terra Spa to release their week long tension of work. Blue Terra Spa has expertise in ayurvedic and holistic therapies. They provide with facilities like face therapies, body massage, body scrubs and there are other short therapies like foot and head therapy which proves to be very useful in releasing the mental pressure.

There is another place for fun like Worlds of Wonder, it is an amusement park. Worlds of Wonder are the largest amusement park in entire Asia. Amusements parks are always a great source of entertainment for all age of people. The colorful swings and adventurous rides makes everyone merry-go-round. Worlds of Wonder is separated in two sections Road show, which is the combinations of music, rides and entertainment, and other section La fiesta, which is perfectly for families and kids, there are many other attractions in Worlds of Wonder.

Another place to be visited during weekends is Gurgaon. It is the leading city of Haryana, an Indian State. If you are looking for a sporty weekends then Gurgaon has two golf clubs of 18 hole. One can play golf which is a very good sport activity to invigorate your senses. There are around forty malls in Gurgaon region; famous malls like Ambience Mall, Metropolitan Mall, City Centre and Sahara Mall are in Gurgaon. There are many lovely restaurants and if you are fond of parties then Gurgaon is the right choice to opt from. It has many pubs and the drinking age in Gurgaon is 25 yrs of age.

There is one more place which is worth going in Gurgaon, it is Manesar. Manesar is a small yet fastest growing township in Gurgaon. It is now a lovely place to be visited by travelers. Manesar is situated on the top of Aravalli hills. Places which are a must watch in Manesar includes Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary, Damdama Lake and Sheetala Devi Temple.

All these places are lovely to watch and go with your friends and families after a long tiring week.

From Delhi Metro to introducing swanky low-floor buses and phasing out of Blueline buses has changed the face of public transport system. With its 190-kilometre network, Delhi Metro has changed the way people travel in the city. Apart from construction of another 230-odd kilometer in next 10 years, the government has now decided to build monorail in congested areas where the Metro doesn’t reach.

“Metro rail is really successful and I think it is a good idea to introduce other modes of transport like monorail,” transport experts said.

Introduction of private buses on pre decided cluster of routes in place of rickety Blueline buses has given much-desired facelift to Delhi’s transport. The government has provided flyovers and new roads to make driving a pleasurable experience. What started in the early 2000s with the construction of AIIMS, Dhaula Kuan and Lajpat Nagar flyovers and an underpass at Moolchand, reached its peak ahead of the Commonwealth Games. Barapullah elevated road, Ring Road bypass and flyovers on the Outer Ring Road reduced distances and cut down travelling time.

A world-class hanging bridge on Yamuna at Wazirabad and a string of flyovers in west Delhi are two big-ticket projects the government is working on.

According to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), about 160 volunteers from Northern Railway Bharat Scouts and Guides will be deployed at major inter-change stations like Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat, Kashmere Gate and Chandi Chowk till Sunday to educate lakhs of commuters on how to travel safely in Delhi Metro.

“With an increasing number of accident cases at Metro stations, where people fall off onto the track after losing balance, or their hands or legs get stuck while entering or exiting from the train at stations, the awareness campaign will educate commuters on safe travel,” a security official said.

“The campaign will educate commuters about safe travel on Metro. Volunteers will be deployed near the train’s doors to guide the passengers on safe entry and exit,” a DMRC spokesman said.

Apart from boarding and deboarding volunteers will also ask passengers to queue up while boarding and using escalators, the Metro official added.

The volunteers will also distribute pamphlets, which will have a list of Do’s and Don’ts in trains and station areas.

Delhi Metro makes over 2,400 trips a day, covering about 70,000 km and carrying around 1.8 million passengers on working days.

Also, there is no compulsion of reaching the airport using the metro. While you can reach the IGI airport in your preferred mode of transport, your baggage will be transported to the flight you are going to board.

The service, starting from Thursday, will be initially available at two metro stations- New Delhi and Shivaji stadium- on the Airport Metro Express line. Air India is the first career to offer this service to its international passengers.

“International flyers can collect their boarding passes at the Airport Express Metro stations and go for security check at the airport, without any hassle of carrying their luggage,” the president of Reliance Infrastructure, Anil P Gupta, said.

Reliance Infrastructure operates the Airport Express Metro Express line, which terminates on Terminal- 3 or T-3 of the Indira Gandhi International airport. Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines, which already have their counters at the stations, will also start offering the service soon, the report says.

Check-in facility for domestic fliers is already in operation on the metro. And in case shopping is your agenda, you can reach the metro station eight hours prior to the flight’s scheduled time of departure, collect the boarding pass and explore the city’s shopping hubs.

Depending on the kind of holiday you wish to have, you can pick and choose from a variety of packages that a number of travel companies in Delhi have in store for you. From romance to adventure to simple laid back relaxation, there is indeed a holiday package for every traveller. How do you choose a good travel company, how do you decide whether the company you have chosen is right for your needs and can provide you with all that you need to plan a memorable trip?

Well, since there are several travel companies in Delhi, your selection may be a little difficult. And you cannot afford to walk into just any travel company’s office and start planning a holiday. Today with the travel industry becoming bigger and bigger, there are niche travel company’s who can help you plan a grand holiday. So it is important that you first decide the kind of holiday that you wish to have. If you have a huge budget you can choose to find a company that can design a truly bespoke package for you, and if you have a small budget, you could simply go to a smaller company who can still tailor make a package that suits your requirements.

The online medium is indeed idyllic to look for travel companies in Delhi, but that is not it, this platform will allow you to find companies and review them, and you can get in touch with them via email as well. The process will also involve you reading up on reviews about them to know if they can offer you with reliable service. When you know what to look for, your search just becomes a whole lot simpler. So go ahead and find the best travels company in Delhi.

India’s first super-car cost around Rs 30 Lakh, Avanti has been unveiled at Auto Expo 2012 by actor Amitabh Bachchan. The car, designed by Dilip Chhabria will be manufactured by Chhabria’s firm DC Designs. Pegged to be initially powered by a 2 litre 4 cylinder turbo charged engine from Ford, the Avanti will likely be a sub 7 second 0 to 100 car. Avanti’s engine, transmission and other vital components will be imported however the car’s body, the tubular chassis frame and interiors will be manufactured at DC Design’s plant and facility in Pune.

British car maker Mini has unveiled BMW Mini CooperS at the Auto Expo 2012. The BMW-owned manufacturer will bring four models of the car in India. BMW India has also unveiled its Vision Connected Drive concept study at the Delhi Auto Expo 2012.

Skoda Auto has showcased the RS 2000 concept, a four-door roadster based on its Fabia platform at the Auto Expo 2012. The roadster dons 18-inch alloy rims, front and rear spoilers as well as a traditional green-and-white rally livery.  The interior features tight-fitting sports seats, a three-spoke sports steering wheel and the shift lever sleeve. The front door sills sport running boards, and stainless steel pedals echo the styling of the Fabia RS model.

Audi unveiled its Audi Q3 model to public. Audi has lot of expectations from this new model as this will give birth to a new segment. Actress Katrina Kaif and Lisa Ray were present during the launch gathering a huge crowd and gathering more charm for the event.

Japanese auto major Nissan Motor Company unveiled its seven-seater multipurpose vehicle (MPV) ‘Evalia’ at the Auto Expo and said it will triple its dealership network in the country in the next three years. Film star Ranbir Kapoor was present during the launch.

Automobile major Maruti Suzuki unvieled its new compact sports utility vehicle (SUV) Maruti XA Alpha, termed by the company as “a bold new experiment.” Although, the price or the launch date of the XA Alpha, have not been revealed, the company say it focuses on the changing preferences of customers, especially the youth. It stands at number four in our list. The final production version of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga also launched with its hatch style design, but seven-seater configuration. The Ertiga’s central premise is to capture the imagination of the upwardly mobile young Indian who is looking for a family tourer, but doesn’t want an oversized vehicle.

Tata Pixel may be one of the smallest unveils in the Auto Expo 2012 in terms of size, but it made every one stop and stare in awe. A compact car with the dimensions of the Tata Nano, the Pixel will be powered by a 1.2 litre diesel engine with an expected mileage of 29 km/l. The Pixel also has scissor doors on the sides with allow ample space for entry and exit of the 4 comfortably seated passengers in the compact cockpit. Tata also boasts Pixel to be a ‘zero-turn’ drive vehicle, making it the best car to be parked in tight spots and maneuvered easily in massive traffic. Tata also unveiled the new Tata Safari Storme in the SUV segment.

Renault forayed into the compact car and ‘ass segment’ of the automobile industry in India by unveiling its own compact car, Pulse. The compact premium hatchback RxZ version sports a 1.5 litre diesel engine with a claimed ARAI mileage of 23.08 km/l and has features like dual airbags, engine start/stop button, automatic front outside rear view mirrors and 15 inch alloy wheels in the top model.

Launched alongside the Pulse, the Duster is Renault‘s take on a luxury SUV which is not a sub 4 metre vehicle but still is more compact than the other larger than life SUVs in the market. Reported to be powered by a 1.6 litre petrol engine and a 1.5 litre turbocharged diesel engine, guesstimates say that it is likely to be priced between 7 to 9 lakhs. The styling is trendy and contemporary, and the car is likely to hit Indian roads by the last quarter of 2012.

Hatchback seems to be the next big thing in the small car and the mid-sized car segment as Chevrolet unveiled the Sail hatchback which is considered to be the successor of the Aveo U-VA. It will have both petrol and diesel variants with 1.2 litre petrol engine and a 1.3 litre multijet diesel engine respectively, both manufactured locally in GM’s facility near Pune. The styling of Sail resemble Chevrolet’s trademark looks with a large front grill, side swept headlights and a sporty rear.

Bajaj created ripples a day or two before the Auto Expo 2012 was officially launched, by unveiling the RE60. While some call it a compact car, others call it a compact eco friendly vehicle. Features of this compact vehicle include a body that weighs about 400 kg, a 200cc 4 stroke engine with an expected mileage of about 35 km/l, moulded seats, 400 litre boot space. It will also be available with CNG variants.

Piaggio, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer known for the Aprilla and RSV4, unveiled this premium scooter at the India Auto Expo 2012, pegged to be launched by April 2012. The scooter will be manufactured at Vespa’s newly setup facility in Baramati and the production is estimated to be around 1.5 lakh units annually.

The Ducati Monster is a popular model and an icon worldwide that Ducati has brought to India with an estimated price tag of Rs 6.99 lakh. The eagerly awaited Monster which was unveiled at the Auto Expo 2012 sports a characteristic macho and aggressive styling of a naked bike and is definitely attention grabber from the word go. It has been an extremely successful model for Ducati in the worldwide markets and the industry gurus will be watching its reception in India like hawks.

Japanese auto maker Yamaha has unveiled its Ray scooter concept at the Auto Expo 2012. The scooter has been designed specifically for women and is priced around Rs 1.10 lakh.

MapMyIndia ShowNearby

MapMyIndia ShowNearby app shows places of interest nearby such as ATMs, petrol pumps, banks, movie theatres, restaurants by cuisine, attractions, shopping destinations by category, and emergency services like hospitals and police stations.

You can let the app use the GPS location or set your location manually. Once this is done, you need to select a category from the menu and then sub categories, like Chinese in case of restaurants, or Apparel in case of shopping. The categories displayed can be moved around as well.

You will then get a list of places sorted by distance from your location. You can see the places on a map, call them, save their addresses as favorites, add them to your contacts, get directions, or share them with a friend. The app works across India. MapMyIndia is also mulling over adding a variety of dynamic components to the app including movie show times and reservations, restaurant reviews and a host of other functions.

JustDial

JustDial provides local search through phone calls and is currently one of the largest services of its kind. The JustDial app for Android also provides the same services.

Using this app, you can find out about the latest movies, events, restaurants, lounges, art shows, ATMs, hotels, doctors and much more. The app comes with a Hotkeys feature, with which you can quickly access results with just a tap. You can also add more hot keys based on your favorites and preferences. Use the Near Me feature to search for any business, product or service near you.

The JustDial app uses the in-built GPS functionality of smartphones to detect users’ location and provides mapping and navigation features, thereby leveraging the built in Google Maps application. The app allows you to choose a city of your choice for your desired searches anywhere in India or the USA.

NGPay

NGPay app has a list of services enabling users to book railway, air and even movie tickets with ease. You can buy railway tickets from IRCTC; and air tickets from Jet Airways, GoAir, SpiceJet, IndiGo, PVR Cinemas, INOX, Fame, Cinemax, etc.

NGPay also enables online shopping at more than a hundred stores and enables users to send gifts. You can recharge your prepaid mobile numbers from NGPay as well. You have the option to store information for one credit so that it is easy to process transactions, or you can feed in information every time you want to use the app.

Ixigo

For cost effective travel planning, Ixigo is one of the best apps as it searches for more than 100 travel sites to give the best rates for hotels and flights.

The app is not India specific but nonetheless has Indian related content. It helps users find cheap flights to anywhere in the world and compares 250,000+ hotels globally in list and map view.

You can also view hotel photos, amenity information, room rates and availability, as well as get recommendations on interesting locations and also reviews of major hotels.

The app also allows you to track flight status and delays, find airport Information and locations, and airline phone numbers.

Zomato

Food is an important part of enjoying vacations and, therefore, we believe that it requires a special app like Zomato, which allows you to search for a restaurant near you. Notably for India, it has a list of more than 18,000 restaurants and provides services in ten cities of India including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Ahmadabad and Chandigarh.

Zomato also lets you check ratings, reviews and pictures of all restaurants in your city. The booking, however, is not done through the app, for which you can use the NGPay site or let the app redirect you to the site of your choice.

To cash in on the upcoming tourist season the Delhi division of Northern Railways will run the ‘Fairy Queen‘ from Delhi to Alwar twice a month. The ‘Fairy Queen‘, built in 1855, is the world’s oldest steam locomotive train with one of the oldest engines in the world. The steam train will run every fortnight from Delhi cantonment Railway Station.

Alwar in Rajasthan state was a Rajput territory and is situated about 160 kms away from Delhi and 150 kms from pink city Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan state. Apart from being famous for its scenic landscape and tourist excursions such as the Alwar Fort, the city is close to those wishing to visit the Sariska National Park. Alwar which is surrounded by the Aravalli Hills is famous for silver jewellery and other Rajasthani handicraft items as well as Alwar’s sweetmeat specialty- Palang Torh or Milk cake.

One can book the entire 40 seater heritage steam train from Delhi to Alwar for family, friends or for a group by making an immediate online payment of Rs. 2 Lakh by logging on to the railways website. “There are people who would like to book a steam engine train for marriage functions in Rajasthan or a group of foreign tourists who would want to enjoy their trip in a steam train,” a railway official said.

The booking although is not mandatory as group bookings only for reservation of the entire train. If one is travelling in smaller groups the train ride for one person on the Fairy Queen, this tourist season will be Rs. 3100/- per person. In addition to the train ride if one wants to avail of the tourist package which is a two day package and includes travel, meal and stay in a hotel in the Sariska National Park, the cost per person is Rs. 10,000/- per head.

Apart from online bookings, tickets can also be booked at Delhi Cantonment and Safdarjung Railway stations.

The nation celebrates 100 years of the return of capital of the country to Delhi from Calcutta. It was on December 12, 1911 that then Emperor of India George V proclaimed Delhi as the new capital of India at the Delhi Durbar, shifting from Kolkata.

Delhi has traditionally been the seat of a series of empires and regimes that have ruled India since over 3,000 years back. Each of the empire has left behind an ineffaceable imprint on the heritage of Delhi, that has housed no less than eight cities over the centuries, and the 100 years of the latest city marks an opportunity to celebrate the continuity of this rich habitation.

Delhi has emerged to become the largest metropolis by area and the second largest by population in the country. Delhi is not only one of the greenest capitals in the world but also boasts of world class infrastructure and many heritage buildings.