Page 2 - Travel Portals

Wait for US passports is creating travel purgatory, snarling summer plans

Seeking a valid US passport for that 2023 trip? Buckle up, wishful traveller, for a very different journey before you step anywhere near an airport. A much-feared backup of US passport applications has smashed into a wall of government bureaucracy as worldwide travel rebounds toward record pre-pandemic levels with too few humans to handle the load. The result, say aspiring travellers in the US and around the world, is a maddening pre-travel purgatory defined, at best, by costly uncertainty. With family dreams and big money on the line, passport seekers describe a slow-motion agony of waiting, worrying, holding the line, refreshing the screen, complaining to Congress, paying extra fees and following incorrect directions. Some applicants are buying additional plane tickets to snag in-process passports where they sit in other cities in time to make the flights they booked in the first place. So grim is the outlook that US officials aren't even denying the problem or predicting when

40 bike taxi drivers approach Delhi minister seeking relief from ban

A group of 40 bike taxi drivers have sought Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot's intervention against any enforcement or action by the city government against them. The Delhi government launched a crackdown against bike taxis in February. In a memorandum submitted to Gahlot's office, the group said the Delhi government is adamant about banning their services. "We will face difficulties in meeting household expenses, getting our children educated and getting our parents treated," read the memorandum. The memorandum also said that while the delivery services continued unabated, the bike taxi drivers were being "targeted". The Supreme Court had on Monday stayed a Delhi High Court order that essentially allowed Rapido and Uber to operate in the national capital by asking the Delhi government not to take any coercive action against them till a new policy was formulated. A vacation bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Rajesh Bindal at the Supreme Court granted liberty to the two .

Authorities to impound bike taxis if Uber, Ola do not comply with Delhi ban

India's top court on Monday backed the city government's ban on bike taxis in a setback for U.S. ride-hailing company Uber which had legally challenged authorities to continue offering the services

MakeMyTrip to scale up financial services biz as it eyes wider user base

Currently the products are only sold to those buying tickets, hotel accommodation on its site. But now it will be offering insurance products even to those who don't

Travel start-ups hit a bumpy road amid restrictions due to coronavirus

They were riding on the promise of steady double-digit growth, but with travel restrictions and cancellations, their problems are mounting

MakeMyTrip raises focus on homestay segment to compete in a growing market

A growing number, millennials in particular, is looking for alternatives to hotel bookings when planning a holiday

FinMin to challenge Delhi HC verdict on online travel portals

Legal experts are going through the high court order and an appeal challenging the verdict is likely to be filed in Supreme Court

As online hotel bookings see high growth, travel portals attract top dollar

Two leading domestic online travel portals- MakeMyTrip and Ibibo- have raised a sizeable $430 million (Rs 2,900 crore) in the current quarter