Archive for October, 2007
Malaria Prevention – South Africa
The most important thing we should stress is that we are not doctors and it is therefore vital that you speak to your doctor about Malaria prevention before travelling to a malaria area. The following information is not intended to replace that issued by your doctor. Lots of travellers travel to Africa every year and with careful use of prophylactic drugs are able to enjoy a great holiday. This document is written to provide you with information rather than to put you off!
Prevention and Treatment of Malaria
Rule One : Avoid Getting Bitten
Rule number one of Malaria prevention is that if you don’t get bitten you won’t get malaria. Unfortunately the female Anopheles Mosquito that transmits malaria is a silent little mossy and doesn’t buzz to warn you of its presence. Mosquitoes can bite at any time of day, but are usually their most active at dawn and dusk. Use the repellent sprays and wear long-sleeved shirts and long trousers in the mornings and evenings. The mosquitoes can bite through thin clothing and it is therefore important to spray Insect Repellant on covered skin as well as non covered skin.
Most of the lodges have screened windows and doors, mosquito nets, air conditioning and fans. These all help you to prevent you getting bitten, but should not be the used on their own.
Rule Two : Taking Anti Malaria Tablets
It should be noted that no Malaria Prophylactic is 100% effective as the Malaria parasites becomes resistant to the various drugs. It is therefore vital that you speak to your doctor or travel clinic to advise you on the best prophylactic for you. Travellers should remember to take the tablets regularly and continue to take the prescribed dosage of tablets even after they have left the Malaria Area.
Chloroquine, Proguanil and Maloprim : Malaria in certain parts of Africa ( north of South Africa ) have become Chloroquine resistant and therefore these drugs are decreasing in their popularity and less and less people are taking them.
Mefloquine ( Larium) : For many years Larium has taken a bit of beating. It is a very effective Malaria Prophylactic but it needs to be carefully dispensed as patients with a history of psychiatric disturbances can get unpleasant side effects.
Malarone : This prophylactic has virtually no side effects and with a simple daily dose it is becoming increasingly more popular choice for travellers. In addition, Malarone has now been launched in the UK in a children’s formulation and is the first ever malaria tablet designed just for kids. It is also licensed in the USA, Denmark and is becoming increasingly available in Europe. The children’s version is chewable once daily dosage that only needs to be started one day before travel commences.
www.malarone.com
This is the Prophylactic that we recommend – but would urge you check your personal suitability with your doctor prior to travel.
Doxycycline : This is an antibiotic and for many people it provides a perfectly good alternative to taking the traditional anti malaria tablets. However, Doxycycline can make you particularly sensitive to sun, and the effects of antibiotics on contraception tablets are well documented. Be warned … travellers may return from their holiday with more than a sun tan!
Garlic, Vitamin B, Chilli : These are all old wives tails and should definitely not be used as a prevention for Malaria!
Rule 3: Look out for symptoms and complete your course of prophylactics!
If on your return or during the remainder of your trip, you experience any flu like symptoms (nausea & vomiting, chills, fever, sweating, headache or muscle pain) you should have a malaria test just to be safe. Malaria responds well to early treatment. Remember to complete your prophylactic course – even after leaving a malaria area.
Kitchen Cabinet and Counter and Kitchen Remodeling
Accessorising Your Kitchen And Bathroom
Kitchen and bath accessories are the key to not only making these areas comfortable but also for them to look good. The right accessories and furniture can entirely transform your kitchen into the most pleasurable area of your home. The quantity, size and theme of the kitchen accessories must match with your overall decor theme and space available. Here are some tips for you:
1) Once you have decided on the colour of your walls, placing of your refrigerator, counters and cabinets, categorise all your accessories by colour, size or style and then choose them according to the scale and visual balance.
2) Install the largest accessories first, keeping the aesthetic balance, right eye level and distance to the cooking area, then move on to the smaller ones.
3) A wall clock is must in the kitchen, whether you are a student, working person or a housewife, so that you can get done with cooking on time. It also helps you to monitor your cooking better.
4) Designer range hoods do not only look trendy but are also quite functional when it comes to getting rid of smoke and vapours.
5) Kitchen carts and worktables come in quite handy for a variety of reasons and can be moved or folded and slipped under the counter after use.
6) Pot racks and baker’s racks are for those with advanced culinary skills.
7) Covered trashcans are a must in the kitchen to discard all those soda bottles and boxes.
Cabinet accessories, designer sinks, faucets, knobs and pulls lend a sophisticated look to the kitchen.9) Stools and chairs that can be stacked one on top of the other can be used and then stacked in the corner in a small kitchen.
10) Chopping blocks and countertops are a must but you may also opt for wine racks.
11) Decorate your appliances too with beautiful decorative panels.
12) Stainless steel wall shelves and backsplash accessories are the latest trend in kitchen decor.
Whether it’s shelving accessories, lighting systems, the addition of split rope topper mouldings, lattice, panels, brass grills or glass etchnigs, you can make your kitchen a place of distinction and efficiency with simple and ease to install extras. You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish with just a few feet of wineglass moulding, fluted rosettes, or bun feet added to your favourite fixtures. Low-voltage lighting, pantry organisers, sink front tray sets, pullout trash bins, appliance garages, and shelf lift mechanisms add convenience and organisation to please even the most discriminating kitchen boss.
Most accessory stores have a full line of innovative systems that can turn your kitchen into a showcase. Best of all, most are affordable, practical solutions that are quick and easy to install.
HAVE YOUR OWN PROJECTS
Complete your own custom kitchen accessory projects. Built-in wine racks above refrigerators, mouldings to disguise soffets, and matching appliance, garages are popular kitchen accessories that add quick-access storage, or, a cabinetry display, plate rack, or bookshelf. These projects are not beyond the reach of the average woodworker or handyman or woman and can be accomplished with basic skills and tools. The possibilities are endless with today’s line of hardware, woodworking and project supplies.
Bathroom accessories are similarly worked out for pleasure and beauty.
It’s not polite to steal things from a luxury hotel’s bathroom, but now people aren’t snatching embroidered towels or miniature shampoo bottles.
Instead, consumers are taking the coordinated style associated with upscale hotels into their homes, which is one of the factors spurring the evolution of matching accessories in residential bathrooms.
Many plumbing fitting manufactures offer bathroom suites, so people can head to one company for faucets and accessories, grabbing hold of a complete, cohesive look. Matching products offer the one-stop shopping, contractors and their clients crave. “It provides convenience for the builder and consumer,” say many designers.
As the role of accessories in the bath increases, so does the range of products. Builders and remodellers now can find so much more than just the basic towel bar, including glass shelves, hotel racks, light fixtures, tumblers, soap dishes, toilet paper holders, and even wall-mounted toilet bowl brushes made to match faucets.
“Every little place now that we can think to decorate, we definitely take advantage of,” say many householders.
THE WIDER SELECTION
The wider selection of accessories gives customers a chance to personalise their baths. For example, using an oil-rubbed-bronze robe hook or a chrome wall-mounted toilet brush, homeowners can add individual flair without compromising the consistency of a look.
“You do not have to buy it exactly as you see it in a catalogue or showroom,” say homeowners. “The days of everyone on the block having the exact same look are over.” But a lot depends on the finishes available, and chrome and brushed nickel in accessories remain the most popular.
“I think that is mostly because when a homeowner goes and picks out, he goes for shine and effect.” So, revamp that kitchen and bathroom and decide to make cooking and bathing a pleasure.
Small Kitchen Remodeling Ideas
Any remodeling idea for a small kitchen must address the following issues: counter space, storage, built-ins, and pantry.
In order to make better use of your kitchen floor space, you need to put up the maximum amount of counters. Plan your design with deeper counters to cover as much of the area not occupied with appliances with counter space if the difference in floor space is a matter of a few square feet.
Squeeze as many cabinets into your design as possible. Deep cabinets that can hold plates should be located near the dishwasher, and large cabinets with slide-out drawers should be placed near the oven.
Another space-saving device is to include built-in facilities. You can have built-in ovens, microwaves and storage for small appliances. This will make your kitchen appear less cluttered. Built-in storage for foods like potatoes and onions and bread storage cabinets will also give the kitchen a cleaner look. You can also opt for waist-high, sliding shelves that hold mixers and toasters. Your small appliances can remain hidden in these shelves and still be easily accessible.
If there is no room for a pantry in your kitchen, consider converting a closet outside the kitchen area to store your cutlery, pots and infrequently used items. You can also include rollout pantries that can be pulled out to view the items you have, but rolled back into a space.
Choose a large sink. It will be easier for you to clean bigger pots and pans. Moreover, a large sink is a great place to stash your dirty pots. A large sink can also serve as a utility sink, too.
You can increase the efficiency of your small kitchen by putting a wire basket on the inside the cabinet or under the sink to hold trash bags and other frequently used items. You can mount an instant hot water heater on the sink to replace the sprayer or soap.
A tile back splash on all the walls above the counters, stove and sink make the kitchen easier to clean.
A Green Travel Plan for Everyone and Every Trip
Simply put, green travel is travel in which a positive environmental impact is kept to a maximum and a negative environmental impact is kept to a minimum. Keeping your carbon footprint as tiny as possible while traveling will help preserve the entire planet, including that favorite vacation spot you always visit. That being said, traveling green sounds like something any traveler would be interested in, right? Right, but although many travelers may be interested in Green Travel it can seem a little intimidating or complicated and not everyone knows where to start. SO, I put together this Green Travel Plan that makes traveling green easy for anyone, no matter what their shade of green. What’s even better is you don’t have to camp out in the jungle or hike from place to place to make an impact (unless of course, that’s what you’re into). Remember, every little bit counts and following any or all of these steps will add up to a world of change.
A Green Travel Plan for Everyone and Every Trip
Before You Go:
Help be a part of the solution by booking with a green organization like the Green Travel Hub by RezHub.com; they actually donate 20% of the proceeds from every trip to an environmental group so that every trip can make a difference. They donate whether the travel you choose is labeled green or not.
Consider booking with Green Travel Options like green hotels, hybrid rental cars, and carbon offsetting programs. RezHub also offers all these programs.
When renting a car, choose Enterprise. They not only have the largest selection of hybrid and fuel efficient cars available for rent, they also take huge steps for the environment. They’ve pledged to plant 50 million trees over the next 50 years, they donate millions to alternative fuel research, and the list goes on.
Look for hotels with a green certifications or a “Green Score.” In the Green Score program, hotels can earn points and Green Branches for each environmental program they have in place. While some hotels may only have one leaf, keep in mind that even one leaf is a step in the right direction. It’s important to support the green efforts that each hotel takes because it shows management that they are doing the right thing, and it encourages further expansion of green programs. Remember, where one leaf sprouts, another is sure to follow!
Offset your Carbon Footprint. Choosing to go carbon neutral is one of the gateways to responsible travel. It’s easy to do, and it’s inexpensive! We suggest offsetting your carbon footprint with Sustainable Travel International and MyClimate. Their program is the best we’ve seen in that it’s comprehensive and supports both kinds of offsetts. They’ll let you calculate your exact offset, or you can choose a standard donation from $1 all the way up to $500.
While You’re There:
Plan to green-up your stay, and feel good about where you’re going. These are some really simple steps you can take to help green up your stay, even if you didn’t book with a Green Scored Hotel
• Encourage the hotel you chose to go green or thank them for the green programs that they participate in! Speak with the management and let them know that green options are important to you.
• If your hotel has a sheets and towels reuse program, use it. If they don’t, start your own! Let housekeeping know that you don’t need them to replace your sheets and towels every day; this will reduce energy and water usage.
• Turn off the lights, air conditioner or heater, and the electronics in your room while you’re out. • Turn off the water when you brush your teeth, and take shorter showers.
• Bring your own toiletries, or if you use what the hotel provides make sure to take what’s leftover home with you.
Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints…
• When you’re visiting a park or any natural setting, don’t disturb the plants or wildlife. • Never buy anything made from an endangered animal or plant.
• Make sure you save any trash until you find a garbage can, and wherever possible save your recyclables for a recycling drop-off. Check out http://www.earth911.org to find a recycling drop off center in the US.
Go local…
• Whenever you can, shop and buy from the local vendors. This helps support the local economy, and submerges you in the areas culture.
• Try to avoid the large chains that carry goods shipped in from overseas. All that shipping creates tons of CO2 and the large chains can push the locals out of business (if you wanted to shop at Wal-Mart you could’ve stayed home, right?) .
Give back…
• Consider volunteering some time on your trip. Spending even just one day volunteering makes a difference. Contact not-profit organizations in the area and set something up before you go.
• Check out the Volunteer Travel Hub where you can find the perfect place to lend a hand. These bite-sized volunteer vacations (short term) are free and can be included on any trip!
When You Get Home:
Write a letter or send an email to the hotel you stayed in, the airline you flew and the rental car company you chose. Thank them for going green or encourage them to do so.
Send an email to greentravel@rezhub.com or post to RezHub.com’s Green Travel Forums, if you tell them about how you turned your trip green, you might even win a FREE trip!
Keep these tips in mind while you’re at home too, conserving resources almost always saves you green in the long run. And remember, it really is true that every little bit counts. If each of us took just one of these steps, imagine the difference it would make. I’ll end with a quote from Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Sydney Cheap Flights – Find Cheap Flights to Sydney
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Airlines are now using computer systems to manipulate prices for all airline tickets. If you are looking to fly to Sydney and want to find cheap flights, the easiest way to save money is by purchasing the Save on Airfare Secrets Manual. This guide was written by an ex-travel agent who shows you how to save hundreds of dollars on your next flight to anywhere in the world, including Sydney. This amazing product costs less than $25 – it will more than pay for itself the first time you buy airline tickets! If you are looking for cheap flights to Sydney, the best place to start is the Save on Airfare Secrets Manual:
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Piano Tutorials – Types
The piano tutorials are available in many forms like as notes or books you can learn from if you have taken up offline classes. If the learning is via internet, then there are several online piano tutorials in forms of pdf files, audio and video clips. The process of learning piano by offline or online methods can be very different. It is not a must for the offline piano tutorials to be much self-explanatory as the piano teacher can always guide. But as most of the online piano tutorials are used for the self study; the more it has the explanations with examples, the more preferable. Usually in most of the websites a sample or free piano tutorial is offered before the purchase of the complete piano tutorial. This can be used to the advantage of the users to approximate the quality and interpretations to suit your manner of learning.
With the competition raging among the several websites claiming to provide ‘The most ideal piano tutorials’ , choosing the right one may turn out to be time consuming and tough. Check out few reliable rating websites which prioritize the online piano tutorials based on the number of visits or from the feedbacks of the visitors. This can bypass your work of browsing through every website containing piano tutorials. Several piano tutorials are available online for playing the famous songs or rhymes, jazz, gospels and more. They are accompanied by a detailed commentary about the steps to be done and a video of the song being played with piano. These piano tutorials can be very useful for the ones looking for online help. The ones comfortable with the real life teachers and not the virtual ones have a different type of piano tutorials.
All a person needs to use the piano tutorials online is to have a piano and a good net connection. Apart from these, a clear knowledge of the basics of piano keys and notes is essential. Not to worry, all the piano tutorials for beginners and starters of every level is available just a click away or you can consult with your piano teacher. Some of the basics that are a must before taking up the piano tutorials are – to know about staff, note values, treble clef, time signatures, and bars. Equipped with a clear idea about these, you can confidently take up the piano tutorials. To memorize the basics, it takes under one day, but to be able to recollect it every time you take up a piano tutorial, solely depends on your ability to recall. There are simpler methods that can be followed to memorize these basics of piano tutorial in a fun way.
Of all the types, video piano tutorials can be more effective as visualizing always makes the students understand and remember better than just memorizing pages. Certain audio piano tutorials also have the power to engross the listeners. But many are comfortable with text piano tutorials for constant reference. The best results can be achieved by combining all these types of piano tutorials.
Home Business Tips – 3 Mistakes That People Make That Stops Them From Achieving Success!
With a home business, a lot of things are stacked in your favor. You don’t have to rent an expensive office, hire any employees (if you choose not to), or buy lots of inventory (again, if you choose not to). It’s one of the best businesses in the world. Then again, it’s not all sunshine and roses. Many people fail online. Here are the 3 most prevalent mistakes that stops most people from becoming successful online:
1. Addiction To Business Opportunities
You have probably seen this around. What they promise you is a ‘plug and play’ website with built in income streams that you can make money from, or to join a network marketing opportunity. While some of these are profitable, the majority of them are not. Yet many people hop from one opportunity to another like addicts. My advice: stay away. Build your own business.
2. The Freebie Mentality
Next on the list is the freebie mentality. Many people have this idea that they can build a full-time online business without spending any money. Well, let me tell you that it is a pipe dream. If you want to make a few spare dollars, sure you can go the free route. But if you want to build a fully operation money making business, you’ll have to spend money along the way. It goes with the territory.
3. Product Launch Jockeys
This happens when the new marketer becomes a little more advanced. They start promoting all the new products that the product launch gurus come out with. One week, it’s this product and the next week, it’s another. And they promote these gurus using all means including pay per click, affiliate review sites and sometimes even through outright spamming. Well, the idea of these gurus is to create an army of affiliates designed to do one thing – make them rich. So don’t hop on board blindly.
Retiring in Panama
Affordable real estate, extraordinary sceneries, near perfect weather, a low cost of living, inexpensive labor force and a pensionado program are just a few causes why retiring in Panama is the most excellent. Panama is quickly becoming one of the world’s retirement spot. Panama has something great and immense for every person. With an interesting cultural background, to the history of conquistadors and now a modern society with infrastructure and transportation that is first world. In addition Panamanians are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. All this make Panama an ideal location for retirement or a second home.
Earning a lot of money to retire is not a need in Panama. The country is the definite choice and the answer if you are looking for a safe place as well as a cheap place to retire. All the facilities and services that you are looking for can be found in Panama. The country could give and bestow a very comfortable retirement contrary to what others believed and imagined it to be.
Retiring in Panama offers and provides a lot of benefits. Not only will one gets access to all the calmness and luxuries of this current life, but they will also gain admission and contact to more because of the lower cost of living in this country.
Panama offers a Pensionado program, which includes a package of the most excellent incentives that can be benefited by retirees from all over the world. If you are at least 19 years old, all you have to do is to provide a proof that you have a monthly pension of $500 plus $100 per dependent to be eligible for the program.
Panama has one of the world’s best discount programs for retirees. They give to up to 50% discount to everything from movies, doctor’s fee, mortgage rates, restaurants and travel fees. Here, you’ll encounter fewer formalities and paper works and a lesser amount of interference and obstruction from local authorities. As a beneficiary of the program, you are entitled to these advantages:
Import tax exemption for household goods Tax exemption to import a new car every two years
25% discounts on utility bills
25% discount on airline tickets and 30% on other transportation like buses, boats and train fares
15% discount on loans made in your name
1% reduction on home mortgages for homes used for personal residence
20% discount on doctor’s bills 15% on hospital services if no insurance applies
15% off dental and eye exams
10% discount on prescribed medicines
20% discount on bills for professional and technical services
50% discount on entertainment like entrance to movie theaters, cultural and sporting events
50% discount at hotels during Monday to Thursday, 30% on Friday to Sunday
You will be retiring rich when you are in Panama because of its low construction costs, low cost food and low cost for land. By taking all the stress off, you would probably retire happily in Panama. Lifestyle also makes you happy which includes your health, family, friends, activities, travel, community and weather.
Professional Photo Inkjet Printers – a Summary Review
Inkjet printers come in a vast range of individual products, from well-known small inkjets suitable for home use, to monster-sized systems to print advertising billboards and truck signs. Here are a few definitions in the range in between, to assist with matching buyer requirements to available systems.
A useful place to start is to understand a difference between inkjets which offer “page-width” formats and those which are defined as “wide” or “large format”.
Page width printers generally have outputs which range from about 8.0 inches to 36 inches(about 18 cm to 97 cm). These are most commonly used in the printing high-volume business communications, where contents is more important than any need for images and colour. Often now associated with all-in-one print/copy facilities, such inkjets are commonly employed for billing, business letters and mailing, and individualised report documents
Wide format printers ranging in print width from 24 inches up to 15 feet(about 75 cm to 5 m). That’s 5 metres – thus becoming massive and with amazing capabilities. Most wide format applications involve advertising or presentation graphics, but wide format printers are also important for large-scale drawings by architects and designers and similar trades where technical detail and large-scale output are twin requirements.
The photographic industry has its own particular needs when deciding on which inkjet application is needed. A vital part of the production process involves the creation of prepress colour proofs for printing jobs created digitally. These printers are designed to give an accurate colour preview of how the image will look when the job is finally produced on a large volume press. An example of an inkjet printer designed for such proof work is an Iris printer. Outputs from these are known as “iris proofs” or “irises” for short.
Additionally of course, exact colour proofing is of absolute paramount importance in the field of photo-art. Here, wide and large format printers, with multiple ink systems are specified to deliver colour output over which the photographic artist has total control.
The major supplier of inkjet printers is Hewlett-Packard. This company supplies over 90 percent of the market for printers for technical drawing applications. Their major products in this sector are the Designjet and the T-series. Hewlett Packard also has the HP Designjet 5500, which is a six-colour printer used especially for printing graphics as well Designjet Z6100 which has an eight colour pigment ink system. Other suppliers of low volume wide format printers are Epson, Kodak and Canon.
Kodak offer high-speed, variable-data, inkjet printers for production printing, including the Kodak Versamark(tm) VJ1000, VT3000, and VX5000 printing systems. These are roll-fed printers and can print at up to 300 metres per minute!
Buying your Sleeping Bag for your Next Camping Trip
Buying sleeping bags can be a difficult task, with prices ranging from a few pounds to a few hundred. Ultimately you have to ask what you want to use it for. The sleepig bag is an important part of the kit. If you are hiking then you ideally want something that will pack tightly and is quite lightweight, such as a compact sleeping bag, although you have to be careful as these sometimes don’t provide the best insulation. Temperatures drop at night more than ost people expect, even in the middle of sumer so you should make sure you’re prepared. A sleeping bag traps the warm air around your body which provides the best insulation possible. The best sleeping bag is one which allows moisture to escape while keeping warm air trapped.If you are in a couple, you might prefer a double sleeping bag (there is no better central heating than the body heat of someone else.
Slepping bags are given temperature rating based upon their intended use. One season sleeping bags are designed for use in the sumer months only and aren’t suitable for camping in the winer (they just won’t keep you warm). Two season sleeping bags are suitable for the extended summer months (from early spring to late autumn, but aren’t suitable for sub zero temperatures. Three season sleeping bags will provide warmth in temperatures which are slightly sub zero and four season bags are designed to be used all year round and will be the most expensive type of sleeping bag.
Temperature ratiings should be taken as a general rule, remember, temperatures can drop below zero in spring, particularly at higher altitudes so you should follow specfic directions of the manufacturer. The amount of heating that different people will need can vary widly, with some people requiring more warmth than others.
What you sleep on is also very important, a good ground mat provides great insulation and is very important when camping.
If you are just planning on camping in the summer, you probably don’t need to spend too much, if you are looking at trecking, climbing, mountaineering etc then you really want to look at the top end, as the cheaper models simply won’t keep you warm enough. You might also want to consider a “bivvy bag”, as this can be useful in emergencies, or if temperatures drop lower than expected.
The fill in sleeping bags can be made of a wide range of things, most commonly goose, duck or down. Down is the warmest and often most expensive but not very good if it gets wet.
You may aso want to look out for a bag with a 2 way zip so you can stick your feet out the bottom. Double sleeping bags are also available and singles that join together to form a double. Insulated zips are also important if it gets very cold. A good ground mat is also an essential. They are only cheap and provide excellent insulation.
Cheap Air Tickets India
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that offers generally low fares in exchange for eliminating many traditional passenger services. The concept originated in the United States before spreading to Europe in the early 1990s and subsequently to much of the rest of the world. The term originated within the airline industry referring to airlines with a lower operating cost structure than their competitors. While the term is often applied to any carrier with low ticket prices and limited services, regardless of their operating models, low-cost carriers should not be confused with regional airlines that operate short flights without service, or with full-service airlines offering some reduced fares. The price policy of the low cost carriers is usually very dynamic, with discounts and tickets in promotion. Even if the advertised price may be very low, sometimes it does not include charges & taxes. The budget airlines frequently offer flights at low prices – often flights are advertised as free Perhaps as many as ten percent of the seats on any flight are offered at the lowest price, and are the first to sell.
India’s first low-cost airline, Air Deccan started service on August 25, 2003. Cheap air tickets fares for the Delhi-Bangalore route were 30% less than those offered by its rivals such as Indian Airlines, Air Sahara and Jet Airways on the same route. The success of Air Deccan under cheap flights booking has spurred the entry of more than a dozen cheap airlines in India. Air Deccan now faces stiff competition from other low-cost Indian carriers such as Jetlite, SpiceJet, GoAir and Paramount Airways. IndiGo Airlines recently placed an order for 100 Airbus A320s worth 6 billion USD during the Paris Air Show, the highest by any India domestic carrier. After a year of operation, in 2006, Kingfisher Airlines changed its business model from low-cost to value airlines. Deccan was acquired by Kingfisher and renamed Kingfisher Red.
The first airline offering no-frills transatlantic service was Freddie Laker’s Laker Airways, which operated its famous “Skytrain” service between London and New York City during the late 1970s. The service was suspended after Laker’s competitors, British Airways and Pan Am, were able to price Skytrain out of the market. In April 2006, the industry magazine Airline Business analysed the potential for cheap flights tickets, low-cost long-haul service and concluded that a number of Asian carriers, including AirAsia, were closest to making such a model work. On November 2, 2007, AirAsia X, a subsidiary of AirAsia and Virgin Group flew its inaugural flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Gold Coast, Australia. AirAsia X claims that it is the first true low-cost long-haul carrier with cheap air tickets since the end of Sir Freddie Laker era. In August 2006, Zoom Airlines announced that it was to establish a UK subsidiary, probably based at Gatwick Airport, to offer low-cost long-haul flights to the USA and India. The company suspended all its operations from 28 August 2008 due to financial problems related to the high fuel price.