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<ul><li><keyword id="6355455" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-railways">Indian Railways</keyword> launched ‘Plan Bee’ to prevent elephants getting hurt on rail tracks, thereby reducing the elephant death toll. </li><li>Bee sounds can be heard from 600 metres away, as the train approaches the vulnerable gangway. </li><li>Northeast Frontier Railway (NRF) has won ‘best innovation’ award in Indian Railways in 2018-19 along with a cash reward of ₹300,000. </li><li>The railways have included nearly 50 amplifying speaker systems at over 12 possible corridors.</li></ul>Amid increasing number of elephant deaths in the country, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) came with an innovate ‘<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/railways/plan-bee-gets-elephants-to-buzz-off-trains/indian-railways-plan-bee/slideshow/70161138.cms">plan bee</a>’ to prevent their deaths on the tracks. Nearly 2,330 elephants have died on the tracks in six years. And the initiative involves keeping them away from the tracks by scaring them. As strange as it sounds, elephants are afraid of bees and the buzz of beehives. The Railways included nearly<a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/honour-for-plan-bee-that-helped-save-jumbos/article28335811.ece"> 50 amplifying speaker systems</a> that produce sound of honey bees to keep wild elephants away. This initiative is live at over 12 possible corridors, even as there are 29 elephant corridors under NFR. This move was recognised and accorded with ‘best innovation’ award in Indian Railways in 2018-19 along with a cash reward of ₹300,000. The ‘bee sounds’ can be heard from 600 metres away, as the train approaches the vulnerable gangway. Elephants have been making their way into the non-migrant areas as well, often leading to increased deaths. “NFR’s Rangiya Division and Forest Department field officials worked on certain deterrents and provide a solution to the problem,” NFR spokesperson Pranav Jyoti Sharma <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/honour-for-plan-bee-that-helped-save-jumbos/article28335811.ece">told</a> The Hindu. As many as 67 elephants were killed by trains in Northeastern states of <keyword id="6354915" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="assam">Assam</keyword> and West Bengal, according to media reports. Assam forests are home to 6,000 elephants — accounting for 20% of the total elephant population in the country. Given that, the NFR tested the amplifying device on the domestic and wild animals in 2017, before actually using it. Since 2014, the Northeastern railways have been able to keep 1,014 elephants safe by implementing such measures. Elephant mishaps occur largely due to local humans, electric fences, and railway tracks. More elephants have been cut down by trains or died of electric shocks, instead of hunting. As many as 80 <a href="https://www.oneindia.com/feature/plan-bee-how-the-indian-railways-is-preventing-elephant-deaths-on-tracks-2917045.html">elephant deaths</a> occurred due to human targeting. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/wildlife-activists-in-india-are-outraged-after-assam-government-decided-to-send-4-elephants-by-train-on-a-stressful-3-day-journey-for-a-festival-in-ahmedabad/articleshow/69893147.cms">Wildlife activists in India are outraged after Assam government decided to send 4 elephants by train on a stressful 3-day journey for a festival in Ahmedabad</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/railways-fixes-water-deluge-in-ac-coaches-after-video-goes-viral/articleshow/70050480.cms">Railways fixes water deluge in AC coaches after video goes viral</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/union-railway-budget-2019-public-private-partnership-ppp-proposal-updates-and-news-nirmala-sitharaman/articleshow/70085380.cms">Union Budget 2019: Indian Railways has been opened up to private partnerships for faster development</a>

Indian Railways introduce ‘buzzing bees’ to keep elephants away from train tracks

New Delhi, Apr 27 () E-commerce giant Amazon India on Monday said it has strengthened its partnership with the Indian Railways and has ramped up its operations to 55 lanes in a bid to enable faster deliveries to customers amid the nationwide lockdown. Last year, Amazon India had partnered with Indian Railways for inter-city transportation of e-commerce packages on 13 lanes, and had also set up pickup kiosks for customers in Kolkata and Mumbai. Amazon India will transport consignments via rail across the country and is leveraging the 'COVID-19 Parcel Special Trains' introduced by the Indian Railways to ramp up its operations to 55 lanes during the lockdown period, it said in a statement. Indian Railways with the support of the Railway Board and the zones across Western, Central, Northern, Eastern, South Central, Southern, South Eastern, North East Frontier, North Western and South Western have created a proactive solution to provide support for transportation during lockdown. "This enhanced network will enable sellers in Amazon India's network to ship their products across the country and keep their businesses running, thereby, allowing people to access a more diverse selection of essential products," the statement said. Amazon India Director (Amazon Transportation Services) Abhinav Singh said with the support of COVID-19 Parcel Special trains introduced by the Indian Railways, the company is confident it can further fulfil customer orders with enhanced speed and capacity. "We are grateful for this timely decision by the Indian Railways to offer freight movement solutions during these challenging times," he added. Under the lockdown - scheduled to end on May 3, e-commerce companies have been allowed to sell only essential items like grocery, healthcare and pharmaceutical products. The players and industry associations have been urging the government to expand the list of essentials to include 'work from home' and 'study from home' products. SR SHWSHW

Amazon India strengthens partnership with Railways for faster deliveries amid lockdown

In its bid to break away from the shackles of Indian Standard Time, <keyword id="6354915" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Assam">Assam</keyword> has caused some discomfort across the political circles of the country, which took this North-eastern state too much for granted since long. The campaign, started by Assam’s <keyword id="5269" type="POSITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Chief-Minister">chief minister</keyword> Tarun Gogoi a few years ago, seems to have reached a definitive stage while the central government is yet to place its concurrence (or otherwise) on record. 
 However, apart from quipping that ‘different time zones would create confusion,’ the <keyword id="6362177" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="union-government">Union Government</keyword> has not expressed any vehement denial. Therefore, Assam may soon turn out to be the first state in India to have its separate time zone, which will be a good one hour ahead of IST. For those who didn’t bother about IST, here is the lowdown. Indian Standard Time or IST is 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich Meridian Time (GMT), which is the standard time measurement worldwide. 
 
If the proposal placed by Gogoi is passed by the central government, Assam will be 6 hours and 30 minutes ahead of GMT. In fact, when the time change kicks in, people of Assam will be literally struggling to sync with the flight, train and bus schedules as most of these will be travelling from outside Assam where the time zone will be different. 
 When the clock will be shifted an hour ahead in Assam (we assume it will happen in the near future), the state will actually travel back in time. That’s because the ‘hour ahead’ time was first introduced by the British about 150 years ago and it was then called ‘chai bagaan’ (tea garden) time. Informally though, Assam goes to work an hour ahead of <keyword id="818790" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="the-rest">the rest</keyword> of India owing to the fact that the sun rises earlier in the North-east than in the other regions of the country. Chai bagaan time is a reality for those who work in tea estates and follow a different timeframe for going to work and wrapping up for the day. And this has to continue through the winter as the sun sets earlier in the North-east, compared to other parts of India. 
 Needless to say, the North-east is greatly inconvenienced owing to different sunrise and <keyword id="383280" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="sunset">sunset</keyword> timings. The state of Assam sees the first rays of sun by 4 am during the summer. But winter evenings are the darkest there, with the sun setting at as early as 5 pm. 
 
The chief minister’s demand to shift the time ahead by one hour boosts the claims of ‘increasing productivity’ since offices will open early and close at a time specific to the North-east after logging the usual number of hours. But how will things work out in areas where Assam connects with the rest of the country? What will happen to the railway services in case of a changed time zone? Will it not lead to confusion and even collisions since train crossings are still managed manually? And when offices open early and close early, doesn’t it mean less time for co-ordination with organisations located in other states? 
 
More than anything else, won’t the new time zone intensify the feeling of ‘distance’ and ‘detachment’ in this insurgency-plagued state, which has been claiming ‘negligence’ from all central governments? Issues that need to be clarified are many, but not entirely ‘impossible’ since many countries have implemented multiple time zones and they are working well across various regions. 
 The Assam CM has been arguing that a new time zone will result into energy saving and increased productivity. However, Bangalore-based <keyword id="419658" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="National-Institute-of-Advanced-Studies">National Institute of Advanced Studies</keyword> (NIAS) has suggested that daylight-saving time or the time difference between Assam and the rest of the country should be fixed at half-an-hour for various reasons. 
 
India could save 2.7 billion units of electricity every year by shifting the IST Meridian eastward, from 82.5E longitudes in Uttar Pradesh to 90E near the Assam-Bengal border. But according to experts, it won’t be much of saving in terms of energy, compared to the chaos this ‘divided’ time zone will create. 
 
While experts are busy laying out real-time reasons to keep the time zone as it is in Assam, opposition to this has been on a different tangent – sometimes sparking off debates on nationalism, federalism, daylight, energy, geography, discrimination, parity, tyranny of west over the east, time and its metaphysical, imaginary and psychological aspects. 
 
Interestingly, when Gogoi voiced his demand to change the time zone for Assam, it was seen as a request to divide India itself. Such apprehensions are not simply black and white, but also come in various hues and shades. As of now, voices that are vociferously opposing this move, are scouting for some real reasons to strengthen their stance.

‘Time Storm’ Brewing In Assam’s Tea Cup

The <keyword id="6355455" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-railways">Indian Railways</keyword> has received a lot of flak not only from passengers but also from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) that lashed out at it for failing to meet the <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/now-cag-criticises-indian-railways-over-dirty-linen-blankets-and-pillows/story-g9UMcL4c4qll5PwYrpbwbJ.html">basic hygiene standards</a> and highlighted critical safety <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-after-andheri-rob-collapse-audit-reports-of-overbridges-come-into-limelight-2633028">flaws</a> in the <keyword id="17408" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="infrastructure">infrastructure</keyword>. And while there are numerous examples of how the railways is trying to spruce things up a bit and get their act together, fact is, apart from the relatively lighter changes like placing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-railways-is-going-to-live-stream-its-kitchens-to-the-world-to-ensure-transparency/articleshow/64600841.cms">cameras in kitchens</a> and acquiring <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/blankets-provided-on-trains-by-indian-railways-will-soon-be-fresher-and-cleaner/articleshow/64764828.cms">blankets</a> that can be washed twice a month, the railways is engaged in some heavy duty changes that are geared towards safety, convenience and basic timeliness of the <keyword id="6360847" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="trains">trains</keyword>. According to a report by the <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/railways/how-aging-creaking-crumbling-railways-is-getting-a-new-life/articleshow/64852991.cms">Economic Times</a>, here are ten key changes the Indian Railways is currently indulging in. <ol><li>Eliminating unmanned railway crossings: A little over two months after the unfortunate <a href="https://www.news18.com/news/india/kushinagar-accident-14-children-killed-as-train-hits-school-bus-at-railway-crossing-1729955.html">Kushinagar train accident</a> when a train rammed into a school van killing 14 children at an unmanned railway crossing (UMLC), the railways is aggressively working on eliminating all unmanned railway crossings. To achieve this it has given itself a deadline of 31 March 2020. In fact, the railways has already <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/railways-eliminates-all-unmanned-level-crossings-from-4-zones-5239251/">eliminated</a> all UMLCs in four zones on <keyword id="409555" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="broad-gauge">broad gauge</keyword> routes in July — West Central Railway, Central Railway, Eastern Railway and South East Central Railway — and is well on its way to eliminating unmanned level crossings in 11 zones by September 2018. <div type="image" title="pexels-photo-892541." tempid="406286" msid="64859688" hostid="261"></div>

 </li><li>Giving old, worn-out tracks an upgrade: A <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/586-train-accidents-in-last-5-years-53-due-to-derailments/articleshow/60141578.cms">Times of India</a> report in October 2017 claimed that almost 53% of the 586 train accidents in the last five years were due to derailments. And ageing and/or defective railways tracks is one of the primary causes of derailments. Therefore, the railways has boosted its efforts to replace its ageing tracks and repair defective ones. In fact, the railways claim that there is a 50% increase in rail track renewal from 2,926 kilometres in 2013-14 to 4,405 kilometres in 2017-18. </li><li>Construction of foot-over-bridges: In September 2017, a stampede at <keyword id="6358070" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="mumbai">Mumbai</keyword>’s Elphinstone Railway Station foot-over-bridge claimed 22 lives. The cause of the stampede is not clear but it is quite apparent that the bridge was too narrow and clearly not sufficient to handle the daily footfall of the station. In fact, a <a href="http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/sep/29/mumbai-elphinstone-station-stampede-railways-ignored-warning-that-its-foot-over-bridges-are-narrow-1664659.html">CAG report in 2006</a> had flagged that the railways had reduced the width of the bridges and stated that foot-over-bridges should be at least 6 m width at all suburban railway platforms. However, now the railways claims that they have managed to up its game and has constructed 74 bridges per year between 2014-18 which is a 221% jump from 23 per year during 2009-14. </li><li>Device to guide train drivers through fog: Come winters, rail travel becomes a massive nightmare. Lack of visibility thanks to extreme fog inevitably leads to delays and accidents. But in December 2017, the national transporter installed <a href="http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/dec/12/indian-railways-to-use-gps-enabled-devices-to-fight-fog-this-season-1725490.html">4,920 GPS-enabled FOG PASS devices</a> to help loco pilots navigate through the fog. The gadget displays a map of tracks, signals, stations and level crossings and alerts drivers of approaching signals 500 meters ahead, which in turn helps the driver increase or decrease the speed of the train. Believe it or not, before these devices, the common practice to alert drivers was to tie <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Railways-tie-crackers-to-beat-fog/articleshow/45526196.cms">crackers</a> to the tracks. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 <div type="image" title="vignesh-moorthy-419909-unsplash" msid="64859532" hostid="261"></div>

















 Photo by : <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/n9dBt4g2Ss4?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Vignesh Moorthy</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/search/photos/india?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash </a><a href="https://unsplash.com/search/photos/india?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText"></a></li><li>Improved signalling system: In order to eradicate outdated manual signalling, the government pumped in a whopping ₹12990 million to modernise the system. This new automated signalling system aims to enhance safety and speed up train movement in a congested network. Apart from this, the railways intends to provide electronic interlocking systems, introduce European Train Control System technology and mobile train radio communication systems as a part of its five-year upgradation agenda. </li><li>Waterproof engines: Heavy rainfall has historically added to the woes of Indian commuters. Waterlogging not only on roads but also on railway tracks lead to delays and brings cities like Mumbai to a standstill. However, the Indian Railways plans to remedy the issue by introducing waterproof locomotive engines to basically tow stranded trains that. Four inches of water can bring a standard train engine to a standstill, however, these <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/railways/take-a-look-at-indian-railways-waterproof-engine-than-can-haul-rakes-stranded-in-rains/saviour-engine/slideshow/64573538.cms">new engines</a> are equipped to operate in 12 inches of water. </li><li>Measure to make purchasing tickets easier: To nudge people towards a cashless system, the national transporter has installed 9,100 point of sale (POS) machines at about 4,000 locations including rail ticket counters. </li><li>Station facelift: The railways plans to spruce up major railway stations big time. The revamped stations will ape modern airports and will therefore include modern facilities like escalators, lifts, subways, ramps, AC VIP lounge, AC waiting room and rest rooms and shopping malls. Apart from this, the stations will will be beautified with local artworks.</li><li>Cleanliness: In order to implement the Swachh Railways mission, the railways has introduced mechanised cleaning system at 488 stations and has started using an automatic rail-mounted machine to keep its tracks at platforms clean. And to keep a check on freelance housekeeping contractors, passengers will be asked to rate the cleanliness based on which the contractor will be paid.</li><li>Increasing rail connectivity: The Prime Minister’s ‘Act East Policy’ has given a much-required boost to the infrastructural development in northeast India. The first priority was to convert the entire North East rail network to a broad gauge system which it aims to do by 2020.</li></ol>

Indian Railways is planning a major overhaul: Here's what's in store

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Julio Cortez/APBrrr!</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Winter Storm Jayden <a href="https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/2019-01-26-winter-storm-jayden-forecast-northern-plains-midwest-east-south">is expected</a> dump heavy snow across the Midwest and Northeast.</li><li>Even the Deep South will get some snow.</li><li>In preparation, <a href="https://businessinsider.com/category/delta">Delta</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/united">United</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/american">American</a>, and other airlines are letting passengers traveling this week rebook their tickets for free.</li></ul> <a href="https://www.weather.gov/">The National Weather Service</a> has issued winter storm warnings and watches across much of the Midwest, Deep South, and Northeast. Those in cities including Chicago, Atlanta, and Detroit should prepare <a href="https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/2019-01-26-winter-storm-jayden-forecast-northern-plains-midwest-east-south">for Winter Storm Jayden</a>, which is expected to dump heavy snows this week. That's in addition to what the NWS referred to as a "<a href="https://www.weather.gov/">very dangerous and life-threatening arctic air mass</a>" sweeping the region. It's bad news for those with <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> plans this week. More than 1,000 flights out of Chicago's two airports have been cancelled as of 4 p.m. Monday, <a href="https://www.flychicago.com/business/media/delays/pages/default.aspx">according to the Chicago Department of Aviation</a>. Flights arriving to O'Hare were delayed by 80 minutes <a href="https://www.flychicago.com/business/media/delays/pages/default.aspx">on average</a>, and departing flights by an average of 31 minutes. Many airlines are offering vouchers in preparation.<h2>Delta</h2>Over the weekend, Delta issued a weather waiver for those traveling on Jan. 27 and 28 through 16 Midwestern airports, including Chicago's O'Hare and Midway International Airports and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.Delta said those who have travel plans involving those 16 airports can make a one-time change to their travel plans with no fee. You can see the full list <a href="https://news.delta.com/update-delta-issues-winter-storm-waiver-minneapolis-st-paul-15-more-midwestern-airports">here</a>.<h2>United</h2>United is offering travel vouchers for those traveling to airlines across the Eastern US on January 27-February 1. The dates are different for each city, but the latest travel can be booked is February 4. United provides more information <a href="https://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/travel/news/Pages/travelnotices.aspx">here</a>. <h2>JetBlue</h2>Those flying traveling on January 27 or 28 through Chicago or Minneapolis-Saint Paul must reschedule their flights on a date no later than January 30. JetBlue's <a href="https://www.jetblue.com/JetblueAlerts/WeatherUpdate.aspx/">travel alert page</a> explains how.<h2>Southwest</h2>Flights to airports in cities like Chicago, Atlanta, New York LaGuardia, and more are all eligible to be rebooked for free. Winter Storm Jayden is expected to hit those regions at different days throughout this week, so eligibility for rebooking is different for each city. Those flights need to be rescheduled on a date no more than two weeks from their original date of travel. <a href="https://www.southwest.com/html/advisories/swa_travel_advisory_20190251548469711289.html">Here's more information</a>. <h2>American Airlines</h2>For those traveling January 29 or 30 through American Airlines in the Northeast US and Canada, passengers can change their flight for no additional fee. Tickets must be rebooked for a date between January 28 to February 2.The same stipulation applies for the Upper Midwest for flights booked on January 27 or 28. Tickets have to be changed to somewhere from January 26 to February 1. For Chicago only, a trip booked January 27 to 30 can be changed in the date range of January 25 and February 3.More information is available for American Airlines <a href="https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/travel-alerts.jsp">here</a>.<h2>Frontier</h2>Frontier has already canceled several flights in the Upper Midwest. Other trips can be rebooked for free.Travel booked between Sunday, January 27, 2019 and Tuesday, January 29, 2019 to airports in that region, including Minneapolis/St. Paul and Detroit, can be rebooked for free for a date no later than February 13. Learn how to rebook your Frontier flight <a href="https://www.flyfrontier.com/alert/">here</a>.<h2>Spirit</h2>Flights to Chicago or Detroit on January 27-28 must be rebooked by January 31. If booked for a date later than January 31, there won't be a modification change but the fare may be different. More information is available from Spirit <a href="https://www.spirit.com/TravelAdvisory.aspx">here</a>.Did we miss any airlines? Contact the reporter at <a href="mailto:rpremack@businessinsider.com">rpremack@businessinsider.com</a>. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-europes-london-largest-classic-car-rodger-dudding-collections-2019-1">Go inside a $45 million car collection with over 450 cars</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Delta, United, and American are bracing for a monster storm and issuing travel vouchers. Here's what to know if you're flying.

Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> has suggested 24 steps for an action plan to renovate the railways. 
 
The measures include asking the ministries of food and railways to chalk out the total nine-month food requirement of the Northeast states and formulate a way to transport the whole stock in one go. The other steps are Wi-Fi connectivity on all passenger trains in three months and ‘scrap-free railways’ by June 30 next year. 
 
The railways have been asked to find out an area where world-class technology can be deployed. 
 The action points are a mix of macro- and micro-level objectives. What is evident in all action points is Modi’s concept of getting departments and ministries to work in tandem with common objectives. The <keyword id="6696781" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Urban-development-ministry">Urban Development Ministry</keyword> and the railways have been asked to connect all major airports with the metro rail. 
 
One of the action points is to connect all the underdeveloped areas with the developed areas. Leveraging the UPA’s flagship MGNREGA, the Prime Minister’s Office wants the project to be linked with the laying of tracks and other works in the railways.

PMO Suggests 24 Steps To Transform Railways

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12054863" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="jetblue" source="Orion">JetBlue</keyword> Airways has placed a $3.6 billion unsolicited bid for low-cost giant <keyword id="12087778" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="spirit" source="Orion">Spirit</keyword> <keyword id="11898285" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="airlines" source="Orion">Airlines</keyword>. </li><li>The <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">news</keyword> comes just months after <keyword id="12990209" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="frontier" source="Orion">Frontier</keyword> and Spirit agreed to merge in a deal worth $6.6 billion.</li></ul>Low-cost giants Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines announced a groundbreaking merge agreement in February, but JetBlue Airways just made a "superior proposal" for Spirit.On Tuesday, JetBlue confirmed that it has placed a bid of about $3.6 billion to acquire Spirit, with "an adjusted enterprise value of $7.3 billion." The news may ruffle feathers with budget rival Frontier, which planned to purchase Spirit for $2.9 billion.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/frontier-spirit-airlines-merger-6-billion-deal-2022-2">Frontier's acquisition of Spirit would be worth $6.6 billion.</a>JetBlue said in a <a href="http://www.mediaroom.jetblue.com/investor-relations/press-releases/2022/04-05-2022-213908929">press release</a> that the acquisition would generate strong competition for the big four airlines — Delta, United, American, and Southwest — and trigger the "JetBlue Effect," which the company says occurs when the legacy carriers react to the <keyword id="11930033" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="merger" source="Orion">merger</keyword>."The combination of JetBlue and Spirit – coupled with the incredible benefits of our Northeast Alliance with American Airlines – would be a game-changer in our ability to deliver superior value on a national scale to customers, crewmembers, communities, and shareholders," JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said. "The transaction would accelerate our strategic growth and create sustained, long-term value for the stakeholders in both companies."Spirit also <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spirit-airlines-confirms-receipt-of-unsolicited-proposal-from-jetblue-airways-301518370.html?tc=eml_cleartime">confirmed</a> the news on Tuesday, calling the offer "unsolicited," but plans to "evaluate JetBlue's proposal and pursue the course of action it determines to be in the best interests of Spirit and its stockholders."Frontier defended its proposal in a statement to Insider, saying JetBlue's "high-fare" model would lead to higher ticket prices for travelers."In particular, the significant East Coast overlap between JetBlue and Spirit would reduce competition and limit options for consumers," a Frontier spokesperson said. "It is surprising that JetBlue would consider such a merger at this time given that the Department of Justice is currently suing to block their pending alliance with American Airlines."While JetBlue's offer is worth more than Frontier's, its business model does not mix as well with Spirit as would Frontier's, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/05/business/jetblue-spirit-frontier.html?searchResultPosition=1">according to the New York Times.</a> For example, both Frontier and Spirit are ultra-low-cost carriers that charge extra for additional amenities, like checked bags and inflight snacks.However, JetBlue's model offers more premium amenities, like free WiFi, inflight entertainment, and complimentary drinks and snacks. Both JetBlue and Frontier do operate Airbus family planes, which would match Spirit's fleet.Nevertheless, Hayes said low fares and a quality product can work hand-in-hand."Customers shouldn't have to choose between a low fare and a great experience, and JetBlue has shown it's possible to have both," he said.If Spirit chooses Frontier, the combined carrier would become the fifth-largest airline in the US, and expand flight options with "more than 1,000 daily flights to over 145 destinations in 19 countries across complementary networks."The approval of either merger is still up in the air. Some members of Congress, like Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/frontier-and-spirit-merging-means-more-options-travelers-low-fare-2022-2">worry the combined carrier could impact customers by increasing fares and worsening customer service</a>.

You Searched For "Northeast Frontier Railway zone" and got 7 results

Indian Railways introduce ‘buzzing bees’ to keep elephants away from train tracks

Prerna Sindwani

Amazon India strengthens partnership with Railways for faster deliveries amid lockdown

PTI

‘Time Storm’ Brewing In Assam’s Tea Cup

Preetam Kaushik

Indian Railways is planning a major overhaul: Here's what's in store

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