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About Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram, popularly called Trivandrum, is the capital of Kerala and a very popular tourist destination in the state, too. While the city does have quite the urban and modern setup, it has also maintained its old charm and colonial legacy. Trivandrum has quite a lot of museums, beaches, palaces and temples. The Kovalam and Varkala beaches are some of the most popular tourist spots that are close by. The city's history and culture will leave you fascinated. The Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Kuthiramalika Palace Museum, Napier Museum are some of the popular tourist spots within the city. Not to mention, you will also be treated to some lip-smacking food that are specialities in Kerala.
Best Time to Visit Thiruvananthapuram
It is not surprising that monsoons in Kerala are the most beautiful to experience. It only adds to the lush greenery around the city. But it is the winter that makes Trivandrum an ideal time to visit. October to February is considered to be the best time to plan a vacation to Trivandrum. The temperature drops down to 15 degree Celsius during winter, especially in January and February. Make sure you book a hotel in Trivandrum that has a view of the hills. Though it might be a tad bit expensive since it is peak season, it will be worth it. You will also get to indulge in a lot of outdoor activities and adventurous ones during this season, as compared to the other seasons and you will also come across decent flight deals to Trivandrum online.
July to September is when the city experiences monsoon, which also leads to extreme humidity. The city witnesses heavy rainfall in the months of June, July and August. However, the downpour does reduce from August. Despite the torrential rain, the city does see a lot of tourists since the famous Onam festival also falls during this time. This also might be a great time for you to get cheap flight tickets to Trivandrum.
Summer begins from March in Trivandrum and lasts till June. The temperature reaches up to 35 degree Celsius during summer, and the weather does not make it favourable for you to plan a trip during this season. All of your sightseeing and outdoor activity plans will be affected, thanks to the humidity and scorching heat. Though you can go to the beach and chill, there won't be a lot of other options to try out.
Places to Visit in Thiruvananthapuram
Trivandrum's Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the city. The temple is only open to Hindus and dedicated to Lord Padmanabha, who is an avatar of Lord Vishnu. The temple sees a lot of pilgrims and devotees throughout the year. The Karikkakom Chamundi Devi temple is another one that you must visit. It is 7 km away from the Padmanabhaswamy temple and dedicated to Goddess Chamundi. The Neyyar Dam and Wildlife Sanctuary are another one of the major tourist spots in the city. It is popular for its Deer and Lion safari. You will also find crocodiles and elephants in the sanctuary. You will have to pay a nominal fee to enter the sanctuary and a separate fee for the safari. You can also go boating at the Neyyar Dam. You can also go fishing here.
For the adventure lovers, there is the Academy of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports. Whether it is Scuba Diving that you want to attempt or skydiving, the academy offers a lot of adventure sports for you to try out and they also make sure that the equipment used is state-of-the-art. The Kanakakunnu Palace is a popular site to visit. It was built under the rule of Travancore King and is also close to the Napier Museum. The palace now hosts a lot of cultural programs on its premises and make sure you catch one if there is any hosted during your visit. Vizhinjam Lighthouse, at Kovalam beach, is a 45-year-old lighthouse that is a major attraction here. The view from the top of the lighthouse is breathtaking and will leave you awestruck. You can also visit the Varkala beach, which is close to Trivandrum. You can, in fact, book a hotel in Trivandrum that is close to the Varkala Beach.
Things to do in Thiruvananthapuram
Go sightseeing to the famous museums in the city. You can either hire a cab for the entire day to visit the major tourist spots or use the public transport to do so. Don't forget to stop by the Indian Coffee House for some authentic filter coffee. Kerala is called God's Own Country for a reason. Explore the temples here along with enjoying the beautiful scenery. If you are planning to visit the beaches, make a day of it and take up a few water activities by the beach, too. You will also find a lot of food stalls and restaurants near the beaches that serve Kerala's best street food. Take up boating or fishing at the Neyyar Dam while you soak in the stunning view. If you want to explore nature at its best, there are a lot of tour guides and companies that host camping and trekking activities in and around the city.
While you are at it, you can also try activities like paragliding, skydiving, scuba diving and rafting at the Academy of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports. Catch the sunset from the Vizhinjam lighthouse. It will certainly be a fulfilling experience. If you are in the mood for going on a shopping spree, visit the Chalai Market. It's one of the busiest markets in the city, and you will get everything that you desire. Ayurvedic massages are a speciality in Kerala, and you will feel absolutely rejuvenated. Head to the Ayushmanbhava Ayurvedic Centre for a healing massage. If you don't feel like taking up an activity and just lying around the whole day, you can do so at the beach. Lying on the beach, under the stars and near the waves of the ocean is the most relaxing thing to do.
Food and Restaurants in Thiruvananthapuram
Apart from the panoramic landscape that Kerala has to offer, it is also known for its cuisine. From spicy seafood to desserts, you'll love everything about the food in Kerala. It is known for its delicacies that are made of or with coconut. The tapioca chips that you get here are fried in coconut oil. Almost every tourist packs a few of these to take back home. Make sure you also try the Sarkara Upperi, which is basically banana chips that are coated in jaggery. You will come across a lot of stalls that sell this, especially during Vishu. The Appam and stew combo that you get in Kerala is also quite popular. You must definitely try this combo for breakfast. You can either opt for a sweet appam or a savoury one. If you have additional time on your hands, do head to Kozhikode or Thalassery to try the Malabari biryani. It's only 70 km away from Trivandrum. Your food experience in Kerala is incomplete without Sadya. It's usually served during weddings or festivals on a banana leaf.
Ananda Bhavan is a very popular restaurant franchise down South, and this one will also not disappoint. If you are in Kerala on your honeymoon, make sure you go to Curry Chatty. The food and the ambience complement each other perfectly. They also have an intimate setting for couples to enjoy a romantic evening. Jasmine Bay, at Vivanta Hotel by Taj, is open 24 hours and has a plethora of cuisine options You can also try the street food at popular tourist spots here. The rice here is quite unique, but you won't regret trying it out.
How to reach Trivandrum
By Air
Trivandrum is a coastal city and a beautiful one at that, too. Trivandrum airport has both domestic and international ports, since it is the capital of the state. It is 4 km away from the city and is also near Kovalam beach. You will be treated to a beautiful view of the sea as you land. The flight connectivity to and from Trivandrum is excellent. There are frequent flights from Trivandrum to other cities in the country and internationally. Connecting flights from Bangalore and Chennai are some of the popular routes to Trivandrum via air.
By Rail
Trivandrum is also well-connected by rail, and the Trivandrum Central railway station is one of the largest stations in India. It is also one of the cheapest ways to reach the city. The Netravati Express, Anantapur Express and Sabari Express are some of the trains that start from and stop at the city.
By Road
The city is also connected really well by road. You can either take the public transport or a private one to reach the city. You will get buses from Bangalore, Mysore, Chennai, Coimbatore and Kochi quite easily. The transport system within the city is also quite convenient. You can easily ditch the luxurious ways of travel to use the public transport here
About Lufthansa Airlines
Deutsche Lufthansa or popularly referred to as Lufthansa is a German airline which, in combination with their subsidiaries, is the second largest airline in Europe, with respect to passenger traffic. The airline is the former flag carrier and is derived from German words Luft and Hansa which translates to air and Hanseatic leagues, respectively. Lufthansa is also a recognised founding member of Star Alliance, which is identified as one of the world's largest airline alliance. The airline alliance was formed in 1997. Lufthansa also has many subsidiary airlines such as Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines and Eurowings, to name a few. Along with this, Deutsche Lufthansa AG has also invested in a slew of aviation-related ventures, including LSG Sky Chefs and Lufthansa Technik, that are also part of Lufthansa Group. The airline's registered office, as well as corporate headquarters, is located in Cologne, Germany. Lufthansa majorly operates from Frankfurt Airport as it is the primary hub. The secondary hub for the airline is Munich Airport.
Until 1994, Lufthansa was a state-owned venture. The airline shares have been traded publicly as the company is listed on all German stock exchanges since 1966. Additionally, the shares of Deutsche Lufthansa AG stocks are also traded electronically with the use of the Xetra system. At the end of 2019, the airline's shareholder register revealed that the German investors have 67.3 per cent of ownership. Meanwhile, the second-largest group to hold a maximum number of shareholding is from Luxembourg, with 10.4 per cent stakes. Lufthansa also has shares from the US, which accounts for 8.1 per cent shares and is followed by Ireland and the United Kingdom with 3.6 per cent, respectively. The free float for the airline shares about 100 per cent, according to the definition of the Deutsche Börse. According to the reporting date, 58 per cent of Lufthansa's shares were previously held by institutional investors, while 42 per cent were taken up by private individuals. Lufthansa group also sees investment from Lansdowne Partners International Ltd. and BlackRock Inc. with 4.9 per cent and 3.1 per cent respectively.
Even though Lufthansa's head office is located in Cologne, much of the departments are still not part of the headquarters. While part of the operations works from the Cologne office, the others continue to work from the Lufthansa Aviation Centre that is located in Frankfurt Airport. These departments include Media Relations, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations. Lufthansa's current livery is an encircled crane with the background of dark blue. The vertical stabiliser along with the rear fuselage are all painted in dark blue while the tail cone remains white. The main fuselage also has the name of the airlines etched above the windows, in dark blue.
Fleet size of Lufthansa
Lufthansa group currently owns over 700 aircraft. It is known to be one of the largest airline fleets in the world. Lufthansa follows a tradition of naming all the planes that is part of its fleet. Starting from the first flight name Berlin, which serves Frankfurt to New York intercontinental route, they have since named many other 707 planes Hamburg, Bonn, Frankfurt and Munchen. The tradition continued for quite a long time till 2010 when the airline made an exception with one of the aircraft. They named Airbus A340-300 registered as D-AIFC and named them Gander/Halifax, after two Canadian cities, Gander and Halifax. This actually became the first Lufthansa flight to have a non-German city name. The reason behind the aircraft name has been to celebrate the hospitality of the cities of Halifax and Gander. The two Canadian cities are known to be havens for passengers and crew members of many international aircraft. Aside from A340-300, the other German aircraft under Lufthansa airline that was not named after a German city was Airbus A321-100 registered as D-AIRA. The aircraft was named Finkenwerder, to honour the district of Hamburg-Finkenwerder.
In 2010, Lufthansa acquired its first Airbus A380 which would be named Frankfurt am Main and Munchen, both named after Lufthansa's two important hubs. Subsequently, other Airbus A380 aircrafts acquired by Lufthansa Group were named after some of the other hub airports such as Zurich, Brussels, Wien and Dusseldorf. Further, as Lufthansa Airlines joined forces with Star Alliance, the hub cities of the airline were also used as the names for their A380s, such as Tokyo, New York, Delhi, Beijing and Johannesburg. They also had a flight named San Francisco, but it was renamed to Deutschland. Lufthansa also has various short and long-haul flights without names.
Baggage Allowance
Baggage allowance by Lufthansa meets with the standard size and weight that is followed by all the global airlines. With the height, weight and length falling within 158 cm, the cabin baggage is supposed to be not more than a certain kg. In case it does exceed the norm, then additional prices will be charged by the airlines. The rules for cabin baggage and check-in baggage allowance in Lufthansa vary depending on the ticket class purchased by the traveller. For additional baggage, heavier items and excess hand luggage carried by the passenger, the airline has reserved flat rates with details on their website. Further, baggage regulations also vary depending on the country that you are flying to with Lufthansa airlines.
In-flight services
First-class - Lufthansa's in-flight services include exquisite seating arrangement with tremendous facilities. The long haul flights such as Airbus A330-300, A340-600 as well as A380 and Boeing 747-8Is, all have first-class cabins. The leather seats convert to 6 ft 7 in bed and have spaces reserved for laptop power outlets and entertainment decks. The first-class facility also offers meals. You can inform the airlines about your dietary restrictions to ensure that they don't serve you what you don't want. There are shopping options also available as part of Lufthansa's in-flight services. Not to mention how the seats are extremely comfortable.
Business-class - Business class of Lufthansa airline also caters to a recliner that stretches up to 6 ft 7 in flat-beds. There are power outlets to charge gadgets as well as entertainment facilities. Plans to refurbish a new business class setting has also been proposed by Lufthansa for Boeing 777-9. They will roll out in 2020 as the airlines will start working on the same. Much like the first class, the business class also receives meal services as well as WiFi services.
Premium economy class - Back in 2014, Lufthansa announced to roll out long-haul premium economy designs which are similar to Air Canada and British Airways' premium economy cabins. The seat has a personal seat-back along with an entertainment screen as well as an armrest. The cabin lacks private spaces that are offered in first class and business class cabins.
Economy class - Long-haul flights of Lufthansa's economy class has a 31-inch seat pitch. In Airbus A380 though, the seat pitch is 33-inch. The perks of the economy class include meals along with free drinks. The entire fleet of Lufthansa has A/V on demand screens which are personal and attached to the passenger's seat.
Popular routes and top cities for Lufthansa
Lufthansa's domestic routes within Germany and Europe are the most popular routes for the airline. Many international routes are taken by Lufthansa also cater to a majority of American cities along with the United Kingdom. The top cities for the airline include Vienna, Brussels, Minsk, Rio de Janeiro, Toronto, Vancouver, Beijing, Prague, Copenhagen, Cairo, Addis Ababa, Paris, Nice, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Munich, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Athens, Hong Kong, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Dublin, Rome, Milan, Tokyo, Nairobi, Kuwait City, Amsterdam, Singapore, Seoul, Zurich, Bangkok, Dubai, London, New York City, San Francisco, Houston, Los Angeles, Seattle and more. Lufthansa is also a recognised cargo carrier that flies to all the six continents.
Why travel by Lufthansa?
Lufthansa is easily one of the largest carriers in the world with tremendous flight activity and excellent connectivity. The airlines are known to serve a plethora of international cities in the world. The airlines' strong domestic routes, as well as international routes, enable its ability to reach multitudes of continents and popular international cities. The baggage allowance of Lufthansa also matches the standards set by a majority of top airlines in the world. Not to mention how booking a Lufthansa flight is extremely easy and convenient. You can browse online to book a Lufthansa flight, and you will find many of those. The miles benefits and lounge services offered by the airline is also quite top-notch. This basically means that as a premium member, you will be able to avail the perks of Lufthansa lounge in Frankfurt Airport as well as some of the other lounges set in other international airports. The miles would help you purchase affordable tickets or even get an upgrade to first-class or business class. You can opt for web check-in on Lufthansa's website as well as learn about the flight status and flight schedule. Lufthansa's in-flight services are world-class and promise to offer the best hospitality and facilities to the passengers.
About Trivandrum Airport
Trivandrum International Airport serves as the international airport to Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala. The airport came into existence in 1932 and has been recorded as the first airport of the state. It is also acknowledged as the fifth international airport that was installed by former Prime Minister of India, VP Singh. Despite being the state capital, Trivandrum International Airport is the second busiest airport, following Kochi International Airport. In the country, Trivandrum International Airport falls in the fourteenth position as the busiest airport in India. The airport recorded to accommodate about 4.4 million passengers, as on 2018-19, with aircraft movements of 33,093 in the same year. Trivandrum International Airport is only 3.7 kilometres away from the city centre and about 13 km from Technopark and 16 km from Kovalam beach. The airport is sprawled across an area of 700 acres of land. Currently, the airport handles two terminals, each dedicated to domestic and international flight operations, respectively. The airport also purveys to the Indian Air Force and the Indian Coast Guard. In fact, IAF has an exclusive apron reserved for operations of the government security body. Additionally, it also allows pilot training activities that are facilitated by the Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation technology.
About Trivandrum International Airport terminals
The airport has two terminals, one reserved for domestic operations and the second for international operations. Air India is the only airline which operates from the terminal 2. Ground operations at the international terminal are also handled by Air India SATS Airport Services Pvt. Ltd. and Bhadra International India Pvt. Ltd. The terminal is fully air-conditioned and has WiFi facilities available. Some of the other features of the international terminal include exquisite lounges, brilliant natural lights with the use of glass roofing and efficient conveyance services for passengers. Meanwhile, the domestic terminal mostly caters to good cafes, book shops, phone-recharging points and more. Along with the terminals, Trivandrum International Airport also has a narrow-body maintenance, repair and overhaul unit (MRO) operated by Air India. They cater to twin hangars for services of Boeing 737-type of aircraft and a plethora of Air India Express aircraft. At a time, two aircraft can be accommodated simultaneously at the two hangars of MRO.
Terminal 1 - Terminal 1 or the domestic terminal covers an area of 99,000 square feet and has the capacity to handle 400 passengers at a go. Into Place Services fuelling operations that are facilitated by IndianOil Skytanking are also present in the domestic terminal.
Terminal 2 - Terminal 2 is a newly built building that has three jetways along with parking bays that can handle eight aircraft. It is built right opposite Terminal 1 and is closer to the city side. Constructed by the Airports Authority of India, the designs for the new terminal were taken up by architects of the UK-based firm, Pascall+Watson. The terminal serves as a catalyst for the development of the IT sector as well as the tourism industry of the southern districts of the state of Kerala. The international terminal is sprawled across an area of 380,000 square feet. It is capable of handling passengers of large aircraft such as three Airbus A340s and one Boeing 747. The passenger crowd mainly adds up to roughly 1500 passengers.
Meanwhile, the recorded passenger handling capacity has been recorded at 1.8 million, in a year. The area of the check-in floor is about 10,200 square feet while the arrival area covers about 6,500 square feet. With a view to enabling the passengers to check-in at any counter without having to waste time, the airport has installed a Common Users Terminal Equipment (CUTE). Along with this, there are X-ray machines installed right next to the conveyor belts to enable faster clearance of baggage. The terminal's entrance is perfectly connected to the Chacka-Eenchakkal road. A bridge has also been constructed across the Parvathy Puthanar canal that links the new international terminal to the Kazhakuttam-Inchivila National Highway. Further, the car park space of the terminal can accommodate nearly 600 cars.
About Airport Authority
Trivandrum International Airport is owned and operated by the Airports Authority of India. The statutory body has taken up the responsibility to manage, operate and maintain the airport's infrastructure. It has also undertaken roles of upgradation and expansion of the airport terminals and runways. Over the years, AAI has worked extensively towards making Trivandrum International Airport a state-of-the-art structure. They have enabled world-class facilities and installed better equipment for efficiency.
As part of the expansion plans proposed by the Airports Authority of India, they have demanded 82 acres of land to demolish the existing domestic terminal and to construct a new one altogether. The airport authority also plans to install newer and better facilities in the domestic terminal of Trivandrum International Airport. On the same, the state government has agreed to acquire about 18 acres for construction purposes of the domestic terminal. The new terminal that they plan to construct would be sprawled across 40,000 square metres to spruce up the city's common airport terminal area. Works regarding the new terminal, including blueprints of the new terminal building, have already begun at the AAI headquarters. They plan to complete the construction of the new terminal in about 18 to 24 months as soon as the Kerala government hands over the portion of land to the airport authorities. The new terminal is said to be a replica of the existing terminal 2.
Facilities at the Trivandrum International Airport
ATMs and forex counters – As an international airport, Trivandrum International Airport has provisions for currency exchange. You can find these counters in the arrivals section of the airport terminal.
Medical services – The airport has installed medical services and facilities to cater to emergency cases. There are dedicated rooms as well as free medical services that passengers can avail, in case they are facing some discomfort or unrest. Along with medical centres, the airport also has pharmacies.
Lounges – There are luxe lounges also available at the airport. Both the domestic and international terminals have lounge services which can only be accessed by specific ticket holders or VIP guests.
Baby care room – Child care rooms have been installed at the airport premise to make travelling easy for parents with infants. These rooms can be utilized for breastfeeding and diaper-changing activities.
Smoking zones – The airport follows a strict no-smoking protocol in public spaces. They have instead installed smoking zones for travellers who wish to smoke. These can be found at both the terminals of the airport.
Baggage – The baggage services are impeccable at the airport. They include facilities of trolleys, baggage wrapping services and porter systems.
Top airlines flying from Trivandrum International Airport
Presently, Trivandrum International Airport sees an equal amount of domestic and international flight operations. Some of the top domestic airlines operating from Trivandrum International Airport are Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Vistara. While the number of domestic airlines operating from Trivandrum International Airport is limited, the international flights are aplenty. Many international airlines that operate from Trivandrum Airport include Air Arabia, Air India Express, Emirates, British Airways, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways, Maldivian, Malindo Air, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Scoot and SriLankan Airlines. A majority of cities that the airport is connected to are Sharjah, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Riyadh, Kochi, Coimbatore, Doha, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, London, Bahrain, Kuwait, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Colombo, to name a few. Trivandrum International Airport also accommodates cargo facilities and operations to be conducted from the airport terminal. Some of the important carriers include Blue Dart Aviation, Emirates SkyCargo, FitsAir, Qatar Airways Cargo, SriLankan Cargo and Saudia Cargo.
How to reach Trivandrum International Airport
By Road
Trivandrum International Airport is located in proximity with National Highway 66. The airport has been situated in such a way that access to the city is enhanced. The new integrated terminal is perfectly connected to the city centre. Various buses can reach you to Trivandrum International Airport. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation mainly operates these buses. They have bus services across the city and interstate as well. You can easily reach the Trivandrum International Airport from the city limits. Plus, they are cheap and affordable too so travelling to reach Trivandrum International Airport is convenient. You can also opt for prepaid taxi service to reach both the terminals of Trivandrum International Airport. Cab aggregators such as Uber and Ola also have services in the city to reach Trivandrum International Airport. The cab fare is also fixed on Ola and Uber so you wouldn't have to haggle with the taxi driver.
By Rail
The airport is in reach of the city's central railway stations, Kochuveli Railway Station and Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station. They are located about 5 km and 5.5. km away from Trivandrum International Airport, respectively. The city is perfectly connected with the rest of the state from the railway station. You can easily reach the Trivandrum International Airport from the railway station. There are prepaid taxi cabs and other such services also available from the railway station.
