[funkydevil]

Hey guys,

Needed some advice......I am flying to london on the 20th of this month. I am a student and would be going there for my graduation. Now, since I have booked a ticket on Virgin Atlantic, I would like to know your opinion of the flight on how the service, food etc is.

Got it for 28,170/- Return (With taxes included :-)

[amitpunjani]

Originally Posted by funkydevil

Hey guys,

Needed some advice......I am flying to london on the 20th of this month. I am a student and would be going there for my graduation. Now, since I have booked a ticket on Virgin Atlantic, I would like to know your opinion of the flight on how the service, food etc is.

Got it for 28,170/- Return (With taxes included :-)

Hi Buddy

The flight is excellent, with good quality Indian food served,made the rite choice. After Virgin the second best is Jet airways.

Enjoy

Amit

[finneyp]

Anyone flew by Spice Jet / Indigo in Blore - Delhi sector?

If so, how was the experience?

[sammyboy]

i have flown SpiceJet quite a few times for Del-Blr and the experience has been great everytime. IF they get late they usually send SMS's and the in flight experience is also good.

[finneyp]

Thanks Sammy for the feedback on SpiceJet!

Am awaiting feedback on Indigo, after all Yeti has given 5 stars to Indigo!

[phamilyman]

Indigo has by far the best timings, though not the best seat pitch.

lovely ontime departures, and the recent slump means middle seat definitely free and maybe even both - so come sleeping

I've done it several times. With corporate booking, u get free meal. Either Jet or Indigo for me. KF is bad with punctuality - its only when one has time to burn

Spicejet is also quite good, though not clearly cutting edge like Indigo is (handheld scanner for boarding passes at gate) often SMSes, but the stellar customer service through call center is exemplary. Makes Jet look like the elitist jokers they are. Check my posts coupla pages back in this thread only.

[harry10]

Why dont we have a poll here to give people a fair idea which airline is best to travel?
Mods -any clue?

[finneyp]

I have booked on Indigo based on the positive feedback by Bhpians on this thread!
I booked it directly on Indigo site (guided by ixigo.com), and the total fare (BLR - DEL) was Rs.5325/- one way.

Thanks Phamilyman & others for the feedback!

Indigo is a good LCC, you should not have any troubles. Enjoy the flight.

[Brabus E V12]

Originally Posted by finneyp

BA and AF (Air France) stewards are known for their snotty attitude!

Better to fly with Jet or Kingfisher (they will be starting US flights soon!).

BA staff are really pathetic. Plus the planes(atleast economy) have lesser leg room as compared to Virgin/Jet. Plus it is a fact that BA is the 2nd worst airline in the world for losing baggage.

The first and last time I took it I went from DEL-LON-MANCHESTER

DEL-LON: Very less leg room even though I am only 5.10, Basic customer service, Disgusting food
LON-MAN: Was given a sandwich role. As we were hungry, I asked for another one and her words were "You want another one? You just had one and you want another one?" in the most sarcastic manner you can imagine.
So I also became besharam and said "Yes I WOULD like another one". She did give it to me although I don't think she slept that night thinking she had given an extra sandwich to a passenger!

[Brabus E V12]

Originally Posted by revvedup

Which would be the best airline (luggage allowance+VFM) wise for travelling on the DEL-LHR route ?

Which airline has the best student fares and luggage allowances on this sector ?

BA usually has good student fares and luggage allowance but trust me it is a crap airline. And these student tickets are usually one way and it will be a big prob to bring the luggage you will have when you come back. Unless they have now introduced return student fares??

If you are buying a return ticket(non-student), and you want luggage allowance nothing can beat Air India. You can always use the tried and tested method "Uncle I am student please jaane do" Trust me they do let you go. They as it is have a higher baggage allowance.

Don't travel on Virgin unless you have the student luggage allowance because they are very strict with luggage allowance.

If you want to know more tricks of how to carry far more lugagge than is allowed, let me know I'll tell you.

[hondadude]

I am a very loyal customer of Singapore airlines when it comes to traveling between Bangalore and San Francisco. However, sometimes due to last minute changes, I end up traveling with other airlines. I had a horrid experience with BA in April so this time I had booked ahead on SA. As my luck would have had it, this time also I had to cancel my flight at the last moment and reschedule, but that meant Singapore Airlines ticket wasn't available. I was wondering about my choices when a friend walked into my office saying "I just came back by Jet and its awesome". That made my decision and I chose that option.

My flight from Bangalore was at 7:40 am (reaches Mumbai at 9:15) and the flight from Mumbai leaves at 11:00. I was a bit worried because that leaves only an hour and 45 minutes to collect bags and go to international terminal. However I was assured that it is a connecting flight and I don't have to worry. I was still a bit wary of it.

Left Bangalore a couple of weeks back on a Sunday and that meant it look less than an hour to reach Airport from South Bangalore and when I checked in, I got my first pleasant surprise. My bags would be thru checked-in from Bangalore itself. That meant, Jet will take care to ensure that they go to my international flight without me having to worry about anything.

When I reached Mumbai, I contacted a Jet airways staff who directed me to go to international transfer area and ensured that they would take care of the bags. Transfer from Domestic to International on a rickety bus with no a/c was a hot (sic) experience in Mumbai and I was cursing myself for not anticipating that and dressing appropriately. Almost everyone in the bus was heading for SFO flight or so it seemed. Once we reached the airport, it was a long walk to reach the plane. I haven't walked this long in any Indian airport before so it seemed weird.

The plane itself was very nice. A newly outfitted plane with 10" screens in economy and very nice seats. A small observation, when you incline your back the seat moves forward. That makes it a lot more comfortable than usual seats. There is a pouch instead of a foot-rest to rest your feet. Sorta like a hammock for feet. I haven't seen that before. Very nice.

Flight from Mumbai to Shanghai was around 6 hours long and the food was served in the first couple of hours. By the time we landed in Shanghai, people were hungry again. Since this is a very short stop in Shanghai (one hour), all the transit passengers are huddled in a small area right outside the gate. That means, no access to airport food and shopping areas. There is nothing in that area except for a restroom and water dispenser. The water dispenser serves only warm and hot water. If you want cold water, there is a guy with a few small bottles of cold water on a table selling them for USD 3 a piece. No food for hungry souls. Fortunately, I was warned of this by a friend so I had packed something for myself which I shared with two other hungry co-passengers.

Food on Jet Airways was good. However, they are way behind in this aspect compared to Singapore Airlines. If want to snack on something between the meals, they have bite sized peanut packets (meaning they are very small). While in Singapore airlines, they have a wide variety of snacks available at all times.

The same goes for service as well. They are missing several nuances of what constitutes excellent service but I am sure they will get there.

The entertainment system is awesome, when it works. They have very good Hollywood and Bollywood choices. Since the screen is a touch screen, one doesn't have to use the remote (which is very conveniently located below the screen, instead of usual inside the armrest position). On my return flight, system wasn't working for most of the seats and that turned my journey into a long/boring one. A small niggle which I am sure will get sorted out.

So, here goes my rating of this option from Bangalore - SFO.

Convenience: 7/10. Thru check-in is a positive. Transfer from domestic to international is not a pleasant experience. Very quick option from Mumbai with only one hour stop in Shangai, is a positive.

Comfort: 9/10. Very comfortable seats. Since the seats are thinner than usual, I felt they had more leg room as well.

Food: 6/10. Good quality food but not enough of it.

Entertainment: 9/10. Awesome!

Service: 7.5/10. Way better than european and american airlines but not as good as Singapore.

Will I take them again ? If Jet has a flight direct from Bangalore instead of Mumbai, the answer would be an emphatic YES. Currently, they would be my option when I don't get tickets on Singapore Airlines.

[vineetmanghani]

Hi All,

I'm getting married in November and going to Egypt on my Honeymoon. I have booked a package thru SOTC and they have booked me and my fiancee on the following Gulf Air flights:

26-Nov----Wed----DEL-BAH----GF 131----0730----0900

26-Nov----Wed----BAH-CAI----GF 71----1000----1215

4-Dec----Thu----CAI-BAH----GF 70----1420----1835

5-Dec----Fri----BAH-DEL----GF 130----0001----0615+1


Any reviews/experiences on Gulf Air? Any other suggestions/advice are most welcome. I have traveled both international and domestic quite a bit, but never to the African continent. Anyone having experiences from there is most welcome to share.

Thanks in advance!

Cheers,
Vineet

PS: Great thread BTW...I'd read it some months back in one go! []

[Proxima]

Hi all,

I am going to Detroit on an assignment this weekend, taking the 1 30 AM flight to Detroit via Paris on Sunday - Air France.

Would request someone to guide me on dos and donts as this is my first international travel. Thanks a ton.

[finneyp]

Proxima, the security check in Paris is very strict even for transit passengers, so don't carry any liquid items (like Deo, after shave lotion, perfume etc) in your hand bag, put it in the check-in baggage.

Other than that, the flight and transit will be a breeze!