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Another tip - for trains originating out of cities with multiple stations/stops (Mumbai, Bangalore, etc) the tickets get checked post the last station. It is acceptable to have the booking from one station and board from another station in the same city. Basically you aren't tagged as a no-show till the last station is passed.

Took this service on my Axis card last week at Mumbai T2 during our trip to Nairobi. Had never used any of these facilities prior, as I prefer to walk and complete my steps at the airport. My son was curious, so pre booked this 48 hours before and got confirmation 4 hours prior to departure time. Was greeted at entrance by 2 from the concierge agency, and from entrance through security check and immigration - all completed in less than 10minutes flat. They were with us right till boarding. My son enjoyed riding the buggy:)

Hello. I seek your advice on the below situation.

I'm about to book return tickets for my daughter (13) and wife (43) for their flight from Bangalore to Detroit (BLR-DTW) this April.

1. They each have their 10-year tourist visas, issued in 2018, but on their older passports (both made the same trip that year). Would it be okay to carry their current passports along with the older ones that have the visa and show them both when needed?

2. Should I book tickets with their current passport numbers and not the ones that have the visa?

3. They have two choices of routes:

Bangalore - Frankfurt (FRA) - Detroit (Lufthansa)

OR

Bangalore - Paris (CDG) - Detroit (Air France/Delta)

Disregarding the layover periods and flight durations (they change based on dates), which one should we prefer? I hear Air France/Delta operates in a seamless manner, without a need to collect baggage and recheck-in at CDG.

They chose Lufthansa last time, and it wasn't very pleasant (the layover time was under 2 hours; due to delays in the first leg, and being singled out for security checks during the layover, was stressful due to the anxiety of a missed connection, which, thankfully, didn't happen).

4. Are transit visas required for layovers in Frankfurt and Paris?

Thank you for your time.

They need to carry both the passports. The new valid one, and the old one with the US visa stamped.

With the new valid passport

I don’t know about Paris CDG, but Lufthansa and Frankfurt is a hit or miss case – delays and missing baggage transfer is quite a norm. So Air France/Delta maybe a better option.

No, I think. But other members can confirm that.

For 1 & 2, vb-saan's answer applies

For 3. I would still suggest to choose Lufthansa as the singling out during securtiy last time might be due to the delays in the flight and Lufthansa has special queues to fast track layovers to compensate for delays. They always try to get you to your connection, but if not the pax will be put into he next available flight. Air France might be a bit tricky to deal with sometimes. This is my personal experience and might change among different people.

Another option I would suggest is to check if KLM is a possibility and transit via Amsterdam Schipol. I live in the Netherlands for more than a decade and know that Dutch are pragmatic than the rule bound Germans or the Casual French ;)

For 4, pls check on airline websites and also the local government immigration websites (eg. Germany or France). Most of the times if the transit is airside and with a valid US visa, you should be able to skip getting a transit visa. But the rules change (ie need a transit visa) if an airside transit is not possible due to delays in layovers/missed flights etc. This needs careful planning.

CDG airport is SOOO unpredictable, on its bad days no airport in the world comes close to it. The good thing is that your family does not have to go through immigration, that can sometimes be another nightmare. It is one of those airports that still has a lot of bus transfers (as opposed to aerobridges). And whether it's raining...or wintry...the staff will nonchalantly allow you to stew in the cold on the tarmac till the bus arrives (personal experience). And then there are other days like when I passed through 5 weeks back, everything worked superbly well and we enjoyed a nice breakfast at the terminal. So just take your pick and hope for the best, no point worrying about what can go wrong.

Transit visa not required.

I'd go for Air France and CDG. Although both LH & AF run ancient 747-400 (~20+ years) and A330-200 (~18+ years), the latter is (probably!) in 2+3+2 config as opposed to 3+4+3 in the former.

Get a 2-seater window/aisle combo on AF and it will probably better rather than a 3 or 4 seater on either.

Would choose the LH option as Paris (CDG) transit will be a bit tricky at times.

Many thanks @vb-saan, @carthick1000, @reverse_gear, @itwasntme and @volkman10 for your valuable responses.

Why didn't think about this! Thank you for the suggestion. You are indeed correct; the Air France-Delta option runs on A330-200 and A330-300 which have a 2+4+2 combination which would be more comfortable for the family (my mother-in-law accompanied them last time, for which the Boeings suited them fine). However, the Air France-Delta option does not even offer seat selection with their basic fare. :thumbsdown

For these fare class, the seat selection would be possible 48 - 24 hours before travel. You can do web check-in along with seat selection at that time.

Very true! Research the exact timeline and log on in the first minute itself, and bag the good seats. That is what I did with our KLM US (BLR AMS IAD BWI BNH AMS BLR) flights and got the seats we rented for free.

Had to wake up in the middle of the night though, hence check the exact timing in IST terms.

Thank you.

But, the wording on Google flights and the Delta site isn't encouraging.

Google flights simply states "No seat selection".

Delta states "Basic Economy seats will be assigned after check-in (within 24 hours of departure) and assigned seats may not be together. Seat selection, when available, can be purchased 7 days to 24 hours prior to departure. Check the seat map on delta.com or the Fly Delta app for seat availability."

So, do I conclude that seats cannot be selected at any stage?

Both sites also state that such passengers would be the "last to board"! Both of these restrictions don't seem to apply to Lufthansa.

Most Airlines these days do not offer free seat selection when opting for a basic fare. Some airlines offer you to select from a range of "free" seats(if available) while booking, while other airlines allow you select them during web check-in. And some airlines do not even give you to the option to select the seats and they would be auto-assigned to our PNR on check in. I know this seems unreasonable, but this is pretty much the norm now.

Wife and I are transiting thru Dubai and we have a 10 hour layover. Don't qualify for the free hotel stay.(other connection is shorter but it's timing is awful)

What are the options at Dubai airport for relaxing? Sleeping pods? Hotel? Don't have any lounge access card. What would be the costs

Hi reverse_gear,

I'm wondering why folks need to pass immigration checks to catch their connection? Would they be able to do at all without a transit visa?