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How Early We Should Book Flight Tickets To India? Any Inputs?

Discussion in 'General Discussions - USA & Canada' started by gknew, Jan 3, 2019.

  1. DDream

    DDream Finest Post Winner

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    If you are traveling from east coast to Chennai, you can get good deals with middle eastern flights like Qatar, ethihad,emirates etc. One advantage is Chennai can be your first port of entry to India, that will save your time and energy from switching from international to domestic airport. In some case we need to collect checkin baggage and move to domestic. So I always make sure my destination airport as first entry so all these issues will not be there. It helped a lot as I travel with my kids during India trips.

    If you select ethihad, on returning to USA, they carry out immigration clearance from Abudhabi itself and that will save our time waiting in que for hours ( sometimes) especially in usa airport. Also we dont have to transfer luggage in port of entry but can collect it at our destination airport. It will be a great help if you travel with kids [ once I waited in que for more than one hour in Chicago airport for immigration clearance, it was a horrible experience as I was traveling with my toddler alone during that trip]. It helped me a lot. There is no special que for mother or kid in us airport, but I noticed it in Indian and middle eastern sirports.

    You can check sites like Expedia, Orbitz etc to get an idea of all flights available during your period of interest. Happy Journey!
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2019
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  2. gknew

    gknew Gold IL'ite

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    Thank you so much @DDream.
    I am checking flight tickets to Chennai. But my destination city is Coimbatore. I should catch a domestic flight from Chennai.
     
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  3. Laks09

    Laks09 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Look at Singapore airlines also for CBT. You may find good deals and that flight flies in directly from Changi to CBT.

    I know in Mumbai and Chennai you have to go from domestic to international terminals. In blr the terminals aren’t too far apart. Blr also has a lot of airlines flying in. My sil sometimes flies into Chennai/blr and stays in a hotel for a few hrs before her flight to CBT. I’ve started doing the same on my way back. Stay in a hotel near the airport for the 3 am flight rather than drive at night for three hrs.

    Goodness, I can’t wait for my trip in a few weeks after all these discussions! Have fun planning! The first trip is so nostalgic.
     
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  4. gknew

    gknew Gold IL'ite

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    Thank you!!
    Happy journey to you!! Have fun!!
     
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  5. Sunshine04

    Sunshine04 Platinum IL'ite

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  6. gknew

    gknew Gold IL'ite

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  7. 1Sandhya

    1Sandhya Platinum IL'ite

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    Hey Laks,
    Emirates BC for some reason carries only the requested number of preordered veg meals. And not one extra. As you observed such pre ordering doesn’t seem required for the non veggies. What we do is pre order the veg, Hindu veg or Asian veg or whichever variant strikes my fancy. If non veg looks more appetizing I can always change my mind then and there and they don’t seem to care but the reverse is not true. if they ever have any extra veg meals it would be only if the passenger in question changed their mind. Just an FYI. This was explained to me by a helpful and chatty air hostess once. Ever since then we have religiously preordered at least 1 veg meal and whoever in the fam feels like veggie that day gets the meal.

    Not defending Emirates business and I do agree the quality of service has gone down in general. Although when we flew them last summer in the midst of the no laptop rule for flights coming into/from DBX they gave us royal treatment. But that was a one off. By the time of our return trip the trump admin had rescinded the requirement and lo and behold they were back to their usual selves.
     
    Last edited: Jan 6, 2019
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  8. 1Sandhya

    1Sandhya Platinum IL'ite

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    Gknew,
    I would suggest you look into air India also. Now they fly direct into many cities. I agree the planes are old and service is bad but you may have more options, better timings/ connections for a city like Coimbatore.
     
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  9. gknew

    gknew Gold IL'ite

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    Thank you @1Sandhya..will check it out.
     
  10. Laks09

    Laks09 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    It was Etihad. I did pre order. I was in business so the service is on demand. That trip I was exhausted, boarded and slept. By the time I woke up, both times, they had run out of veg entrees. I was really annoyed because I had pre ordered my veg meal. Usually they have a ton of sides and other things. They had run out of everything in the first 9 hrs of a 15 hrs flight. Everyone in my row was mad because they had minimal options from the menu available. Thank God they had the kids meals available and served that to both my kids.
     

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