Flying to India - Airlines suggestions
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Posted on: 17-10-10 16:47:17
Jet Airways is great if you don't care about redeeming your miles. Service is nice, food is very good. If you do want to redeem your JPMiles, you will be in for a nasty surprise if you try to book international flights. They charge a HUGE fee as taxes+surcharges that's a substantial portion of your ticket fare (I remember around $400 for a normal $1200-1400 fare), have very very few award seats per flight, and make the process very user-unfriendly. It will be very unlikely for you to get more than 2 award seats per flight (keep this in mind if traveling with family).
Redeeming miles for domestic flights within India is easier and surcharges are lower, although it will feel like you are wasting your miles, as fares are so cheap in INR anyway.
If you look through their website, they have many frequent flyer arrangements with other airlines. They will claim that it is easy to use your JPMiles to get tickets on these airlines. Nonsense. You have to go through an arcane process of requesting a booking through an online form, selecting dates and waiting for them to get back to you (they will inevitably forget, so you have to call them during IST business hours). This process will be hit or miss. During busy periods, your chances of getting a ticket on one of these partner airlines is basically zilch. Moreover, once you do book a ticket, you will be unable to change it to any other date without losing all of your miles.
I know this from recent personal experience of trying to use JPMiles to book a domestic ticket on United Airlines.
If you care about redeeming your miles and want maximum flexibility, stick with Star Alliance (United, Continental, Air Canada, Lufthansa, or soon Air India (from March 2011)). The aeroplan system is so easy to use, allowing you to make bookings online, see seat availability for over a year in advance, etc. Emirates offers great service, but its miles are not portable to any other airline.
I would gladly endure a substandard flight for 20 hours, if it meant that I had a lot of control over how to redeem my miles.
Thanks ... for sharing your experience. 
Has anybody tired to redeem their miles in Emirates? Do they expire? Is it worth to pay a bit more (say $100) for Emirates to keep the miles accumulating ?
Quote:
Originally posted by homer729
Jet Airways is great if you don't care about redeeming your miles. Service is nice, food is very good. If you do want to redeem your JPMiles, you will be in for a nasty surprise if you try to book international flights. They charge a HUGE fee as taxes+surcharges that's a substantial portion of your ticket fare (I remember around $400 for a normal $1200-1400 fare), have very very few award seats per flight, and make the process very user-unfriendly. It will be very unlikely for you to get more than 2 award seats per flight (keep this in mind if traveling with family).
Redeeming miles for domestic flights within India is easier and surcharges are lower, although it will feel like you are wasting your miles, as fares are so cheap in INR anyway.
If you look through their website, they have many frequent flyer arrangements with other airlines. They will claim that it is easy to use your JPMiles to get tickets on these airlines. Nonsense. You have to go through an arcane process of requesting a booking through an online form, selecting dates and waiting for them to get back to you (they will inevitably forget, so you have to call them during IST business hours). This process will be hit or miss. During busy periods, your chances of getting a ticket on one of these partner airlines is basically zilch. Moreover, once you do book a ticket, you will be unable to change it to any other date without losing all of your miles.
I know this from recent personal experience of trying to use JPMiles to book a domestic ticket on United Airlines.
If you care about redeeming your miles and want maximum flexibility, stick with Star Alliance (United, Continental, Air Canada, Lufthansa, or soon Air India (from March 2011)). The aeroplan system is so easy to use, allowing you to make bookings online, see seat availability for over a year in advance, etc. Emirates offers great service, but its miles are not portable to any other airline.
I would gladly endure a substandard flight for 20 hours, if it meant that I had a lot of control over how to redeem my miles.
Quote:It is true, but checked in baggage transit can be very tricky.
Originally posted by indiarocks
Multiple airlines usually works out cheaper and more options.
Multiple airlines on same trip works best if you have only carry-on.
2 or more connections become very tricky, both from timing perspective and bag switching.
If one of the flights is slightly delayed causing you to miss the connection, if it's the same airlines, they will always make alternative arrangements or provide you over-night stay at an airport hotel.
However, if those are different airlines they may say you are SOL esp. if you have the lowest coach ticket.
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"Mah deah, there is much more money to be made in the destruction of civilization than in building it up."
-- Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind"
Quote:
Originally posted by mitsaus
Thanks ... for sharing your experience.
Has anybody tired to redeem their miles in Emirates? Do they expire? Is it worth to pay a bit more (say $100) for Emirates to keep the miles accumulating ?
Skywards (Emirates) expires every 3 years. Used Emirates multiple times but never been able to redeem points due to expiry or not enough points.
A point to note is that though they might expire you do get the oppurtunity to redeem those miles for online raffles or donate them to charity or some other rewards.
There are better loyalty programs out there.
And Emirates from Toronto do not have the best connections to Mumbai. There is a 3+ hours layover in Dubai and then reach Mumbai bang in the middle of the night.
Has anybody travelled to India via USA? Why do they tell us that using the US option works out cheaper?
Whats the logic?
Quote:
Originally posted by pratickm
Quote:It is true, but checked in baggage transit can be very tricky.
Originally posted by indiarocks
Multiple airlines usually works out cheaper and more options.
Multiple airlines on same trip works best if you have only carry-on.
2 or more connections become very tricky, both from timing perspective and bag switching.
If one of the flights is slightly delayed causing you to miss the connection, if it's the same airlines, they will always make alternative arrangements or provide you over-night stay at an airport hotel.
However, if those are different airlines they may say you are SOL esp. if you have the lowest coach ticket.
I redeemed Emirates miles (actually sold tickets to a family flying to Europe and reasonably discounted price). I know Jet Airways and miles do not really work as good as Emirates.
Given a chance to fly in Jet, I would prefer it over emirates.
Quote:
Originally posted by mitsaus
Thanks ... for sharing your experience.
Has anybody tired to redeem their miles in Emirates? Do they expire? Is it worth to pay a bit more (say $100) for Emirates to keep the miles accumulating ?
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The cowards never started,
The weak died on the way,
Only the strong arrived.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yK1i9cLAMM
Quote:More airlines, more frequency, more competition, lower airport taxes, etc.
Originally posted by mitsaus
Why do they tell us that using the US option works out cheaper?
Whats the logic?
It's tough on the way back though since you are already tired and after arriving in Detroit or New York or Chicago, you have several more hrs. ahead of you before you get back home.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Mah deah, there is much more money to be made in the destruction of civilization than in building it up."
-- Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind"
