How good and reliable is Spicejet?
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Benicia, California, USA
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Posts: 10,820
How good and reliable is Spicejet?
I'm contemplating my wife and myself using Spicejet to fly from Kochi, India to Male, Maldives in February. We're also thinking of taking it from Goa to Kochi.
I don't see any recent comments on its service or reliability. How reliable and safe is it? I realize it's a low cost carrier, but how decent is its service in terms of check-in, on-board friendliness and IT reliability?
Also, when I click on a one-way fare option for the Kochi-Male flight, a box pops up saying something along the lines of "OK to Board is mandatory on this flight for one-way passengers. Please see your travel/visa-issuing agent." Does anyone know what this means?
Thanks for any help!
I don't see any recent comments on its service or reliability. How reliable and safe is it? I realize it's a low cost carrier, but how decent is its service in terms of check-in, on-board friendliness and IT reliability?
Also, when I click on a one-way fare option for the Kochi-Male flight, a box pops up saying something along the lines of "OK to Board is mandatory on this flight for one-way passengers. Please see your travel/visa-issuing agent." Does anyone know what this means?
Thanks for any help!
Last edited by Thunderroad; Jun 27, 2016 at 7:06 pm
#2
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: New Zealand
Programs: Air NZ Airpoints and United Mileageplus
Posts: 13
Spicejet went through a really bad patch a few years ago where they didn't have any money to pay for jetfuel and started cancelling flights as a result. I've not flown on them since and wouldn't recommend it. When in India, I fly on Indigo, Jet and Air India (because of the *G connection).
#3
Join Date: Dec 2007
Programs: TK Elite
Posts: 139
I'm contemplating my wife and myself using Spicejet to fly from Kochi, India to Male, Maldives in February. We're also thinking of taking it from Goa to Kochi.
I don't see any recent comments on its service or reliability. How reliable and safe is it? I realize it's a low cost carrier, but how decent is its service in terms of check-in, on-board friendliness and IT reliability?
Also, when I click on a one-way fare option for the Kochi-Male flight, a box pops up saying something along the lines of "OK to Board is mandatory on this flight for one-way passengers. Please see your travel/visa-issuing agent." Does anyone know what this means?
Thanks for any help!
I don't see any recent comments on its service or reliability. How reliable and safe is it? I realize it's a low cost carrier, but how decent is its service in terms of check-in, on-board friendliness and IT reliability?
Also, when I click on a one-way fare option for the Kochi-Male flight, a box pops up saying something along the lines of "OK to Board is mandatory on this flight for one-way passengers. Please see your travel/visa-issuing agent." Does anyone know what this means?
Thanks for any help!
All airlines are mostly bad in India. They will get you from point A to point B - don't expect a good experience. Regardless of which airline you choose, you MUST check-in in advance. It's not required but there's a high probability of getting bumped off without compensation if you don't.
I would pick Air India for myself (which is the best of the sorry lot of them all). I'm actually scheduled to fly AI in a month.
#4
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: USA
Programs: DL Gold / AA Gold
Posts: 609
Spice might be the only nonstop one. So either that or full cost (AI, UL, 9W). Don't even think of connecting on LCC in India.
Try check UL, many times it is cheaper.
Safety isn't a real issue for any airlines (AI pilots fight each other, 9W lets a Bollywood star sing over PA system inflight, etc.)
All airlines are fairly reliable except for constant delays.
NO AIRPORTS are reliable for anything. On my worse days I've seen very long security line, accidentally smuggled a 1L water pass security and have been 'touched' by their useless wands. And after 9+ people checking my documents, I had to go back to security because one overzealous guy couldn't read the date stamp (they never look at the date just any tag with a random stamp works) on my carry-on tag.
But good news, SpiceJet is recovering under new ownership.
Try check UL, many times it is cheaper.
Safety isn't a real issue for any airlines (AI pilots fight each other, 9W lets a Bollywood star sing over PA system inflight, etc.)
All airlines are fairly reliable except for constant delays.
NO AIRPORTS are reliable for anything. On my worse days I've seen very long security line, accidentally smuggled a 1L water pass security and have been 'touched' by their useless wands. And after 9+ people checking my documents, I had to go back to security because one overzealous guy couldn't read the date stamp (they never look at the date just any tag with a random stamp works) on my carry-on tag.
But good news, SpiceJet is recovering under new ownership.
#5
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: EVA Air , * G, QR Privilege Club S
Posts: 5,187
No one needs a visa for Maldives but a return ticket may be required. Spice is a low cost airline operating a Q400 from Cochin India to MLE. It is cheaper than UL as UL goes via CMB and the connections could be bad to MLE from India.
#6
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 1
Most reliable flight - Dont get put off by rumours
I have flown this route about 15 times (Round Trips) in the last four years, the latest being this month. This is a very reliable flight and you have absolutely nothing to worry about. It is a relatively short 1 hour 50 minutes flight and you have food available for purchase on board and the same can be prebooked on the Spice Jet (SG) website also However being a lunch time flight, it is better to have food before you depart and Kochi (COK ) international terminal has a number of good F and B outlets in the departure gate area after you clear security.
Delays are very rare on this flight. As one of the earlier posters mentioned, Spice Jet is under new ownership and now the on board service is back to the original high levels.
Maldives Immigration requires Tourists to have a Return or Onward Ticket to (to another country- not for a domestic flight) when you arrive in the country along with proof of a confirmed hotel booking and evidence of sufficient funds . This is the reason you are getting the" OK to board" message. If you have both the return/onward ticket and the hotel booking there are no issues booking a one way ticket, but make sure your onward ticket shows a confirmed status (as opposed to a waitlisted/request status). Without either of these you will not be allowed to board the aircraft at Cochin. I am assuming that you are not having an Indian passport. If you are having an Indian passport, even if you are a tourist, you should have a return ticket back to India. THere is no separate Visa on Arrival counter at Male' (MLE). You just proceed to immigration on arrival whetre you will be asked for the documents mentioned above. However please do cross check the latest information with any travel agent or airline having access to TIMATIC on their computers.
UL nowadays is much more expensive than Spice Jet. You generally have atleast a 2 hour wait at Colombo. Unless you want to acquire Frequent Flyer miles , it is not worth using UL for this route.
Regarding the connection from Goa to Kochi on Spice Jet. If you are booking this on the Spice Jet website- Goa to Kochi (SG3106/SG 605), then again nothing to worry about. Although a Low Cost airline, for any connection bookings made on Spice Jet website, they will honour the connection. You will be checked right through to Kochi (COK) from Goa (GOI), will be given two boarding passes (For Goa to Chennai and Chennai to Kochi) and your bags will be checked through to Kochi (COK) . You just go to the gate for Kochi at Chennai (MAA), the transit point
This connection (SG 3106/SG 605) has a two hour wait at MAA so chances of missed connection are rare. Also the Goa Chennai flight - SG 3106 - again on Q 400 is another very long running highly reliable flight of Spice Jet while SG 605 on MAA COK which is operated by a Boeing 737 is the aircraft which is used to operate the Kochi Dubai flight later in the night - one of SGs two international flights from COK, the other being to MLE - hence cancellation of the Chennai Kochi flight hardly ever happens. So go ahead will be my advice for the Goa Kochi connection as well.
As for getting bumped off without compensation etc, most of the people making such comments nowadays are not fully aware of the real situation. India has passenger protection laws including those for Denined Boarding Compensation for the last few years and these laws have been made even more stringent recently. Full details are avaiable in the following website of the Directorate General of Civil Aviaton.
http://www.dgca.nic.in/
Spice Jet terms and conditions for Domestic travel given in their wesite also lists out the compensation you are eligible for a missed connection in the unforseen event of that happening.
Happy flying!
NB- I do not work for the airline concerned. Another forum member referred this thread to me as I am a frequent flyer on the route in question.
Delays are very rare on this flight. As one of the earlier posters mentioned, Spice Jet is under new ownership and now the on board service is back to the original high levels.
Maldives Immigration requires Tourists to have a Return or Onward Ticket to (to another country- not for a domestic flight) when you arrive in the country along with proof of a confirmed hotel booking and evidence of sufficient funds . This is the reason you are getting the" OK to board" message. If you have both the return/onward ticket and the hotel booking there are no issues booking a one way ticket, but make sure your onward ticket shows a confirmed status (as opposed to a waitlisted/request status). Without either of these you will not be allowed to board the aircraft at Cochin. I am assuming that you are not having an Indian passport. If you are having an Indian passport, even if you are a tourist, you should have a return ticket back to India. THere is no separate Visa on Arrival counter at Male' (MLE). You just proceed to immigration on arrival whetre you will be asked for the documents mentioned above. However please do cross check the latest information with any travel agent or airline having access to TIMATIC on their computers.
UL nowadays is much more expensive than Spice Jet. You generally have atleast a 2 hour wait at Colombo. Unless you want to acquire Frequent Flyer miles , it is not worth using UL for this route.
Regarding the connection from Goa to Kochi on Spice Jet. If you are booking this on the Spice Jet website- Goa to Kochi (SG3106/SG 605), then again nothing to worry about. Although a Low Cost airline, for any connection bookings made on Spice Jet website, they will honour the connection. You will be checked right through to Kochi (COK) from Goa (GOI), will be given two boarding passes (For Goa to Chennai and Chennai to Kochi) and your bags will be checked through to Kochi (COK) . You just go to the gate for Kochi at Chennai (MAA), the transit point
This connection (SG 3106/SG 605) has a two hour wait at MAA so chances of missed connection are rare. Also the Goa Chennai flight - SG 3106 - again on Q 400 is another very long running highly reliable flight of Spice Jet while SG 605 on MAA COK which is operated by a Boeing 737 is the aircraft which is used to operate the Kochi Dubai flight later in the night - one of SGs two international flights from COK, the other being to MLE - hence cancellation of the Chennai Kochi flight hardly ever happens. So go ahead will be my advice for the Goa Kochi connection as well.
As for getting bumped off without compensation etc, most of the people making such comments nowadays are not fully aware of the real situation. India has passenger protection laws including those for Denined Boarding Compensation for the last few years and these laws have been made even more stringent recently. Full details are avaiable in the following website of the Directorate General of Civil Aviaton.
http://www.dgca.nic.in/
Spice Jet terms and conditions for Domestic travel given in their wesite also lists out the compensation you are eligible for a missed connection in the unforseen event of that happening.
Happy flying!
NB- I do not work for the airline concerned. Another forum member referred this thread to me as I am a frequent flyer on the route in question.
#7
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 2
Returning to Delhi on 30 December - with a different airline - I went to the airport 2 hrs early so I could visit Spice Jet office and demand a PIR. I was told the manager was in a meeting - and he stayed in it for nearly 3 hrs before I eventually had to leave! I did at least manage to get the two SpiceJet staff members to come to us when I insisted they provided the photo of my opened bag which I copied to my phone.
The way I was treated was unbelievable, until I was shouting in frustration trying to get them to simply provide a PIR!. They continued to refuse. With hindsight I realise I should have reported this to the Goa police on 19 December so that at least I'd have a report for my insurance company - who are refusing to recompense me without a PIR! They do not accept that an airline would not have provided this if I had reported a loss to them!
Meanwhile, I have exchanged countless emails with SpiceJet Customer Service/Nodal - and written to SpiceJet owner Ajay Singh - who keep telling me they are investigating this matter - obviously they are NOT!
This is a dishonest airline and I would not recommend anyone to risk flying with them