Originally Posted by
SeeBuyFly
Actually at DEL you are now allowed into international departures 6 hours before your flight...
I did see that and it is good to know for future reference. In this case, the total connection time being something like 9 hours, with two long flights to follow (DEL-LHR-LAX) I would still advise her to book the transit hotel for 5-6 hours.
I think 3-4 hrs should be plenty for formalities and duty-free shops.