Pedler

It is possible that they might have been doing some type of maintenance in F, which made it more practical to begin Y boarding rather than delay all boarding until the task was completed.


Congrats on the upgrade, that's a HUGE OpUp on that long of a flight.

dstan

That is, indeed, the op-up of op-ups on AA - congratulations, aktchi!

Your thread has now been merged into the consolidated AA thread on this topic.

Also, for the real reason for the unusual boarding order at DEL, see this Trip Report (which happens to be by yours truly):
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...port-pics.html

/Moderator

aktchi

Thanks, that's a most enjoyable report. I have added one suggestion in that thread that people changing dollars upon arrival should inquire about commissions charged by various banks. Last I checked Thomas Cook charged 3% while the Indian banks had no commission.

jules1651

I am making this trip in late May (ORD > DEL > HYD and back). I am trying to decide whether it's worth it to upgrade considering it's 80K miles and $700 (work wouldn't let me book other than in N and I only have Gold status). Has anyone had any luck upgrading on the day of the flight in cash? If so, how much was it? My last DEL > ORD was a pain, mostly owing to the fact that the agent changed my seat to a middle seat and I didn't notice until I boarded.

benzguy80

hi jules1651, welcome to FT

is your trip already booked? if not, then I suggest booking based on availability of immediate upgrade with miles+copay. if it is booked then the best you can hope for (without rebooking) is you can get upgrades both ways requested over the phone from AA. without elite status this will be dicey.

at a minimum you should be able to see and adjust your seat assignment using AA.com; exit row seats that recline aren't J but they are an improvement over the typical coach seat.

good luck
benzguy80

riteshraja

ORD-DEL lands at 8:30 PM local time. That seems an early enough hour to get onward connections (DEL-BOM) but AA.com is only showing the next connection at 6:30 AM. Is there a hotel at the airport?

Spiff

The reason for that is once you land, clear immigration, get baggage, and transfer to the domestic terminal, that DEL-BOM flight is long gone.

Even though they are not at the airport, both of the local Sheraton properties are very good and will meet you at arrivals if you notify them ahead of time. You can also arrange transportation to the domestic terminal for the next day's flight after a good night's rest.

pauleeepaul

Spiff nailed it. If you haven't been there you don't know how big/chaotic it is. I would say 3 hours would be minimum connection time. Domestic is a wholly separate terminal, a good 25-30 minute ride, and although there is a bus I would suggest having a driver meet you if only for the transfer. You can do that with the later BA arrival after midnight, sitting in the car for an hour or so before the first flight opens, but for the AA flight the Sheratons are the best bet.

The domestic lounge is desparate- although open 24 hours not where you would want to spend ~10 hours.

hillrider

Quick question--my searching revealed the Radisson as the closest/most convenient hotel for this type of (non)connection; they include airport transfers in the AAA rate I got. Any opinion appreciated.

AA's minumum international-to-domestic connection time when arriving at DEL is 3 hours, which coincides with the airport's default MCT.

aktchi

There's an Air India flight AI349 at 3:05AM but it does not operate everyday (currently Su, M, W, F only; check your specific date, arrival +1) and AA may not be offering it anyway. If it operates on your date (+1 after arrival!), you can purchase it on your own. Look at airindia.com.

One advantage of the AI flight, it will leave from the International Terminal itself, avoiding the need for terminal change. The disadvantage is that after your long flight, you may be in no shape to keep going all of the night again.

If you can, consider one night's rest at a hotel near the airport. However, you'd be getting to your bed no earlier than 11PM and getting up at 4AM may not be your first wish, so if your schedule allows, a late morning or even early afternoon flight may serve you better. DEL-BOM sector is very well served wih flights almost every 1/2 hour.

riteshraja

Thank you all for the suggestions. I think I will go with the suggestion of staying a night in DEL and fly out on a seperate ticket the next day. AA is giving me only 1 option of flying out next day at a rather early 6:20AM.

aktchi

If AA is giving you the ORD-DEL-BOM fare at the same price as ORD-DEL, then they may be required to book you on the first available flight, for DEL to be a "connection" and not a "stop". In this case, one has to decide if the savings are worth the inconvenience.

If however, they are charging extra for the DEL-BOM flight, tehre's not even the remotest reason to put with any inconvenience:

(1) Call AA phone agent and ask them for a later flight. They have more options not shown on aa.com .

(2) Just buy ORD-DEL from AA. As I said there's a DEL-BOM flight almost every 1/2 hour. Look at the schedule at ixigo.com, cleartrip.com, etc. You can buy the connecting flight yourself, preferably from the carrier.

platboy

Yup, Radisson is closest and most convenient

wolberine

Ugh..I have nightmares just thinking about trying to do a connect like this in Delhi....

theblakefish

I know that the 2 local Sheraton properties offer transport, but does the Le Meriden?