DEL-SXR: Advice needed
 

I need to make my way to SXR for a wedding later this month from DEL. I have the option to fly Kingfisher, Jet, or Indigo. This will be my first domestic flight in India. I'm hoping you experts could give me your opinion.

The departure times do not matter much to me as I will be spending a few days in DEL before and after the wedding.

Thank you in advance,

GPESO8

Of the 3 choices you gave, I'd probably choose to fly IndiGo.

Kingfisher is bankrupt. Lots of cancellations, unreliable service, poorly maintained cabins, demoralized staff who haven't been paid in months. Definitely avoid

Jet Airways is alright assuming you can deal with the fact that you are flying in an advertisement. I find it extremely annoying and tacky. I'm sure some other forum members who fly 9W more regularly can fill you in on exactly why you should avoid it.

IndiGo is a no-frills low cost carrier. Reasonably reliable, clean planes, professional crews.

And FWIW, I would definitely suggest Air India (Indian Airlines) on this route. The flight has a good on-time record, the food is unparalleled in the sky for a hop of this length, and the product is comfortable.

I second PVDtoDEL's recommendation to think about AI, if the times work with your schedule.

Of the choices you gave, IndiGo would be your best bet. 9W is okay-ish, but as PVD said, you're going to be flying in a travelling advertisement. Just ask jasepl about his recent trip as a guest on 9W from GOI-BOM. :)

I'd just go with the lowest fare, since it's a relatively short 80 minute hop.

Thanks! It looks like the price difference between Jet, Indigo and Kingfisher is only around 15 USD. Whereas, AI is around 100 USD more.

9W's business class is priced out the same as AI's economy on the day that I want to fly. Any thoughts on 9W's business class on such a short flight? I assume it's not worth it.

I vote for Indigo too.

9W F is fine but I would not pay an extra $100 for an 80 minute

AI is definitely not worth a $100 premium on a 1.5 hour flight.

Business is also probably not worth it.

Quite honestly, I'd just choose between Jet and IndiGo based on most convenient timings...

If both have equally good timings, I'd choose Jet Airways(9W code) over Indigo over JetKonnect (S2 code). At least I think it would be an S2 code - I vaguely remember some talk about Jet Airways putting either 9W or S2 codes on JetKonnect flights or something. Easiest way to confuse the customer ;)

Not worth it, if you ask me.

Only real benefits would be the seat, the hot towel, and the reduction of advertisements. If you hold a platinum mastercard, you might already have lounge access.

I'd just brave it out in an exit-row Y if I were you, and spend the extra 100 bucks on myself. :)

Thank you once again! One of the Jet flights is operated by JetKonnect. I will avoid that flight. Are there a ton of annoying advertisements on flights operated under the 9W code?

JetKonnect and Jet both operate the same planes - an aircraft can fly DEL-SXR as JetKonnect, then turn around and fly SXR-DEL as Jet Airways. So the spamvertising is the same...

However, on Jet Airways full service flights, refreshments are complimentary, rather than for purchase. That has the effect of reducing the annoyance of the advertising.

Quite honestly, I think IndiGo is probably the way to go... Or fly Jet one way, IndiGo (or AI if it is cheaper on the return date) the other. That way you can know what you were missing :D

Thanks, that is probably what I will do. I'll fly DEL-SXR on 9W. I need to return to BOM and it looks like Indigo is the only airline flying SXR-BOM so I will use Indigo for the return! :)

Sounds like a plan.

Please report how the trip goes :)

Unrelated question: How much time would you spend in Delhi? It will be my first time in the city. Do you think two full days is sufficient? I'm trying to squeeze in a few days in Delhi and a few days in Mumbai at both ends of this trip. I have friends in Mumbai and have been before, but this will be my first time in Delhi.

Could you cram DEL into 2 days? Sure. Will you miss a lot of the city? Definitely.

Especially if you want to do the day trip to Agra thing which most tourists seem to think about, 1 day in Delhi is not a lot of time...

Is this one of your first trips to India? I ask because I have a nifty list of precautions/preparations for us US-Based folk to note prior to going there. PM me if you want a copy.

As for covering DEL, I'm no expert on the city, but 2 days is really not sufficient for any Indian city IMO. Try to hit the main tourist spots, but also be aware that those areas will be frequented by some unsavory folk looking to rip off/rob foreigners.

I'm not trying to be morose; I'm just trying to give you a heads up to be careful, as you would in any new foreign city, India or otherwise. One of my worst experiences in the world happened in Madrid, just because I wasn't careful enough. And Madrid is my favority city in the world. Just goes to show...

I'm going to have a little more than two full days in Delhi and then a overnight in Agra. Thanks for all your help, i'll make sure to let you know how the flights go!