Best way to Chennai?
 

Dear FT friends,

What alternative would you say is the best way from Stockholm to Chennai?

Either Club World with BA:
- Longer way in miles and hours.
- Probably 777 from LHR and therefore a risk of having no AVOD onboard.
- Probably 777 from LHR and therefore a risk of dodgy old style Club World seats.
+ Could be nice new style Club World.
+ T5 at LHR is relatively nice.
+ Better timing in connections.

Or Business with Qatar Airways:
- Bad timing coming home, looooong connection at DOH.
+ Nice aircraft and service.

Prices are about the same. Pretty annoying that all flights out of Chennai seems to depart at about 4 in the morning.:(

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

//11450

Hi,

Have you tried stockholm to chennai on SN, connecting on Jet Airways? Most flights into India reach late in the night and/or leave quite early in the morning.

Lufthansa is another alternative. If you find anything that connects with the MUC-DEL flight you'd even get daytime arrival into Chennai.

But that would be one extra connection.

If you really want a day flight, I think TG runs day flights to BKK, and I know that TG used to fly to ARN...(They do - I just checked):

STO Stockholm Metro SE = ARN NYO BMA VST
BKK Bangkok Int'l TH [VTBD]
MON 21 Dec 2009

Carrier Flight From Depart To Arrive A/C St Availability
--------- ------ ---- -------- ---- -------- --- -- --------------------------------------------------
TG 961 ARN 13:40 BKK 05:55 +1 747 0 C4 D4 J4 Z4 U4 Y0 B0 M0 H0 Q0 T0 K0 S0 V0 W0

BKK Bangkok Int'l TH [VTBD]
MAA Chennai IN [VOMM]
TUE 22 Dec 2009

Carrier Flight From Depart To Arrive A/C St Availability
--------- ------ ---- -------- ---- -------- --- -- -----------------------------------------------------------
TG 337 BKK 21:10 MAA 23:05 AB6 0 C4 D4 J4 Z4 Y4 B4 M4 H4 Q4 T4 K4 S4 V4 W4

2 connections then (long layover).

Departure for the only flight I found outbound is at midnight:

airline company Thai Airways Intl (TG 338)
dep: 00:15 - Chennai (Madras) (MAA) terminal I
arr: 05:10 - Bangkok (BKK)
equipment: Airbus Industrie A300-600/600C

Hserus will be able to tell you if they pulled the day flight ex-MAA...

Don't know about pricing, but there you go!

Thank you for your hint and tips! The Thai alternative seems alright but I am leaning towards BA after all. I believe it will bump me up one notch in the Executive Club. The 747s that Thai flies out of Stockholm are really old and basically worn out. I usually ty to avoid them if I can.

I am dreading the heat in Chennai that I probably will have to endure since I travel in late April or early May. Is it as bad as I fear?

Kind regards

11450

Heat is always bad in Chennai. But yeah April and May will be brutal. Expect the worst and you'll hopefully be pleasantly surprised. And be sure to eat at Saravana Bhavan (and ask others here for more hints)

If you think those are bad wait till you see the AB3 and the 330 that serve the BKK-MAA (and BKK-MAA-DXB) route.

Chennai is hot and humid .. but you can practice for that by flying to say ATL during that time.

Yes, its going to be hot in May. Can easily average 37-40 Celsius or more.

Saravana Bhavan food is not to be missed. There are many of them all over town.

Neither should you miss the local Arby's in PHL. Jeez dude, Saravana Bhavan is popular, but it is chainstore popular. The best south indian vegetarian food is elsewhere .. try the Copper Point restaurant in the lobby of the GRT Grand in T.Nagar. Or one of several others .. you can get restaurant reviews that I trust at http://chennai.burrp.com (that has reliable reviews for other Indian cities as well, its kind of a tripadvisor type site - but only for restaurants).

Sure but it's clean, local and cheap. I think the best stuff is found in places where the OP may not want to venture. I think places like the GRT are also too sterile.

Plus I'd argue there are far more Arby's in the US and world that SBs :)

Actually the Copper Point restaurant at the GRT serves some of the best south indian food I've ever tasted. And I live in MAA, I've eaten at the saravana bhavans, komala vilas (that's the same chain that runs the komalas restaurant in SFO), various other popular independent local restaurants etc. If you want chain restaurant south indian vegetarian food in MAA, there's this outfit called Sangeetha with four or five branches (Adyar, Anna Nagar, Mylapore etc) that's streets ahead in terms of quality, taste etc.

Thank you for all the informative and inspiring comments and answers.

As it seems right now I will probably not go this spring after all because of work related reasons. I must say that from what you have told me about the heat i April-May I am not that disappointed!

Either June-July or next winter seems more plausible.

Either way, Thank you!

June and July are not much better... Parts of winter are probably best.

Yeah. October to February are the best times to visit. July is going to be if anything slightly worse .. you might get some rain just around then and the humidity actually increases.