We are travelling with two little kids and have a 9 hr layover in Delhi. Our AA flight lands and 9:30pm and our Jet Airways flight does not take of until 6am the next morning.

What is the best thing to do?

a. Are there any lounges in the International or Domestic airport? Are they good? Are they open 24 hrs? Do they have decent toilet facilities. I have heard about the Clipper lounge and Maurya sheraton lounges. Are they any good? I am an AA Plat and World Master card holder.
b. Does it make sense to get a hotel? We'll have 10 suit cases and am wondering if it makes sense to get a hotel with all the luggage transfer that needs to be done for a few hours
c. What is the best way to get from the international airport to the domestic airport with 10 suit cases? Will the lounges be able to arrange for a taxi?
d. What are the best dining options at that time of the night (midnight) with 10 suitcases and 2 little kids?

Your help will be much appreciated

That is a lot of suitcases and could result in a logistical nightmare since no single taxi is going to be able to fit in that many suitcases. It could be done with say one hotel-supplied car and one prepaid minivan but that would mean one of the adults would have to go in the prepaid minivan to and from the hotel.

Definitely get a hotel room, the Radisson is the one we usually use for overnights like this due to airport proximity -- but it requires vehicle transport to get to and from.

All the major so-called 5* international-branded hotels have some kind of 24-hour menu and many have a 24-hour restaurant.

Bhai,

The simplest thing to do is follow GUWonder's good advice. The Radisson is probably your best choice. Get them to arrange pickup at the airport. Be clear about the 10 suitcases ie. will require a second vehicle. No worries, everything is taken care of.

You know India, bhai, unless you're really on a tight budget and need to save money, go to the hotel and let them handle the hassle. Something tells me you didn't get to be a AA plat by sleeping on the airport floor.

It might be a long shot, but is this trip on one ticket or two? Maybe you can get AA to tag the bags all through to your final destination.

Both lounges at the International airport are open 24 hours. If you are willing to stay the night there, you could easily book a couple prepaid taxis yourself, but you're going to want to do that in the morning.

Thanks a lot GUWonder and CanadianPiligrim. Both good advice. I didnt think about the one taxi issue. I'll definetly have to get a minivan.

I'll ask AA if they can check-in my luggage to the final destination. That would be wonderful. I agree it might be a long shot though.

I checked the Radisson. The cheapest I can find is Rs.17K a night. Thats three times more than I have ever paid for a hotel in the US.

I'll talk to AA and Jet and get back to you guys on what they say.

Is there any check-in counter for JET at the international terminal
where one could check in the luggage?

I thought there was one.. but my memory is a little hazy about it.

If you do check into a hotel then I'd advice trying to take a much later flight (if that is an option) so that you'll have sufficient time at the hotel to relax and recover and you can get up late in the morning; otherwise you'll be rushed to get to the hotel after your inbound flight and & then rushed to get back for your connection.

When I transit DEL arriving on the AA flight from ORD I stay at the Radisson and always take the first connecting flight out in the afternoon even though there may be 2-3 flight options before that. I get a good nights rest, get a hearty buffet breakfast, catch up on all my email, check the previous days stock market numbers, but most importantly am not rushed in the morning.

So how did you make out with your family and 10 suitcases?

Actually it worked out OK. By the time we got thru customs, and got our luggage, it was almost 1am. We then took the govt. shuttle to the domestic airport and hung out in the lounge for about 4 hrs. The Delhi domestic lounge is a lot better than what it was 4 yrs ago. Again, not as good as Mumbai or other airports outside India, but it was definetly decent enough to hand out for 4 hrs.

On the way back, we had a 12 hr layover in Delhi and I ended up using my points to stay at the Trident Hilton in Gurgaon (5-8 km from the delhi airport). The hotel was breathtaking and the 8 hrs we spent there was worth every single HH point. I would really recommend people to use their hotel points in India.

also... about the shuttle bus. The shuttle bus driver was very corteous. He loaded all our 10 suitcases and unloaded them for me as well. He didnt ask for any money, but I gave him a Rs. 100 tip and he was pretty happy.