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| This a quick guide to the airlines that we have personally used on our travels and is based wholly on our own experiences. We have found that the best way to make your flight booking is to compare the prices from a couple of web based booking agents, such as ebookers or Opodo, and then go to the airlines' own websites to check the prices there too. Most of the time the prices will be close, but there can be surprising differences. We always purchase flights by using our credit card as this gives added protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. |
| Ebookers |
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Opodo |
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Travelocity |
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Expedia |
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| Find this the easiest site to use, especially when looking for multi-stop trips. Never had any problems making changes to flght times, though a fee is normally payable if you wish to do this. Prices tend to be the best, though not by much. Sends a travel reminder by email a few days before you travel, though I guess most people wouldn't need reminding.....! |
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Another easy to use site, though can be a little slow on response at times. Well worth a visit to check the prices. Our second most used site for purchasing tickets. |
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Another easy to use site. Can be cheaper than the others, especially when looking for late bookings. Can also find tickets when the other sites are telling you that they are unavailable. |
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Don't go there ! Been there once, wouldn't do it again. Used one of their travel advisors to make a booking which was completeley messed up. Had a nasty habit of ignoring emails and was hard work to get a refund. |
| Go to www.ebookers.com |
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Go to www.opodo.co.uk |
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Go to www.travelocity.co.uk |
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 Included in the information below are a selection of typical flights. All timings are local, for information only, subject to change, and should be confirmed with the airlines concerned. We do not receive any incentives from airlines and booking agents.
Arrival times highlighted in pink are +1 day from the date of departure. Connecting flights are highlighted in grey. |
| Local times in India are BST +4 1/2 hours or GMT +5 1/2 hours. |
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| Jet Airways |
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| One of the best |
| An idependently owned Indian carrier offering great service on a modern fleet. Great food and a digital, on demand entertainment system that means you can watch what you want, when you want. Seats are comfortable and the flight times from Heathrow to Delhi are very convenient. Good check-in service, and will hand carry fragile/valuable luggage to the plane if asked. |
| The intenal flights in India are of the same standard. In India they also operate low-cost arm "Jet Lite". |
| Flights |
From |
Depart |
To |
Arrive |
| 9W121 |
Heathrow T4 |
2050 |
Delhi |
1100 |
| 9W122 |
Delhi |
1340 |
Heathrow T4 |
1740 |
| 9W119 |
Heathrow T4 |
1005 |
Mumbai |
0030 |
| 9W117 |
Heathrow T4 |
2105 |
Mumbai |
1125 |
| 9W118 |
Mumbai |
1330 |
Heathrow T4 |
1740 |
| 9W120 |
Mumbai |
0235 |
Heathrow T4 |
0700 |
| Aircraft we've flown: Boeing 777 & 737, Airbus A340 |
| Go to Jet Airways |
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| Sri Lankan Airlines |
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| Good airline |
| I can't praise the Sri Lankan flag carrier enough. Superb all round service from start to finish. |
| A modern fleet with very comfortable seats -- probably the best leg room in economy I can remember. Good food and entertainment system. The cabin staff were polite and efficient, continually serving soft drinks throughout the flight. They also wouldn't let anyone recline their seats until after the first meal service. |
| Flights |
From |
Depart |
To |
Arrive |
| UL504 |
Heathrow T4 |
2125 |
Colombo |
1330 |
| UL506 |
Heathrow T4 |
1020 |
Colombo |
0225 |
| UL501 |
Colombo |
1315 |
Heathrow T4 |
1945 |
| UL505 |
Colombo |
0215 |
Heathrow T4 |
0845 |
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| Emirates |
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| Currently our airline of choice |
| A modern fleet with very comfortable seats and good legroom. Good food and a digital, on demand entertainment system that means you can watch what you want, when you want. |
| Good luggage allowance in economy (30kgs) but are very strict. Will probably weigh your handbaggage too (7kgs). |
| Emirates operate from regional airports in the UK (Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester) which makes them a good choice if you don't want to travel down to London. Works well to locations outside of Mumbai and Delhi. We find that it is easier to take two international flights via Dubai rather than connect to an internal flight in India. Very good for arrival and departure from different airports in India. |
| Some of our itineraries have been designed with Emirates schedules in mind. |
| Flights |
From |
Depart |
To |
Arrive |
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| Aircraft we've flown: Boeing 777 |
| Go to Emirates |
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| KLM |
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| The Dutch flag carrier offering good service on a modern fleet. Good food and entertainment system. Seats are comfortable and the cabin staff are very good. Flights to India go via Amsterdam (Schiphol) which is a great airport (my personal favourite) if you have to spend time changing flights. |
| KLM operates from regional airports in the UK (Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Humberside, Manchester and more) which makes them a good choice if you don't want to travel down to London. |
| Flights |
From |
Depart |
To |
Arrive |
| KL1000 |
Heathrow T4 |
0635 |
Schiphol |
0905 |
| KL1420 |
Birmingham |
0600 |
Schiphol |
0815 |
| KL871 |
Schiphol |
1110 |
Delhi |
2330 |
| KL6252 |
Schiphol |
1015 |
Mumbai |
2345 |
| KL872 |
Delhi |
0140 |
Schiphol |
0555 |
| KL1001 |
Schipho |
0715 |
Heathrow T4 |
0740 |
| KL6243 |
Mumbai |
0150 |
Schiphol |
0715 |
| KL1423 |
Schiphol |
0955 |
Birmingham |
1010 |
| Aircraft we've flown: Boeing 737 & 747 , Fokker 70 |
| Go to KLM |
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| Kingfisher |
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| An idependently owned Indian carrier offering good service on a modern fleet. Good food and entertainment system. Seats are comfortable and the cabin staff polite and efficient. Also have staff front of counter at the India check-ins to help which is useful, especially when transferring between flights. |
| They have an extensive intenal flight network in India which operates to the same standard. In India they operate low-cost arm "Kingfisher Red" which I have also used and would recommend. |
| Flights |
From |
Depart |
To |
Arrive |
| IT008 |
Heathrow T4 |
2025 |
Mumbai |
1100 |
| IT007 |
Mumbai |
1340 |
Heathrow T4 |
1805 |
| Then |
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| IT307 |
Mumbai |
1330 |
Delhi |
1530 |
| IT304 |
Delhi |
0830 |
Mumbai |
1035 |
| IT306 |
Delhi |
0940 |
Mumbai |
1135 |
| Aircraft we've flown: Airbus A340 (Kingfisher), ATR42 (Kingfisher Red) |
| Go to Kingfisher Airways |
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| Air India (incl. Indian Airlines) |
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| This will surprise you -- Air India is actually quite good. They have recently acquired one of the better internal airlines, Indian Airlines, which had good service levels, and overall standards seem to be improving. |
| On international flights, the food and the entertainment is OK, though you might want to make sure you have a book handy. The staff are pleasant and helpful. Leg room on the seats isn't too bad, but found the width a little narrow on one Boeing 777 flight coming back from Delhi. |
| They have an extensive intenal flight network in India. Flights that were historically Air India flights are tagged IA. Those that were Indian Airlines flights are tagged IC. The latter tended to be generally better. |
| Flights |
From |
Depart |
To |
Arrive |
| IA112 |
Heathrow T3 |
2205 |
Delhi |
1150 |
| IA111 |
Delhi |
1515 |
Heathrow T3 |
1925 |
| IA130 |
Heathrow T3 |
0845 |
Mumbai |
2300 |
| IA131 |
Mumbai |
0205 |
Heathrow T3 |
0635 |
| Boeing 777 & 737, Airbus A340 (IA flights) & A310 (IC flights) |
| Go to Air India |
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| Lufthansa |
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| The German flag carrier offering good service on a modern fleet. Good food and entertainment system, though was surprised on one A340 flight a couple of years ago which had no entertainment system installed on the aircraft. Seats are comfortable and the cabin staff are very good. Flights to India go via Frankfurt or Munich which are good modern airports if you have to transit. |
| Lufthansa operates from regional airports in the UK (Birmingham, Manchester, Humberside) which makes them a good choice if you don't want to travel down to London. |
| Can be strict on weight, especially in Delhi. Charged for excess weight once on the return journey. |
| Flights |
From |
Depart |
To |
Arrive |
| to Delhi |
| LH4751 |
Heathrow T1 |
0740 |
Munich |
1225 |
| LH762 |
Munich |
1945 |
Delhi |
0740 |
| LH763 |
Delhi |
0950 |
Munich |
1350 |
| LH4758 |
Munich |
1515 |
Heathrow T1 |
1620 |
| LH4901 |
Birmingham |
0940 |
Frankfurt |
1230 |
| LH760 |
Frankfurt |
1330 |
Delhi |
0115 |
| LH761 |
Delhi |
0305 |
Frankfurt |
0650 |
| LH4900 |
Frankfurt |
0820 |
Birmingham |
0910 |
| to Mumbai |
| LH4723 |
Heathrow T1 |
0855 |
Frankfurt |
1130 |
| LH4907 |
Birmingham |
0710 |
Frankfurt |
0950 |
| LH756 |
Frankfurt |
1320 |
Mumbai |
0135 |
| LH1611 |
Mumbai |
0155 |
Frankfurt |
0630 |
| LH757 |
Mumbai |
0325 |
Frankfurt |
0745 |
| LH4726 |
Frankfurt |
1010 |
Heathrow T1 |
1050 |
| LH4900 |
Frankfurt |
0820 |
Birmingham |
0910 |
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| Aircraft we've flown: Boeing 737 & 747, Airbus A340, BAC 143 |
| Go to Lufthansa |
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| Qatar Airways |
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| One of the modern airlines operating via a hub in Doha. Routes are avilable to both India and Sri Lanka. Good food and a reasonable entertainment system, though on the flights that I tried some of the seats had faulty ststems requiring a move. Seats are comfortable and the cabin staff polite and efficient. Found that, with the journey being broken into two parts rather than direct, it's more difficult to settle in for some sleep. |
| Doha is a modern, comfortable airport for transit. I didn't think that the duty free shopping was particularly cheap. I was advised at Heathrow that you can't take alcohol purchased in EU airports through Doha, though the duty free shops there had plenty to buy. |
| Qatar operates from regional airports in the UK (Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester) which makes them a good choice if you don't want to travel down to London. |
| Flights |
From |
Depart |
To |
Arrive |
| QR018 |
Heathrow T3 |
0755 |
Doha |
2145 |
| QR232 |
Doha |
0345 |
Delhi |
0345 |
| QR233 |
Delhi |
0445 |
Doha |
0645 |
| QR011 |
Doha |
0735 |
Heathrow T3 |
1225 |
| QR018 |
Heathrow T3 |
0755 |
Doha |
1735 |
| QR200 |
Doha |
2145 |
Mumbai |
0330 |
| QR201 |
Mumbai |
0500 |
Doha |
0615 |
| QR011 |
Doha |
0735 |
Heathrow T3 |
1225 |
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| Virgin Atlantic |
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| Of the four times I've flown with Virgin, I can honestly say I've only had one good flight. Food and entertainment were mediocre and the service very poor. Habitually waiting for more than two hours after takeoff before any refreshment at all is poor. Seats were pretty uncomfortable after an hour, so by the end of an eight hour flight -- ouch! |
| On the positive side, prices are very competitive and the flight times from Heathrow to Delhi are very convenient. |
| Can be strict on weight, especially in Delhi. Charged for excess weight once on the return journey. |
| Flights |
From |
Depart |
To |
Arrive |
| VS300 |
Heathrow T3 |
2200 |
Delhi |
1145 |
| VS301 |
Delhi |
1345 |
Heathrow T3 |
1755 |
| VS9119 |
Heathrow T3 |
1005 |
Mumbai |
0030 |
| VS9117 |
Heathrow T3 |
2105 |
Mumbai |
1125 |
| VS9120 |
Mumbai |
0235 |
Heathrow T3 |
0700 |
| VS9118 |
Mumbai |
1330 |
Heathrow T3 |
1740 |
| Aircraft we've flown: Airbus A340 |
| Go to Virgin |
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| British Airways |
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| Not flown with since 1999, so can't rate the service. |
| I had a very good flight with BA to Australia in 1999 but haven't used them since. |
| Prices can be competitive but the flight times from Heathrow to Delhi are not very convenient. Have also been concerned about the reports of lost luggage (especially with carrying the camera kit) and the possibility of disruption due to industrial disputes. |
| Too many other good options for me to take the risk. |
| Flights |
From |
Depart |
To |
Arrive |
| BA143 |
Heathrow T5 |
1150 |
Delhi |
0125 |
| BA257 |
Heathrow T5 |
1515 |
Delhi |
0455 |
| BA142 |
Delhi |
0330 |
Heathrow T5 |
0710 |
| BA139 |
Heathrow T5 |
1030 |
Mumbai |
0045 |
| BA199 |
Heathrow T5 |
2125 |
Mumbai |
1145 |
| BA198 |
Mumbai |
1340 |
Heathrow T5 |
1810 |
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