Has anyone flown a US-India non-stop flight?

[rohank4284]

Hello,

I was just wondering if anyone has flown any of the US-India non-stop flights, if you anyone has I would like to hear about your experiences.

Regards,

Rohan

[Spad13]

I know a couple of people who have, but they were unable to tell me much, as they both reported blacking out twenty minutes or so into the flight due to the reek.

[rohank4284]

I know a couple of people who have, but they were unable to tell me much, as they both reported blacking out twenty minutes or so into the flight due to the reek.

A very funny answer, nice job. Let's not forget that you may get a plane full of angry and demanding Indians, combine that with the awful stink and the end result will be... For those of you who have no idea what we are talking about, refer to this thread: http://forums.jetphotos.net/showthread.php?t=46076.

Ok, let's get back on topic. The reason why I asked this question is because I wanted to know how people find taking those really long flights to India, is it worth it to fly 14 hours in a tiny airplane seat to avoid connecting in Europe? The only good link I could find was this A.net trip report on the AI JFK-DEL flight: http://www.airliners.net/aviation-fo...d.main/125437/. Sorry, that I had to use the "dark side" in this instance.

I was wondering if any JP.net members have flown these flights or if anyone can find reviews of the AA and CO direct flight to India.

Regards,

Rohan

[AA 1818]

I have flown the ORD-DEL route on AA before, and it was great. Prior to the trip, my preference would have been to stop in Europe prior to continuing to India (to stretch my legs, and to see another airport/nation, and to do see the sights around the way) but hey, a D1 pass on AA is a D1 pass, and trust me, non-revving onto those flights is no easy matter. In retrospect, it was great - PTVs, and the food was very good. Seat pitch was nice and the flight attendants were extremely atypical as they were incredibly attentive, and very caring. Do not let others dismay you - the flight was did not feel as long as most make it out to be. I got quite a bit of rest, ate well then had fun for the rest of the trip. With such little hassle (of not having to transit) it was worth it. More importantly, because I do not live near a large airport here in the U.S (that offers non-stop Trans-Atlantic services) I would have had to commute at least 3 times or drive to MIA. So, my trip was awesome - PBI-ORD-DEL, and back. Definitely worth it.

[rohank4284]

I have flown the ORD-DEL route on AA before, and it was great. Prior to the trip, my preference would have been to stop in Europe prior to continuing to India (to stretch my legs, and to see another airport/nation, and to do see the sights around the way) but hey, a D1 pass on AA is a D1 pass, and trust me, non-revving onto those flights is no easy matter. In retrospect, it was great - PTVs, and the food was very good. Seat pitch was nice and the flight attendants were extremely atypical as they were incredibly attentive, and very caring. Do not let others dismay you - the flight was did not feel as long as most make it out to be. I got quite a bit of rest, ate well then had fun for the rest of the trip. With such little hassle (of not having to transit) it was worth it. More importantly, because I do not live near a large airport here in the U.S (that offers non-stop Trans-Atlantic services) I would have had to commute at least 3 times or drive to MIA. So, my trip was awesome - PBI-ORD-DEL, and back. Definitely worth it.

Thank you for the response AA1818. The reason why I asked this was because I was wondering if taking long-haul flights was actually worth it. I generally like to stop-over in Europe, strech my legs, etc, it's also kind of nice to clear customs at your final destination, which is why my family and I have always taken either LH from DEN-FRA-DEL or DEN-LHR-DEL. I always thought that those non-stop flights would have been dreadfully long and would have and you would have to suffer through sub-par service. It's really nice to know that the US-India non-stops are actually quite nice and that the time passed quickly, judging from your experiences on AA and the AI trip report I found.

BA's schedules in summer from DEN are really nice, my family and I have been quite impressed by BA's good service and connecting in LHR hasn't been that bad, so we likely won't fly a US-India this summer. We do sometimes go in winter and I think a US-India non-stop would probably be better because you avoid the hassles of flying into a freezing cold European destination and you arrive at night in Delhi, so you avoid New Delhi's infamous fog problems.

Thank you for responding and for sharing your experiences.

Regards,

Rohan

[AA 1818]

Roh,

It's quite interesting that you mention the 'fog' issue at DEL. The truth is that it becomes such a major concern that I try to avoid flights out of DEL that would put me in that situation to be delayed by it. I remember also, speaking to a pilot that flew for JetAirways and he complained that they always have to carry extra fuel with them as delays /holding patterns are so frequent and the cost of the extra fuel (inefficiencies) outweighs the cost of a diversion. The AA flight arrives at DEL at 9:45 PM, and it makes connecting out of DEL nearly impossible as most of the other flights have departed by the time that you clear customs and immigration. One advantage of connecting is that you can more easily plan your day and/or connections out of DEL.

[Vishal Jolapara]

Rutvij did the BOM-JFK nonstop here's his TR

[rohank4284]

Rutvij did the BOM-JFK nonstop here's his TR

Thank you Vishal for this excellent link. Air India's non-stop service looks amazing.

Rohan