On 26/07/11 03:01, BWS Johnson wrote:
Kia ora!
I am a horrendous, unrepentant cheapskate. I hate paying a nickel more in travel expenses than is strictly necessary. I have circled airfare to India like a hawk over the course of the last several months. So, without further ado, from the chick that brought you "OMG how do I get to NZ?!" here's how to get to actual India.
First things first. If you are a Yank, BOOK NAO. For serious. Our *cough* elected representatives have succumbed to a nasty case of far too much testosterone which has resulted in a partial FAA shutdown. What this means is this: you are like to pay far less in taxes right now than later. So book now. Really! Stop reading this drivel this instant and go book! (*They might make us pay taxes later when they sort things out, but for right now, no, so go.)
I can hear the whinging now. "But Brooooookkkkkkkke, I don't have the money." This might well be true. If it _is_ honest to goodness true, I feel for you and I apologise for taunting ye. However, I think if you have a jorb, and you didn't go to KohaCon10 (shame, shame) you really ought to go to KohaCon11. What are you waiting for? When was the last time you took a proper holiday? Cool stuff happens, and YOU won't be there if you don't go. Mebbe, just mebbe, it is less expensive than you think.
Once again, I took the view that this was a once in a lifetime trip, so I'm doing all sorts of silly stuff that you don't actually need to do. I wanted to get there ahead of KohaCon for Deepavali, travel to Agra, Delhi, and other places afterwards, et cetera, et cetera. Which brings me to:
How I'm getting there:
IAD>CDG>BOM [Break] GOI>BOM>DEL>IAD
Wait, wait? What's that CDG? It just so happens that for the scenic route, the French were providing the most affordable, least sketchy airline option. So I've a wee 4 hour switch in Paris. Those sinister people are waking me up earlier than anyone should on the way back, though. You've been warned.
Blah, blah, blah. How much, lady?
Air only, $1,336.20 Now wait, before you go swimming, or get nauseous, I'm going places you might not, remember?
In theory, you could get summat through Makemytrip.com. They're advertising New York to Mumbai on Air India for $729. Every time I've tried to book online, though, their site freaks out, or the price miraculously changes. So, let's not.
If I bop on over to Expedia, I can find a JFK>BOM return for $1,152 on Etihad and $1,159 on Virgin Atlantic. Not so bad :) [Pro tip, JFK is one of your major international hubs.]
But wait! Not every carrier is in Expedia, soooooo, let's try Turkish Air. Nice flights, happy prices. $1082 IAD OR DCA> BOM return.
Hey Brooke? Why aren't you trying Air India? Fine, fine. You remember college, right? Air India looks all sexy. Sure, you've had a couple of gin and tonics. No big deal. The $954 is looking like a good price. You're thinking GREAT I can totally take Air India. ORD> BOM return at $954. Then you get Air India home. The g&ts have worn off. WHAM! $1,425.60 after fees and taxes. Suddenly, Air India is not so sexy.
Other airlines I'd consider would be British Air and KLM. I *think* there might have been a cheap Delta flight, but I've not seen it pop up in expedia, travelocity, or orbitz in a while. How did I know who to look for? I pestered the little mister's boss who flies to India to visit family a lot, and I pestered kmkale, and I pestered some dude that escaped from the State Department for a boring meeting on summat else entirely. (Not speaking officially, of course. Plus, they are going to know domestic carriers better than other ones since they're meant to only take domestic carriers.)
You might also have noticed that I'm quoting prices from a few different airport codes, and thus am comparing apples to oranges. Sort of true. I look for hubs when I travel, and each airline has its own favourite, which is generally not where I live. I'm sneaky, so I look for cheaper fares to and from their hubs, then I string stuff together. Not for the faint of heart, since if you screw this up, you might miss a flight and be hosed. This time expedia actually came out ahead of the glue it and go approach. This is a very happy thing, since at one point it looked like I would have to get a domestic connector, which meant the dreaded baggage fee.
The bottom line is that if you're a yank, you're like to pay between a thousand and eighteen hundred for airfare depending on where you're going, and when you're willing to arrive and leave. If you keep your dates flexible, you might be able to shave off several hundred dollars at a time, since things vary wildly.
Also of note: India is traditionally better arranged through a travel agent than through you. Much haggling and deals could be in the offing. I just wrote about my junk here so people would know what I did, since y'all ended up asking last time.
Cheers, Brooke _______________________________________________ Great post Brooke! Lots of options. Those on the West Coast can also consider flights via Singapore or Hong Kong. That might be cheaper than going the long way around. And offer an enchanting stopover too. Use Koha and see the world! Bob