Deccan vs Air India Delhi-Leh

kbaldock

I am flying Delhi-Leh one way in mid-July and have a choice between Deccan (4099 rupees) and Air India (4905 rupees). I don't mind paying slightly more if the Air India flight is worth it.

Any advice as to which to go for in terms of reliability, food, weight allowance (I may have more than 20kg in which the case the excess baggage for Deccan is not too expensive, I can't find how much this is for Air India), how easy it is to book with an International credit card.

All advice from those who know appreciated!

shahronakm

In Air India you will get foor while Deccan is low cost carrier & you will have to buy food. If the price difference is so less & you don't mind paying it then go for Air India.

By the way I have booked Leh - Delhi with Deccan for August last week (Rs. 4500 including taxes)

Ronak.

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nayan

Last year we made the return journey Delhi-Leh-delhi by Deccan. It was ok.
Its a one hour early morning flight with stunning views.... so I guess the inflight food is not a factor.
you will not be allowed hand baggage in either of the flights.
Sorry - no idea about the international credit card bit.

jyotirmoy

Air India? I think it should be Indian. The maxm baggage limit is 20kgs, you pay about Rs.70 for each extra kgm.
Many have complained about Deccan flights getting delayed but on quite a few occasions that I took Deccan flights they were not delayed.

shahronakm

Even I had good experiences with Deccan. I have been to Bangalore, Chennai & Port Blair on Deccan flights.

Ronak.

puchoo

never had good experience with deccan and im talking about 20 odd flights over the last few years...and never will because i have stopped flying them!

I have decided im growing old and should now avoid the aggravation which comes with flying some of these low cost carriers...so its Jet Airways for me now on...

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kbaldock

Thanks for all the replies. OK, all pointing towards Air India (or Indian Airways? - the website has both on). Useful to know about the hand luggage thing - do they give you extra hold allowance to make up for it?

What is the deal with these airlines if the flights get cancelled due to bad weather? Deccan fly every day so I presume you just go the next day but Indian only fly Mon, Wed, Fri so if I was originally on a Fri flight I'd have to wait til Mon to fly up?

Khak

after been taken over by Kingfisher, services of Air Deccan have improved a lot.

All Leh flights are in early morning, so chances of delay are less for any airline

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atala

If you are tall, the very narrow seats with Deccan might be an issue. Officially I was allowed only 15 kg check-in luggage, but did not pay extra for more. I would prefer another airline to Indian anytime, though. Indian can delay flights for ever, and you get very unfriendly/cold reception by flight attendants.

puchoo

Thats assuming they endorse you to another flight at all....they might simply refund the money and ask you to buy tickets on your own..which is a pain because you would be close to paying full fare...

jyotirmoy

Things have changed a lot with Indian. The days of delaying flights for ever is over.

saajan_20

Sorry but AIR INDIA is the right word INDIAN AIRLINES became INDIAN you are right about that but now it s AIR INDIA both the domestic and international operations have the same name even my dad was confused about it !!!

If there is a delay in this sector i.e. del-leh-del than it s unavoidble and shall be the same for even rest of the carrier s becoz the service here is very much dependant on weather gods !!

And yes the harsh/cold/unfreindly attendant s are things of the past not with the huge competition to face today ,which is increasing by the day.

And yes DECCAN is improving by the hour i say so becoz it s got a new boss KINGFISHER {well sort of} so it s a safe bet to fly with them too !!!

atala

Frankly speaking, I have one concern with Indian. I have never been flying them anymore (except a flight from Kuala Lumpur recently where I had no other choice, and it was as disgusting as ever, unfriendly attendants, dirty, toilets a disaster worth mentioning on the IM thread "your worst toilet experience") but inland flights I would never take them if there are other options. My concern is that they are a huge airline with many planes, and I am not sure about their maintenance quality. On one hand, it is a good sign if a flight is delayed due to technical reasons if that means that groundstaff discovered something that needs immediate attention (the good sign is that they take it seriously and take care of it).

On the other hand, it is cause for concern if you hear this happens a lot. The times I flew with other airlines, I overheard often how Indian take-offs were delayed. Could be there were congestion reasons too, who knows. At any rate, I feel more confident with the younger airlines because they have so much more at stake than Indian which is ultimately supported by the Government. Of course, I have also memories of Indian crash-landing in an paddy-field in the 90ies. Then again, considering how many planes and daily flights they have, they look pretty safe too. On the private side: As far as I know only Sahara (now Jetlite) had a crash so far.

Ultimately, security concerns aside, it comes down to an aesthetic question, perhaps a question of personal preference whether you like to be with the crowd or that distinctly different airline. And of course the price. In most cases Indian is more expensive for the lesser, less personalized quality you seem to get.

rubsen

wrong thread, sorry

edwardseco

It seems like all flights between S/KL to India are bbad cattle car status. Its a huge drop even on SIS or MIA..