Two interesting things about Indian Airlines

pezworld

1. In response to competition, they seem to have cut prices on some routes for foreigners who book online. Example: Jaipur - Udaipur, $106 by phone; $65 if you book online. (Yeah, it's probably a lot cheaper if you're Indian and pay with rupees, but I'm worried that they'll check -- and I think my American Express Card would be a dead giveaway.)

2. You can't book more than 60 days in advance. This 60-day period is measured by your computer's clock.

jyotirmoy

Today I read that they are going to sell tickets at ATM's. Spicejet has introduced discounted tickets for Delhi - Jammu - Srinagar.

pezworld

That's fantastic. I had a feeling last spring that if we waited to book the tickets, with the way the industry is changing this year in India, prices would fall dramatically with the rise in competition. I was right!

I'm done booking for now (I just wanted to book through the busiest travel period for the tourist track). Another two months of waiting, and I could save a lot of money on remaining flights!

LuAnnandJawahar

Another interesting thing about Indian Airlines: Many of their pilots are ex-fighter pilots and they have a bad habit of abruptly dropping the plane in altitude to save fuel leaving on final approach, leaving your stomach on the ceiling. They are skilled pilots, but somebody needs to remind them what it feels like when you aren't the person at the controls.

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pezworld

Thanks for the tip, namaste. That stuff drives me nuts, unless I know it's coming!

Merchant

This used to be true in the US (and will be true again in the years following the Iraq/Afghan wars--assuming they end), which just means that most commercial pilots were trained in the military (though the majority of any country's military aircraft are not fighters--thus the actual number of "fighter pilots" is small). But, nonetheless, the world's militaries offer the best aviation training available, and the commercial industry takes advantage of it. You're in better hands with them than with guys who have only trained in the commercial sphere.

GoanCanuck

That is not true. It is a fact that many of their pilots are ex-Indian Air Force but they are former transport pilots not former fighter pilots.

To join Indian Airlines or Air India an Air Force pilot needs to have multi-engine experience which is only available to pilots who have been flying IL-76, AN-32, IL-38 and other multi-engine aircraft used by the AirForce/Navy.

I will second what Merchant said regarding the quality of the Indian AirForce pilots. Many ex-IAF pilots are flying with Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Emirates and many other leading airlines. They have been consistently rated the best of the best.

sezegnin

The IAF has one of the higher accident rates worldwide. Some recent reports put it at .86 per 1000 sorties, five times that of the US. You could interpret this two ways: either the pilots are lousy (possible) or they are very good because they manage to keep those rustbucket Mig-21s in the air against all manner of odds (also possible).

TREKorDIE

second openion is true: "they are very good because they manage to keep those rustbucket Mig-21s in the air against all manner of odds".
Most of those MIGs are already more than 20 yrs old and still flying with "extended life "

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GoanCanuck

The reason for that is the large number of birds found near the airfields in India. Most of the fighter aircraft that crash are due to bird strikes. A bird going into one of the engines of a twin engined Boeing or Airbus will not cause the Boeing or Airbus to crash but a bird going into the engine of a single engined Mirage 2000 or MIG-23 travelling at a high rate of speed will amost certainly lead to disastrous consequences.

Digital Drifter

& all because the garbage dumps are along the flight path of landings whether civil or military.

& where there are garbage dumps yoyu have the birds.

Earlier it used to be eagles and vultures which used to get sucked in, now with the vultures almost gone.....I wonder what birds are getting shredded.

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