First time arrivals: avoid late nights

Rasika

I always thought it incomprehensible that all these international flights arrive in India in the middle of night, and disgorge many first-timers who need to make their way by themselves. Just recently several people seem to want toget to Rishikesh after arriving at night in Delhi.

My suggestion, especially for first-timers, is to avoid these flights. Now both Virgin and Jet arrive from UK at very decent, morning times, which give plenty of time for a relaxed transit either to hotel or next connection. It may cost slightly more, but it's a good price to pay for peace of mind! But, in fact, Virgin and Jet are much nicer and often cheaper than the old established airlines. Some of the middle-eastern airlines also arrive in the morning.

wonderwomanusa

On the other hand, it's quite magical to ride through Delhi in the wee hours of the night, sleep for a few hours in my hotel, and wake up at sunrise to watch the migrating cranes heading for Bharatpur!

vireya

And if you are travelling to Delhi from this part of the world, there seems to be no choices but the middle-of-the-night flights.

My theory on why flights in India arrive in the middle of the night has to do with wealthy influential Europeans not wanting flights over their houses in the middle of the night. They have airport curfews and the like so that their sleep won't be disturbed. So flights to European destinations arrive during daytime, which means that the touch-down in India occurs during the night. When the middle-class in India build up enough political muscle to demand airport curfews there, the Far East to Europe air schedules may have to be re-jigged. Well that's my theory, anyway.

ColinT

Someone once told me it has something to do with the need for the military to control/use air space in the day that results in too many of these night time flights. I can't vouch for this, however. Someone on IM probably knows why.

machadinha

My idea would be just accept whatever arrival times you're dealt with, but don't try to get rushing after that right from the very start, and no matter what your arrival time for that matter.

Take some time to ease into it instead, and you should be fine. Sleep off your jetlag (but don't sleep into it), find your bearings, take some time to get acquainted with your new surroundings, find a place to have a good meal, and so on. This goes for pretty much any country of landing anyway. Of course, others get rushing from the beginning.

As for those theories above... looks to me to be theories, indeed. I doubt if flying (e.g.) London-Frankfurt-Bucharest-Tashkent-Bangkok-Sydney and back anyone gives a hoot about your precise and convenient times of landing. Planes land in the middle of the night in the Western European country where I live (and the airport's [further] neighbors are not one bit amused and have been fighting this for decades); albeit fewer of them as opposed to the daytime, it's true.

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Mickey S

British Airways has a flight that arrives in Delhi at 10.30am, which is a great time to arrive. The airport is quiet, and you have plenty of time to get into town and take an afternoon or early evening train to Agra, Varanasi or wherever.

ColinT

Now that's what I call a theory!

Nick-H

Arriving at night has the advantage of less traffic on the way to the hotel.

I think Heathrow doesn't have night take-offs, although other European airports may do. Still gives a pretty wide window --- and British Airways seem to keep moving their Chennai flight around.

Last time I got home at 2.30am, thinking that it would be nice to get home and go straight to bed --- but I was wide awake, and kept asking my poor wife why she looked so tired!

My favourite arrival is to leave the airport just before dawn, and see the city waking up on the drive.

Why do cranes migrate? Because when one building site is finished they have to find another one! --- That must be quite a sight!

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crvlvr

I'd much rather arrive in the middle of the night and avoid the rush at airport and ridiculous traffic in most Indian cities. But the OP's suggestion is valid for first time travelers.

vireya

Oh well, there's another of my theories shot down in flames! Would you like to hear the one about dinosaurs? Dinosaurs are thin...

Maybe not...

steven_ber

Good arrival times probibly depend on your budget, BA, Virgin, Air India etc. have great arrival times, but the lower cost airlines (often via the gulf or eastern europe) are the flights that arrive in the night.

I'm another member who enjoys the nightime arrivals, though it's not so much fun when you have a young child.

I don't think european flight departure times are the reason for the nightime arrivals in India, flights depart Heathrow well after 19:00 (00:30 IST), then an 8 hour flight would arrive in Mumbai/Delhi at 08:30.

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Aishah

Vireya - you could have something in your theory - planes land in India at any time and there are no curfews as in Australia or New Zealand. I agree with Mach - just go with what you are given, what comes up with your cheap airfare if that's what you're after etc. Just make sure you have your arrival arrangements in hand and a hotel booked to go to. Plenty of threads here for airport to city transport etc. As a first timer arriving in Chennai around 1 a.m. it was sort of daunting, but doable. Only daunting in that there were so many men around, hardly any women. But it was fine. I caught a pre-paid taxi to booked hotel.

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steven_ber

On second thoughts, I think Rasika was refering to 23:00-00:30 landings in Delhi, and I personally much prefer the 01:30-03:00 landings, but I can't sleep when I arrive, I try to book into a hotel, dump my stuff, then go for a walk for a few hours, the slightly later flights are perfect for this.

Hop

The late night arrivals in India are to do with US-European connections. Most flights into India leave Europe in the morning, allowing passengers from the overnight inbound US to Europe flights (eg BA / Lufthansa) to join the India flights. This means a late night/early morning arrival in India but then means a very early morning departure from India, arriving morning in Europe to allow passengers to connect back onto the US day flights.

I always think its more strange that the domestic operations in India don't seem to have any ability to link into these international flights leaving those connecting to face a long night in the airport.

PRIYA

I was told that the reason for international late night arrivals - especially during the really hot months, was for the landing strips to cool off, which seemed pretty valid at the time. Maybe this was a 'leg pull' because they didn't know the reason either.

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