How to get to India for 200 Euros one-way:

Mickey S

Is this wretched demi-bee
Half-asleep upon my knee
Some freak from a menagerie?
No, it's Eric the half a bee!

machadinha

<All together now>

La dee dee, 1 2 3,
Eric the half a bee.
A B C D E F G,
Eric the half a bee.

Fiddle dee dum,
Fiddle dee dee,
Eric the half bee.

Ho ho ho,
Tee hee hee,
Eric the half a bee.



http://youtube.com/watch?v=F_-vxAFcQIU

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beesakopie

So!

Did anyone do the Air Arabia adventure? If so are there any reviews available?

I am flying to India (delhi) in January 2008 from France. We are transiting through Milan and these were the best prices that we could get : ~ 2000 Euros return for 2 adults and one child. Have we been creamed?

I thought that the cheapest way from Western Europe to New Delhi would be through the gulf states...or if really adventurous, through Moscow (Aeroflot)...

karuna

It seems to vary muchly according to who's got deals on. The cheaper indirect flights from the UK seem to be with

Finnair
Etihad (good)
Austrian Air
Aeroflot (don't.....really, don't. Half-frozen meal, anyone?)
Turkish Airlines (passable, and Istanbul airport is nice, where Abu Dhabi is just...a headache)

Mickey S mentioned Alitalia being cheap right now- is that who you're going with? January is peak season so you won't likely get anything under 400GBP and 500GBP upwards would be normal.

I spend way too much time looking at flights. Go out, woman, get some fresh air.

beesakopie

Karuna,

That sounds reassuring...and, Yes, I am flying Alitalia. * How'd you guess *

I thought Virgin Atlantic did some cool deals...I've refrained from flying through London, though, because I'd require a transit visa to do so...

machadinha

That sounds about pretty average or even decent to me, including the child. Average (cheap) return flights from Western Europe seem to hover around 900-1000 Euros if you're lucky I think, barring any extensive scouting out the bucket shops and special deals and so on. After days of scouring the web I'm usually ready to walk up to the first travel agent available and book whatever looks remotely reasonable

I've been taking an interested note of this thread and will certainly keep it in mind for a next trip, but it obviously means a little bit of roughing it. Hey, a few days in Istanbul though... things could be worse

btw I don't keep that much track of ongoing deals, so if some Gulf company offers significantly cheaper flights today, I just wouldn't know. It's just from what I see passing by every now & then doing other searches. Your idea that they and the Eastern European companies largely cover the budget market seems correct to me, although some typical Western European charter carriers (like your Alitalia now) sometimes come up with some attractive deals.

ps I've flown both Aeroflot and Tarom out there, no complaints, except for lengthy layovers in Bucharest and maybe breakfast running out in the morning, but hey, that's what you (don't) pay for. But... to each their own, as always. If you want to pay a few hundred extra bucks for a pillow and an extra sandwich... well, whatever. And pps I likewise see no reason why there would be any problem flying Air Arabia; if anything, those Gulf airlines tend to be pretty classy, as will the airport tax free areas you pass through be way beyond your league.

beesakopie

I read a couple of "iffy" reviews on Alitalia though (see http://www.airlinequality.com) - and also that its rolling in debt at the moment - which is why they are encouraging volume turnover with lower prices...

What the heck, I've taken this on the price. So I'm not complaining... Emirates was more expensive BTW when I was booking this flight (Early October 2007)

machadinha

Hm, yes... Rolling in debt is what many Western European airlines seem to be doing, I wouldn't let it discourage you. Arguably a pain if they go bankrupt and take the money and run, however here at least as long as you make sure they operate under the national what's-its-name agency, your money if not your flight will/should be covered. The latest horror stories I've heard involved some Mid-Eastern (notably Turkish) and South-East-Asian (Thai) too-good-to-be-true companies, accidents that were just waiting to happen (and grounded because they were manifestly unsafe). Again, just make sure whoever you're flying or dealing with is linked up to some higher overseeing body, I'm sure Alitalia would be. (Well, with Italian goings-on... oh please, let's not go there, shall we.)

Actually you got me looking around now BK; from a quick search I find round-trip prices from The Netherlands starting at around E 600 and up, including with Alitalia, but this is during the coming off-season. Over this winter it would look to be more like E 800-850 and (way) up. So I guess that deal you got for two adults + child still looks reasonable. (And note that NL seems to be generally not bad to fly from, price-wise.)

Mickey S

According to travelocity.co.uk, a return flight from London to Delhi on Alitalia in January (outwards 19th, back 31st) is £340 - that's €472. But that's the very lowest fare I could find in January, so €2000 euros for three of you is probably reasonable.

But back to the original topic... €472 return from London to Delhi (and at relatively short notice) compares very favourably indeed with the "low-cost, three days, no sleep" option, with only a 1h40 stopover in Milan.

beesakopie

Thank you folks! It looks like I got a great deal then...the only reason I was asking about this was that the last time I came to India ( Jan 2005), I paid round about the same price and I was transiting Frankfurt (Lufthansa... you guessed it !!! )...

I needed to relativise how and why I am paying exactly what I paid three years ago...

After what I hear, I suppose I was creamed then(2005)... but am making up for it now.

A drink on that!!

(Just pray that Sonny Corleone is not on the same flight though...never know with these smooth olive types ....)

machadinha

Heheh, prosit. Actually what got me to do some looking around now is that way back when Aeroflot and the likes used to offer flights for something like Dfl. 900. As with many Euro prices, that just went to E 900 when it was introduced (a 120% increase). I now remembered seeing it had evened out sort of back to the original prices, so I thought those 900 Euros can't be right.

Anyway it's a fickle business and those rates follow funny curves, I wouldn't let what happened in 2005 bug you too much. Well, whatever. Enjoy that trip!