How can I trust airline reviews when they're in all caps?

December 14, 2008 1:06 AM

NYC to Mumbai. Air India or Kuwait Airways? Phrased differently, should I arrive late night or early morning?

I'm flying from New York to Mumbai next month, and faced with the two airlines above, I have no idea which to choose. Both seem to have downsides.

Air India seems like a more sensible choice if only due to the nationality. However, they'll drop me in Mumbai at 10:45pm, which seems like a bad time for someone unfamiliar with the city, and who will have to find a hotel or hostel right off. I could stay up all night, wander around, and deal with it in the morning, but this hardly seems like the best way to do things.

Kuwait Airways will put me in Mumbai at a much more workable 4:50am, but I've heard far more bad about the airline than good. Thing is, I'm not picky. As long as I arrive at my destination intact, I don't much care if the flight attendants are late with my coke (or don't even bring one at all). My in-flight entertainment is a long book, so I don't care if the TV screens work. I do, however, feel very strongly about arriving at my destination with the least amount of bureaucratic hassle I can manage. Long layovers are no problem; having to hassle someone for two hours to get on a new connecting flight after my original one gets canceled is something I'd like to avoid.

I'll be traveling with one carry-on. Lost luggage is not--or should not be--a problem.

Right now I'm leaning towards Kuwait Airways. However, all I can see when I try to buy a ticket on their website is departure, arrival, and price; I can't imagine it's a straight shot, and I'd rather not have to (potentially) deal with another national bureaucracy if I end up having a layover in Kuwait. I feel like I don't have all the information I should have in this case. And, in Air India's favor and as much as my better judgment decries it, wandering disoriented around Mumbai all night sounds like the kind of stupid that might be fun.

Am I overestimating the ease of finding a place once I get on the ground? For whatever reason, it seems cheaper than booking in advance.

People with experience, help me out here. Which is the smarter choice? (If you have no practical advice, reminiscing about your own times in planes or in India is cool too)

posted by postcommunism to travel & transportation (14 comments total)

I'd go with Kuwait Airways. I flew into Mumbai via Air India and arrived at around midnight. It was no problem getting in that late, but it was surreal to be arriving at a city more or less asleep. Arriving at the break of dawn is the perfect time to land in India, and I would choose that flight just for that reason. No matter the experience of the flight, be it on Air Malaysia or some cheap Central African airline, when you land in Mumbai, none of that will matter. Have the time of your life.
posted by ageispolis at 1:33 AM on December 14, 2008

you may read a few opinions from people having taken those airlines (and sometimes flights) you're interested in. here's kuwait airways on airlinequality.com and air india on airlinequality.com.

also consider consulting seatguru before booking.
posted by krautland at 2:47 AM on December 14, 2008

Hmmm. Here's some alternative feedback. I flew Kuwait Airways from NYC to London (I believe that's the first half of the flight to Mumbai) and it was one of the better flight experiences of my life, considering that I fly with the proles in economy class. Clean, comfortable, and really helpful and nice flight staff. My friends, on the other hand, flew Air India to Paris, and found that...well, I'll just let their letter speak for itself: www.cynthialawson.com/airindia/ai_letter.pdf.
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 2:50 AM on December 14, 2008

I'll just let their letter speak for itself: www.cynthialawson.com/airindia/ai_letter.pdf

If any of this bothers you, don't go to India.
posted by ageispolis at 3:00 AM on December 14, 2008

As someone who has flown into my fair share of developing world countries at 1AM, let me throw my weight behind the Kuwait option.

Arriving at 4:30AM is fine. By the time you are actually out of the airport, it'll be 5AM, which might just be late enough to catch one of the first buses into the city... which will save you a fortune compared to a taxi.

Arriving at midnight is a pain in the ass for several reasons -- you are stuck paying an expensive taxi, and you either have to book a room in advance, or deal with the night managers at hotels, who usually don't know what is going on, and certainly don't have the authority to haggle.

If you do book a room, and it turns out to be a shit-hole, you are sorta stuck with it at 1AM.

Fly in at 5AM, spend half an hour looking at different hotels, find a room that you like, and then pass the hell out for a few hours.
posted by genome4hire at 3:18 AM on December 14, 2008

I've flown Kuwait Airways on relatively short flights and they've been fine. Strangely enough, if you choose that option, your final approach into KWI will take you directly over the building where I work.
posted by ambient2 at 5:11 AM on December 14, 2008

There is a kiosk in the airport which will book your hotel for you. When I flew in to Mumbai I consulted my guide book on the plane and found a few hotels i liked, when I landed I just had the hotel-booking kiosk phone them and book me a room. No problem and free. Once your hotel is booked you can get a pre-paid taxi directly to that hotel. The pre-paid taxi kiosk is also in the airport, they have fixed, non rip-off fares into the city.
posted by DelusionsofGrandeur at 5:13 AM on December 14, 2008

Due to recent events of which you may have heard, there is a lot more security in Mumbai than before. Your risk of secondary screening at immigration, delay/frustration in scrounging up a hotel, and unwelcome police attention if you're wandering around with carry on bags at 2 a.m. are all higher than before. Another argument for Kuwait Airlines' schedule, perhaps?

Also, regardless of arrival, perhaps you should have chosen and reserved a hotel room in advance...
posted by MattD at 5:37 AM on December 14, 2008

Please book a hotel room in advance. Try www.cleartrip.com if you want to get a list.
posted by madman at 6:01 AM on December 14, 2008

2nding genome4hire
posted by Spurious at 8:06 AM on December 14, 2008

One of my favorite memories of travel is the 5am taxi ride into Mumbai from the airport a few years ago. I'd never been to India before, and I really had no idea what to expect. I watched the city wake up as it sped past, early morning mist or haze obscuring the distance, elephants and camels making early morning deliveries, shopkeepers opening the shutters. I think about that ride every so often and wish I knew how to recapture the magic in other places.

And genome4hire is right about the hotel thing; it's much easier to shop around early in the morning than late at night. Be aware, though, that some hotels in India use a 24 hour check-in policy which means your checkout time is 24 hours after your check-in time. Fine and dandy if you check in in the afternoon, but real annoying if you check in at 5am.

And do use the prepaid taxi stand. The advice I read said not to show the prepaid slip until the end of the ride; I guess some taxi drivers might not take you if it's a prepaid trip or might try to drop you off before your actual destination.
posted by msbrauer at 5:15 PM on December 14, 2008

If you care about getting your circadian rhythms lined up with India time as quickly as possible, you should probably choose the 10:45pm arrival time. I'm always tired after a long flight, and it sucks to try to stay up for 12 hours or more after arrival.
posted by A dead Quaker at 7:49 PM on December 14, 2008

Quaker makes a good point. Keep in mind that if you choose the Kuwait flight you'll likely have more jet lag to deal with. If time is not of the essence, this shouldn't be a problem. But by arriving at night even if it you don't get asleep till later, you'll be up the following morning bright and early at 5 or 6 in the morning anyway.
posted by ageispolis at 12:56 PM on December 15, 2008

(with waaaaay less jet lag to deal with)
posted by ageispolis at 12:57 PM on December 15, 2008