India Trip in Jan/Feb 2022 – Ideas/suggestions

[Flyer123]

All,

Looking for some collective wisdom –

We need to make a trip to India with an infant on lap in Jan/Feb 2022 – Going to MAA(Chennai), so preferably flights to Mumbai/Delhi and connections to be avoided to avoid additional tests/overheads with the infant.

Ideally, thinking Miles booking might be a safe option considering the limited cancellation charges if needing to cancel.

Onward journey is not available in Jan on miles but return journey back is available on miles. Thinking will lock that in for Feb date and maybe look at a last minute flight depending on what happens in Jan ? Or should I consider locking in a return flight on cash-basis and then take a voucher if getting cancelled/lockdown etc, use it by 2023 – Likely I will use it up for another India trip by then, so some amount locked in not a problem. Am ok with economy/prem/business.

Alternate thought is to use Emirates which has good connecting time for Chennai.

What do you suggest ?

[shub]

There’s a direct BA flight from Heathrow to bangalore, have you tried that? I think it’ll be better for connecting to Chennai.

[masaccio]

+1 on Bangalore. Skip the city and drive straight to Mysore, then on to the awesome Evolve Back (was Orange County) Kabini (splurge on a private pool villa). From there head to the hills to cool down; Ooty for example where you can ride the Nilgiri mountain railway. Then on to a loop of Kerala and its waterways before finishing in Kochi.

But maybe it wasn’t travel advice you were looking for. Still, a good trip!

[shub]

And the route has new club suite if it matters.

[BuildBackBetter]

Not sure if testing at airport is still on. Also not sure if you have to stay at airport until you get test results. Be prepared for rules to change quickly if Omicron spreads faster than expected.

Avoid connections outside India. Also be prepared to lose money on domestic flights as each airline has their own rebooking policy.

One way cash prices are ridiculous. I would book using miles if available. Keep checking for reward seats on Seatspy and set alerts.

Book meet and greet service at Delhi or Mumbai which might help you speed up immigration etc.

[Flyer123]

Yes, preferring Direct flight to Chennai. Nothing available on miles on the To-journey so far while return has a few dates.
No, not looking for destination advise, going to Chennai only.

[Flyer123]

What do people think about Emirates to Chennai connecting in Dubai(short 3 hr connection) ?

[Carlos]

Not recommended, expect a huge rise in Omicron and you might get stuck