AIR TRAVEL, Mumbai

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Continental flies daily to Newark EWR airport. In december I was able to snatch a B/F seat very comfortable 14 1/2 hour flight to the New World. It was a bit strange to board the flight at the commotion of Bombay and arrive at the order of the New World.
This time, it was Virgin Atlantic Upper Class at this last week of January. Lovely flight, great seats, good food and nice drinks and the time was 10 hours to london, slightly longer than i thought.

On my next trip to Asia, I think I am flying B/F on Continental from EWR to BOM. That would be something to look forward to

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Santa Cruz Airport, situated about 29km north from central Mumbai, is one of the busiest domestic airports in India due to the fact that Mumbai is one of the main transport hubs in the country. The Domestic Terminal is divided into Terminals 1A and 1B. Terminal 1A serves Indian Airlines, its subsidiary Alliance Air, Go Air and Kingfisher Airlines. Terminal 1B serves the various private airlines such as Jet Airways, Air Sahara, Spicejet and Air Deccan.

Taxi's are available outside the arrivals terminal. Bargain there prices down and simply walk away if they quote silly prices as plenty are available. Allow plenty of time to get to/from the airport as traffic is bad and the airport is quite far away from the city centre. It took me just over an hour to get from the airport to my hotel on Colaba Causeway Road (Hotel Celeste - see review). Hotel bookings are available in the arrivals terminal. I flew in from Udaipur with a Swiss couple I met up there and we ended up staying in the same hotel after booking it at the bookings counter. I also flew from here return to Aurangabad to see the caves at Ellora and Ajanta before heading on another flight to Goa.

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We took a Kingfisher airways flight from Delhi to Mumbai. It was comfortable and the service and food were good. Every passenger is given a pouch containing a couple of sweets, condiments, breath freshener seeds, hand freshener and a pen.
The tickets cost us around 13,000 rupees.
Our flight left in the early morning, and the return flight in the afternoon.

As well as juice and water, we were served lunch of black chickpeas, Chicken biryani [rather hot], mixed pickles ; chocolate mousse.

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Mumbai's Chhatrapti Shivaji International Airport is about an hour by the taxi to Colaba if there isn't a traffic jam. The terminal building is rather run down but is currently under a facelift. The domestic airport on the other hand is modern, clean, bright and airey with several cafes and restaurants around. It is about 4km from the main terminal and is connected with free shuttle bus service only if you have a connecting flight although I am pretty sure they won't mind you hopping on it if you are a foreigner. Domestic travelling in India is very affordable particularly from a big city like Mumbai where most airlines fly to. Book online early to get the best prices, although you are required to have an Indian credit card if you are thinking of doing so.
I have listed a couple of domestic budget airlines.
www.airdeccan.net
www.goindigo.in
www.spicejet.com
These other websites may also be useful:
www.yatra.com
www.makemytrip.com

There have been lots of problems with booking internal flights in India for some International tourists, if People in South Africa are having problems there is a booking office in Johannesburg for jet airways, it does have a web site but its only for agents you must register if you an agent,
www.jetairways.co.za
+27 11 622 1363 only problem is if you pay by credit card you must go book your tickets at their office in Bedfordview Johannesburg.

Indian low cost air companies are increasing, convenient and cover all states (Khasmir included).
www.flykingfisher.com
www.airdeccan.net
www.goair.in/
http://spicejet.com/
I heard bad comments about air deccan.

Mumbai is one of the main international airports in India. Air India is their international carrier and Jet Airways their main domestic carrier although Air India does operate some domestic flights. Mumbai’s airport is call Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport (formerly known as Sahar International Airport), around 30km from downtown. It is the busiest airport in India. The domestic airport is Santacruz airport, around 26kms from downtown.

This was my first experience of Air India and I cannot say I was impressed. The flight was full to Mumbai, the plane old and in parts I thought some of the interior was falling apart. A coat cupboard door flew open during take off and was left swinging along with coathangers and jiggling bags stored there. A passenger actually managed to kick it shut. There was also a loud crash in the galley during take off. The initial drink was pretty much thrown at you whether you wanted it or not and later when asked if you would like an alcoholic drink, you were advised by the attendant to order two because he wasn’t coming back. Fortunately the departing flight from India was a little better. Jet Airways on the other hand was fantastic. The internal flights were short but the attendants were on the go all the time and you were well looked

Before landing in Mumbai you will be given an immigration form . The form consists of 3 parts, Immigration, Departure and customs.
Fill in the immigration form and hand it in to passport control. The customs part of the form needs to be completed and given in just after you have gone through customs. Ensure the departure part is filled in before you reach the airport to leave to save time.

The Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport has two terminals:
the International one, formerly known as Sahar Airport, at about 30 km (20 miles) north of the town and
the Domestic terminal, formerly known as Santa Cruz Airport, at about 26 km (17 miles) from the heart of the city.

When you get out of the International terminal building, look at your right for the prepaid taxi counter, they offer the fairest prices to reach the centre.

While when you take a flight, don't forget to fill in the tag which must be fasten to your hand luggage: a stamp is put on this tag when your luggage get checked and it's absolutely necessary for passing the custom.

Bombay has two major airports. The Santa Cruz airport serves the domestic areas of India and the Sahar International airport serve as the gateway to the world. There is considerable distance between the two airports and so when someone is taking a domestic flight from Santa Cruz after flying in from abroad, sufficient time should be allowed for transfer.

From Santa Cruz airport, Indian Airlines and Jet Airways provide frequent flights to various parts of India. In the recent years, private carrier Jet Airways has gotten a leg up on state owned Indian Airlines. For more information and planning, try

www.jetairways.com