Flight options for desi parents to Bay Area
My parents are planning to visit me soon (to SF) for the first time and I am kind of evaluating options for them to fly in from Mumbai. Any input from desi community will be appreciated. - Which route is the best (read least hassle)? - Any preferred airline when it comes to comfort and convenience? - Any experience with premium economy? Is it worth it? P.S: For them having a kind of leg rest will be of great help. Thanks.
If language is a problem then any Middle East Airline, also they are safer (they don’t bomb their own airports). Lufthansa has also improved a lot and has good service
Thanks. Any feedback on premium economy?
Air India? Let them fly to Delhi and stay with a relative and get them in a direct non-stop flight? I am from Delhi and my parents only want to fly in Air India just to avoid any halt
^ +1 Air India is good option if they are okay with non-stop. I also flew by Aeroflot once, it was pretty decent and affordable.
Any idea about economy premium? Non stop is fine if they can get a leg rest.
Nope haven’t used it. Do they have leg space with economy premium? Usually, you need to get an upgrade.. unless you get lucky and get one of those fire exit seats with more room. On a different note, do they drink? That’s always a good solution ;)
ANA is good, two 8-10hr flights with 4hrs layover in Tokyo. Air India flight is a bit too long for my taste, service is not good - but it is the fastest.
Air China is actually a good option if you are looking for comfort and economy. I've flown my parents to SFO, biz class at 2100 roundtrip. Language can be a problem though.
That is helpful
Would check this next time.
There is one advantage with Lufthansa. They have flights to San Jose, where the immigration is much smoother and quicker. People can get out of the airport within 30 min of landing, unlike SFO where even 2 hours isn't an outlier. Also the airport is smaller so less confusion for first time travelers.
Lol I Spent 2 hours recently on immigration at San Jose airport
Oh ok. Sorry then. I just had a few data points and assumed that to be typical, but I guess not.
Would recommend air india. 15 hour vs 22 hrs (including layovers) makes a lot of difference.
I was able to get a seat sale when watching close from Air Canada with a connection in Toronto to Seattle. Only difficulty is you need a transit permit to connect in Canada.
Check international flights into SJC, super helpful for parents.
Emirates airlines that fly directly from Dubai to SFO mist be the best option in terms of convenience and services. This is the route I use for seattle through Dubai .
it's a long ass flight.
Yes it is