Review of Air India Regional flight Kulu → New Delhi in Economy

Airline Air India Regional
Flight AI9806
Class Economy
Seat 13A
Aircraft ATR 72-600
Flight time 01:20
Take-off 07 Oct 16, 08:15
Arrival at 07 Oct 16, 09:35
CD 2 reviews
BobbieD
By 894
Published on 5th February 2017
Welcome to this return flight from Kullu, Himachal Pradesh to New Delhi with Air India Regional.

You can find the previous flights from this trip below:


The outbound flight to Kulu seemed to produce a number of requests for pictures of the trip so here they are!

This is Mandi a town around 1:30 drive from the airport where I stayed.

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I was here on a business trip to the region's research institute which is based another hours journey away.

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and we were lucky enough to be treated to a local dance complete with band and a meal served on a plate of leaves which we had to eat with our hands.

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One afternoon we were also taken on a little tourist visit to Rewalsar located on a lake with a massive 37 m high Buddha statue! The Dalai Lama now lives close to here since leaving Tibet.

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Now for the report!

Our departure had been scheduled for 08:15 in the morning and with over an hours drive to the airport it would be a very early start. Luckily for us we received notice the evening before that the flight would be delayed by a couple of hours.

We arrived with plenty of time to spare (for such a small airport).

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As usual at Indian airports there was a security check before entering the terminal.

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Behind the check-in desk was a very large notice of banned items

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We now had some time to kill, but there was only one shop selling locally made clothes. Nothing to eat and we hadn't yet eaten breakfast. Airside:

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I decided to leave to the terminal and look for something on the main road. Upon leaving the terminal I had to ask for permission to leave and sign out with the security guard.

I found a small shop just by the entrance to the car park and bought breakfast. On the way back in there was a great view of the terminal situated in the valley.

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I waited a little longer landside before the security lane opened. Airside there were only seats too.

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Shortly later the aircraft arrived, it's passengers disembarked and we were allowed out onto the tarmac to board. The early morning fog had lifted and the scenery was quite stunning



Here's our plane today

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The flight wasn't full and we could spread out. I had originally been assigned an aisle seat but swapped this for a free row and a window.

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The legroom was fine for this short flight and the safety card was located in the pocket.

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This would be my view today.

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The captain came on the intercom and welcomed us on board. He even gave our group a personal welcome which was a really nice touch (the 15 or so of us made up at about half of the passengers!) and he apologised for our delay. It was now about 10:50 more than 2 and a half hours after the original departure time. The delay was due to Indian air force activity north of Delhi. I also doubt it would have been on time anyway due to the morning fog in the valley (I certainly would have been scared landing in a steep sided cloud filled valley!) After the safety briefing we were soon to depart. Turning on the runway:



and we're off



The views really were amazing and I couldn't help but to take lots of photos.



Reaching above the valley we could even get a view of the snow capped Himalayan peaks in the distance.

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This morning's in flight snack was served. A sandwich, some cake and mango juice.

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The views changed as we left the mountains and we moved into cloud. On decent Delhi was covered in haze. I still manged to get a picture of the Lotus Temple

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and the busy city below

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arriving in Delhi.

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We parked at a remote stand and were thanked for flying with Air India before being bussed to the terminal

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Verdict

Air India Regional

6.8/10
Cabin7.5
Cabin crew8.0
Entertainment/wifi5.0
Meal/catering6.5

Kulu - KUU

5.8/10
Efficiency7.0
Access5.0
Services3.0
Cleanliness8.0

New Delhi - DEL

7.8/10
Efficiency8.0
Access8.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness7.0

Conclusion

Although the flight was delayed by over 2 and a half hours we did find out the night before and was glad not to have to get up so early!

The airport is very small and without any real facilities but this leads to a quick process from checking in to boarding.

The location of the airport is really spectacular and this day we had a great view.

The personal welcome to our party was a nice touch and it was nice to have a snack on board this short flight.

Related

6 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 384640 by
    Scott05 570 Comments
    Thank you for this report!
    A very nice tourist bonus, I didn't know the Dalai Lama stayed in the region!
    Also stunning views of the valley on the ground and at takeoff.
    The airport is basic, it's strange that they don't have a small food offering.
    There's a real contrast between the departure and arrival fields! Did the delay have any impact on your connection?
    • Comment 384641 by
      BobbieD AUTHOR 93 Comments
      Certainly a big difference in the airfields!

      There was no problem for me with the connection as I was flying back the next morning. The other members of the group who were flying back directly had a long connection time and by the time we landed still had another couple of hours to wait, so it was probably better for them anyway.
  • Comment 384659 by
    Pilpintu TEAM 997 Comments
    Beautiful views! I was waiting for the return flight.

    Thanks for sharing!
  • Comment 384661 by
    Succubus21 15 Comments
    Beautiful series till now..... If your were able to drive 4/5 hours to mcleodganj/dharamsala you could see dalai lama's residence....also the view of Himalayas from the plane must be breath taking
  • Comment 384704 by
    K2World 2200 Comments
    Thank you for this report and for adding some photos of your trip.
    Good things you manage to know that your flight was delayed so that you didn't have to spend too much time in this tiny airport.
    Lovely views during the take-off
    The haze in New Delhi is so intense !

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