Flying to Delhi
Today’s a long day for me with an early start in Nashik, flying to Delhi for a nearly 12h self-connect to Hong Kong, with the second flight being on standby.
I left the hotel around 0640 by autorickshaw, summoned on Uber. It was colder than I had thought and I had to put on my puffer jacket when we got going.
The 40 min ride in the early morning gave me a glimpse into the lives of the homeless around town.
With no checked-in baggage, I didn’t have to report to a counter at the airport. Instead, I grabbed a snack of samosa and tea to await security screening to commence for entry into airside.
I killed time chatting to Roshan’s neighbour from downstairs who sells medical devices internationally and had travelled to Malaysia, the Gulf and even Pakistan on business. Interesting guy!
Nashik airport doesn’t have an apron area adjacent to the terminal but instead, all aircraft are parked at a remote area accessible by bus only. The 0910 Indigo flight to Delhi was punctual.
Fortunately, I had had a snack at the airport because I had forgotten that this flight was on a cheaper ticket which didn’t include a snack.
Long transit
My plan for this self-connect of 11h40 was to split my time between different places to avoid boredom by changing the scenery. Perhaps some time at the domestic arrival hall, then the check-in area and finally airside.
Arriving at Delhi T2 at 1105, the domestic arrival hall had some seating and a few food stalls at reasonable prices as far as airports are concerned. But I thought I could do better and walked to T3.
At T3, there was a pricey food hall but I wasn’t quite ready for an expensive meal. I managed to find one kerbside stall where I bought a coffee and snack which I consumed standing up.
Just as well, because once I entered into the terminal building, prices were significantly higher and there was only one outlet landside in the check-in area.
It’s crazy that prices can differ so greatly by just a few metres and a security check-point. I could have exited and re-screened if I had really wanted to eat back on the kerbside or at the food hall.
I killed time on the computer and snacking on my last pack of biscuits before shelling out for a sandwich and coffee around 1800.
To my surprise, I found the Cathay Pacific counter open around 1830 which was over 4h before the departure time of 2245. To add to my surprise, they issued me a boarding pass straight away even though the flight was pretty full. I had been prepared to wait till flight closing time an hour before departure, or worse for their other flight at 0130.
I got airside in about 35 mins and headed to the lounge. Having only eaten recently, it was a bit of a waste not being able to enjoy the food there in a more substantial fashion. Especially the chicken! That’s after being nearly 100% vegetarian during my stay in India (the exception being a McDonald’s chicken burger).
The flying time to Hong Kong was a over 4h and with the meal service, there wasn’t much time to rest. Stuck in a window seat of the B777-300, it’s amazing that I only had to go to the loo once! As far as shorthaul night flights go, it was pleasant enough.