Flying Safely

All the necessary information needed to make a qualified decision on how to get to South India from the UK is listed or linked in this article.

Generally, India is a very safe country to travel and live in. For instance, Crime levels in Kerala are significantly lower than in the UK; e.g. the number of violent crimes in Kerala is at 1 percent of the equivalent UK levels.

The real issue is how to safely get to India. Living in the UK, the only feasible way to get to India is by flying. Even though commercial flying is safer than any other means of transport, there is always a risk. There are three issues to consider before buying a plane ticket: plane safety, airline safety and airport safety.

Choosing the plane
When flying to South India from the UK it is almost guaranteed to be on a Boeing (747 or 777) or Airbus 330. This in itself is good since bigger planes are safer than small planes. However, the Boeing 777 has a perfect safety record making this plane type the obvious choice if available. Still, it makes sense to compare plane safety statistics. By reading the individual crash reports, potential flaws in the different plane types are quickly revealed. A Guardian article about the development of toxic fumes in Boeing 757 and BAE 146 is particularly worrying.

Another aspect of plane safety is where on the plane to sit. According to crash statistics there is one instance where seat location matters: if the plane crashes during landing. In this case it is significantly safer to sit at the rear of the plane. Considering that most accidents happen when landing, aiming for a seat towards the rear of the plane should be a priority. The downside is that passengers seated at the rear of the plane, which is always economy class, experience noticeably more turbulence than passengers further forward. Apparently it is even safer sitting in a backward facing seat. Hard to find though. Other than safety concerns, it may be an idea to avoid particularly uncomfortable seats.

Choosing the airline
When choosing which airline to fly with, the main rule is to choose an airline that flies as direct as possible, i.e. with as few stops as possible thereby limiting the number of take-offs and landings; as an added bonus this procedure limits the amount of pollution the trip will generate. A number of airlines fly from Britain to South India.

To Bangalore, Karnataka: The first option for arriving in South India is to fly to Bangalore. The only direct flight is with British Airways on a Boeing 777 from London Heathrow. A return ticket is available from £400. From Bangalore, the best way to travel south is by train. For instance, the 12 hour journey to Kochi/Ernakulam on the no. 6526 Kanyakumari Express leaves Bangalore at 22.00. The 600 kilometre journey costs £3 on 2nd class sleeper. A seat/bed in AC2 costs £10 if booked with Indian Rail in India or £16 if booked with the Indian Rail agent in the UK.

Anther option is to fly. A flight from Bangalore to Kochi, for instance, costs around £25 with Indian Airlines, Kingfisher Airlines, Jet Airways and Air Decan. Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines are highly recommended. The problem with this flying option is that it involves domestic flying which may be less safe than international flying. Also, for environmental reasons unnecessary flying should be avoided.

To Kochi, Kerala: At the time of writing there are no direct flights to Kerala's main international airport, Kochi. However, the following three airlines fly one-stop to Kerala: Emirates, Air India and Gulf Air. It is rumoured though that BA will start direct flight from London Heathrow to Kochi in the near future.

Emirates fly from London to Dubai (7 hours) and from Dubai to Kochi (4 hours), which equals 11 hours of flying time. Emirates normally use Boeing 777-200 for both routes. A return ticket with Emirates costs around £500 per person. Emirates' crash statistics are very good. With no fatal events in the past, it is probably the safest airline in the world.

Air India fly from London to Mumbai (8½ hours) and from Mumbai to Kochi (2 hours), which equals 10½ hours of flying time. Air India normally use Boeing 747 from London to Mumbai and Boeing 737, Airbus 310 or Airbus 320 from Mumbai to Kochi. A return ticket with Air India costs around £500. Air India's crash statistics are fairly good. The last fatal incident was as far back as 1985. The downside to flying with Air India is that they land in Mumbai which can be a bit of a pain. Also, flying from Mumbai means sacrificing the relative safety of international flying for the uncertainties of domestic flying.

Gulf Air fly 1) from London to Bahrain (7 hours) and from Bahrain to Kochi (6 hours), which equals 13 hours of flying time, and 2) from London to Muscat (8 hours), and from Muscat to Kochi (4 hours), which equals 12 hours of flying time. Gulf Air normally use Airbus 330 from London to Bahrain/Muscat and Airbus 320 from Bahrain/Muscat to Kochi. It is worth noticing that Gulf Air sometimes land in both Bahrain and Muscat on the same trip. A return ticket with Gulf Air costs around £500. Gulf Air's crash statistics are fairly good. However, the airline did lose an Airbus 320 and its 142 passengers and crew in a crash at Bahrain Airport in 2000.

To Chennai, Tamil Nadu: Chennai is India's fourth largest city and is the major transportation hub of the south and eastern coast line, and as such may not be the most gentel introduction to India. However, British Airways (Boeing 777) do fly direct to Chennai, and it is possible to find a good deal for the 9½ hours flight.

To other airports: An alternative to flying to South India is to fly into a northern airport and fly internally with an Indian airline. This will typically mean arranging the two parts of the journey with different airlines, and will take a lot more planning, but may save a few pounds.

Choosing the airport
Not all airports are equal. Some airports have construction issues, e.g. problems with runway length and direction, and/or location issues, e.g. problems with surrounding areas and weather. Therefore, before travelling to an airport it makes sense to check up on the airport's crash history and airport security rating. None of the destination airports mentioned in this article are troubled by frequent crashes.

The relevant airports in South India, Bangalore, Kochi and Chennai, have experienced 3, 3 and 5 incidents respectively since 1970. The incidents in Bangalore comprise of two crashes during landing (assumed to be pilot error) and a hijacking. The incidents in Kochi comprise of two Indian Air Force planes crashing near Kochi and an Alliance Air plane that crashed after take-off due to improper maintenance. The incidents in Chennai comprise mostly of crashes due to pilot error or unreliable planes.

Dubai Airport, in the United Arab Emirates, has experienced two crashes due to pilot error, one hijacking on the ground, an exploding bomb in the bagage compartment in a plane on the ground and one incident where a plane crashed into a mountain approaching the airport.

Bahrain Airport has experienced three crashes since 1970. The frequency of planes falling into the sea during landing at Bahrain is slightly worrying.

Conclusion
Deciding how to get to South India is an individual decision. The list below summarises the options we were realistically considering. The numbers in each line refer to the total travelling time excluding idle time.

British Airways from London Heathrow to Bangalore: 9½ hours

Emirates from London to Dubai. Emirates from Dubai to Kochi: London 7-> Dubai 4-> Kochi

British Airways from London Heathrow to Chennai: 9½ hours

Recommended sites
Aviation Safety
Air Safe
AirDisaster
Airliners.net
Seat Guru
Airline Quality
Airline Meals

British Airways
Emirates
Air India
Gulf Air
Kingfisher Airlines
Indian Airlines
Jet Airways
Air Decan
Airline Flight Schedules Worldwide

Indian Rail in India
Indian Rail UK agent
Southern Rail
Indian Railways Fan Club

This entry was posted by pundabee, on Saturday, January 21, 2006. You can leave your response.