[Debconf-discuss] Money matters and air travel queries - 1 -2 stops and being in South Africa morning or afternoon.
Hi all, I made a page with my conversations with Bernelle (sometime ago) which clears the air somewhat for a prospective traveler coming to South Africa to not just be for the conference but also have a bit of holiday with/on her/im and expenses s/he can expect . https://wiki.debconf.org/wiki/DebConf16/Money This probably needs to be linked to somewhere in Logistics but probably needs to be cleaned and any duplication or moving around may be needed. Feel free to do the same. Now for flights I recently saw " The Truth About Cheap Flights: Channel 4 Dispatches " http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/the-truth-about-cheap-flights-channel-4-dispatches While this is more about UK and a specific company in UK, I *think* it is similar everywhere and especially in India. I know same/similar practices which are in vogue in the Railways, esp. in Second Class reservation (the cheapest way and yet decent way for most people to move around to large distances > 500 km. for sure), so would try to also shop around for the cheapest and yet comfortable air travel. Now I have budgeted at $837 which is around around one and a half times the cheapest ticket available $587 . Here's a link to the on-line listing - http://cheapfaresindia.makemytrip.com/international/raw/index.html?l=exIndia&t=RT&i=PNQ-CPT-D-29Jun2016_CPT-PNQ-D-11Jul2016&p=A-1&c=E&a=MA&userID=80411462463532449#/listing https://www.ixigo.com/search/result/flight/BOM/CPT/29062016/11072016/1/0/0/e - far better listing especially for information on layovers (which is critical) is much more easily known. Have attached some of the flights which look good/promising but as there are so many bewildering choices and have no idea which air route is ideal, hence asking air travelers if they have any tips or ideas for the same. My idea is to land in South Africa on 30th morning or evening, decompress and just be on 1st of July and be available to be part of debian for noobs. The cheapest flight on makemy trip is at $629 doesn't work because both while going as well as coming, there are stops where connection between flights is around half an hour, so if the flight is late for some reason or some other issue, it is very easy to miss the connection. I have been trying multiple options on both the sites but either the layovers are too short (between 30 mins to 2 hours) or too long (15 -24 hours) There are couple of Airports I want/am looking for information on :- a. I was looking at Johannesburg International Airport as a potential layover stop but after reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._R._Tambo_International_Airport decided to give it a miss as it seems to be a pretty busy airport and the layovers I was getting were between 1 - 2 hours which isn't enough in a busy and big airport. I would be having check-in baggage along with hand-baggage (lappy :) ) . So this doesn't seem to be a right fit. b. The other most common layover is Addis Ababa Bole International Airport of Ethopia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addis_Ababa_Bole_International_Airport This airport also seems to have grown a bit as per the wiki article . It is really nuts as there are so many combinations and flights, it makes my head spin, can anyone help ? Have checked around 140 odd flights, direct would have been lot better and simpler to understand. Ideally, I would like just 1 stop between the two countries and have a layover of around 4 hours just in case of delay either at takeoff, bad weather, landing, baggage collection etc. Think 4 hours should be the sweet spot, if people think there should be more of a gap, please chime here. It would be nicer if one of the cheaper flights makes the cut so somebody else or it could be used to make debconf more awesome. In case of a long layover, for budget/economy travelers are there any budget choices for storage lockers and having bit of sleep, food and freshening up before the next leg of the journey. Look forward to learn. -- Regards, Shirish Agarwal शिरीष अग्रवाल My quotes in this email licensed under CC 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ http://flossexperiences.wordpress.com EB80 462B 08E1 A0DE A73A 2C2F 9F3D C7A4 E1C4 D2D8 https://www.ixigo.com/search/result/flight/BOM/CPT/29062016/11072016/1/0/0/e 1. Ethiopian Airlines ET611 29 Jun, Wed economy 05:15 Mumbai Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport 5h 5m 07:50 Addis Ababa Bole Layover 24h 25m Addis Ababa Ethiopian Airlines ET847 30 Jun, Thu economy 08:15 Addis Ababa Bole 6h 40m 13:55 Cape Town - Cape Town Intl CPT - BOM Ethiopian Airlines ET846 11 Jul, Mon economy 20:45 Cape Town - Cape Town Intl 8h 15m 06:00 Addis Ababa Bole Layover 15h Addis Ababa Ethiopian Airlines ET610 12 Jul, Tue economy 21:00 Addis Ababa Bole 4h 50m 04:20 Mumbai Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport USD 682 or INR 44707 2. Ethiopian Airlines ET641 29 Jun, Wed economy 11:15 Mumbai Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport 5h 20m 14:05 Addis Ab
Re: [Debconf-discuss] Money matters and air travel queries - 1 -2 stops and being in South Africa morning or afternoon.
Quoting shirish शिरीष (2016-05-06 01:03:18) > Here's a link to the on-line listing I confidently use skyscanner.com - some claim that other services bring cheaper results but none of them have proven better in my tests. > My idea is to land in South Africa on 30th morning or evening, One way to save money on travel is to not fixate on exact dates: Some offers are cheaper when both journeys are on a tuesday, others when more than two weeks aparts, still others when not being too far apart. etc. > The cheapest flight on makemy trip is at $629 doesn't work because > both while going as well as coming, there are stops where connection > between flights is around half an hour, so if the flight is late for > some reason or some other issue, it is very easy to miss the > connection. If you buy tickets separately then it is on you if delays cause them to not fit, but if buying tickets as a single journey with stops in it, then it is the travel agencies job to get you on another flight. Again, you may loose time on that but not money. > It is really nuts as there are so many combinations and flights, it > makes my head spin, can anyone help ? * Use skyscanner.com! * Check multiple combinations of arrival and departure dates. * Tolerate quite a bit of waiting time at stop-over. * Try use different airport in India (but always return to same as you depart from - most offers are on return tickets between two points) > In case of a long layover, for budget/economy travelers are there any > budget choices for storage lockers and having bit of sleep, food and > freshening up before the next leg of the journey. The whole point of "budget" travelling is to get people to eat and shop at the airports, so don't expect them to help you avoid that. - Jonas -- * Jonas Smedegaard - idealist & Internet-arkitekt * Tlf.: +45 40843136 Website: http://dr.jones.dk/ [x] quote me freely [ ] ask before reusing [ ] keep private signature.asc Description: signature ___ Debconf-discuss mailing list Debconf-discuss@lists.debconf.org http://lists.debconf.org/mailman/listinfo/debconf-discuss
Re: [Debconf-discuss] Money matters and air travel queries - 1 -2 stops and being in South Africa morning or afternoon.
On 6 May 2016 at 04:33, shirish शिरीष wrote: > Hi all, Hi > Now I have budgeted at $837 which is around around one and a half > times the cheapest ticket available $587 . Check prices at www.akbartravels.com too. I got cheap tickets for DebConf15 last year from this Indian travel web-site compare to other sites like cleartrip etc. > > My idea is to land in South Africa on 30th morning or evening, > decompress and just be on 1st of July and be available to be part of > debian for noobs. > > The cheapest flight on makemy trip is at $629 doesn't work because > both while going as well as coming, there are stops where connection If time is not a BIG issue, land at Johannesburg & take train to Cape Town. Very cheap deal. [I evaluated this option for me virtually ;-) ] Yeah it's approximately 1300 kilometers 1 way journey, but that's again if you have time & interested to explore South Africa ^_^ South African trains should be fun but they looks expensive unlike Indian trains :-) [ Must be fast & air con trains.] > > b. The other most common layover is Addis Ababa Bole International > Airport of Ethiopia >7 Ethiopian air is having some good offers recently for flights originating from Mumbai to African countries via Addis Ababa. > > It would be nicer if one of the cheaper flights makes the cut so > somebody else or it could be used to make debconf more awesome. Check if any1 driving from Johannesburg to Cape Town or from Bloemfontein to Cape Town. [carpool] Also adding some information about visa = It seems like VFS center is available in our city for South African visa. Ref URL = http://www.vfsglobal.com/southafrica/india/ Marking Debian India mailing list in cc just in case if we have any more people traveling to DebConf16 from India. > > In case of a long layover, for budget/economy travelers are there any > budget choices for storage lockers and having bit of sleep, food and > freshening up before the next leg of the journey. Don't expect much from airports in East & Central Africa. [No intention to start any fury but honest opinion.] Once upon time Indian airports were also like a bus station. :-D If you have long layover at Dubai airport, it's a good airport to spend a night/several hours at. And BTW if it's the same flight carrier for next leg, your luggage is transferred by airlines itself. You don't have to worry about that heavy luggage. But, Beware if your connecting flight is of another carrier. You may need to cross immigration to collect your luggage,check-in your luggage to new carrier counter & get back in to departure hall by going through security check. Most times we [Indian passport holders] need at least so called 'airport transit' visa in such circumstances. [ that means 1 more visa = more money..Argh!! not good] If your Passport has valid USA visa, they [immigration authority] are fine usually otherwise no! Sounds crazy but true. We being Indian passport holders, it's a complicated thing. :-/ I hope this information helps. Von Voyage! Regards, Amey. I > > Look forward to learn. > -- > Regards, > Shirish Agarwal शिरीष अग्रवाल > My quotes in this email licensed under CC 3.0 > http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ > http://flossexperiences.wordpress.com > EB80 462B 08E1 A0DE A73A 2C2F 9F3D C7A4 E1C4 D2D8 > > ___ > Debconf-discuss mailing list > Debconf-discuss@lists.debconf.org > http://lists.debconf.org/mailman/listinfo/debconf-discuss > ___ Debconf-discuss mailing list Debconf-discuss@lists.debconf.org http://lists.debconf.org/mailman/listinfo/debconf-discuss
Re: [Debconf-discuss] Money matters and air travel queries - 1 -2 stops and being in South Africa morning or afternoon.
Hi shirish, all Thanks for working this into a wiki. > If time is not a BIG issue, land at Johannesburg & take train to Cape > Town. Very cheap deal. [I evaluated this option for me virtually ;-) ] > Yeah it's approximately 1300 kilometers 1 way journey, but that's > again if you have time & interested to explore South Africa ^_^ > South African trains should be fun but they looks expensive unlike > Indian trains :-) [ Must be fast & air con trains.] I love taking the train - shozoloza https://www.shosholozameyl.co.za/, but delays of about 8 hours are common, making it about a 30 hour journey one way. It is a great way to see South Africa cheaply, and feel the local vibes. Overall I would say though that unless you have a connecting flight from JHB to CPT (I think those are the airport abbreviations) or LOTS of time, then it becomes a schlep. Unless you have about a week to get down to Cape Town, it really is logistically difficult, and undue stress, so try to get directly into Cape Town. > >> >> b. The other most common layover is Addis Ababa Bole International >> Airport of Ethiopia >>7 > > Ethiopian air is having some good offers recently for flights > originating from Mumbai to African countries via Addis Ababa. I've also recently landed in Nairobi on a connecting flight using KLM, and it was fine. Doha, Dubai are other common connecting flights. > >> >> It would be nicer if one of the cheaper flights makes the cut so >> somebody else or it could be used to make debconf more awesome. > > Check if any1 driving from Johannesburg to Cape Town or from > Bloemfontein to Cape Town. [carpool] This is an option, yes. > >> In case of a long layover, for budget/economy travelers are there any >> budget choices for storage lockers and having bit of sleep, food and >> freshening up before the next leg of the journey. > > Don't expect much from airports in East & Central Africa. [No > intention to start any fury but honest opinion.] > Once upon time Indian airports were also like a bus station. :-D + 1. Travel light, bring a pillow and rough it :) > > ___ > Debconf-discuss mailing list > Debconf-discuss@lists.debconf.org > http://lists.debconf.org/mailman/listinfo/debconf-discuss ___ Debconf-discuss mailing list Debconf-discuss@lists.debconf.org http://lists.debconf.org/mailman/listinfo/debconf-discuss
