Summary
- IndiGo operates a daily flight between Dubai and Cochin using Airbus A320s, which provide comfortable seats and ample legroom.
- Priority services like Fast Forward offer seamless check-in and anytime boarding for an additional fee.
- IndiGo is the largest airline in India and will continue to grow with incoming A320 and A350 aircraft.
A few weeks ago, I traveled back to my hometown—Cochin, Kerala, located in the southwest of India—with India’s largest carrier, IndiGo. Considering that up to eight flights a day are operated by six different carriers, the choice was never an issue, and having flown IndiGo multiple times before, the sense of loyalty definitely played a factor when choosing my flight.
IndiGo operates one daily flight between Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Cochin International Airport (COK) using its fleet of Airbus A320 (both ceo and neo variants). Flight 6E1476 has a scheduled departure of 11:50 and a scheduled arrival time of 17:40.
Early Start At DXB
Well aware of how crowded DXB can be, especially in Terminal 1, I arrived at the airport early at 09:00 and proceeded to find the check-in section reserved for IndiGo flights. Since IndiGo operates up to 14 flights on certain days of the week, the carrier has an entire section at check-in dedicated to their passengers. However, things can get a bit busy depending on the time of the day if there are multiple IndiGo flights departing within a short period of time.
Photo: Abid Habib | Simple Flying
The airline has also set up a dedicated lane for “Fast Forward” passengers, which would allow eligible passengers to have a seamless check-in and boarding experience.
IndiGo Fast Forward is a paid service that allows passengers to access a priority check-in lane and has the privilege of “Anytime boarding.” This service is available for domestic flights within India for INR 650 (around $8) and international flights for INR 850 (around $10).
Following a quick check-in and baggage drop, I proceeded to passport control and security, which was a breeze since I had access to the smart gates. Within five minutes of checking in, I was already airside and taking the airport rail service to Concourse D.
Photo: Abid Habib | Simple Flying
Once I got to the concourse, I decided to go to one of the many airport lounges there to grab a bite before my 3.5-hour journey. From the eight lounges in the concourse, as a Lounge Key member, I had access to three of them.
|
Lounge Type |
Lounge Name |
Lounge Key eligibility |
|---|---|---|
|
Airport |
Al Majlis |
No |
|
Airport |
Al Ahlan Business Class Lounge |
Yes |
|
Airport |
Al Ahlan First Class Lounge |
No |
|
Airport |
Marhaba |
Yes |
|
Alliance |
SkyTeam |
Yes |
|
Airline |
Lufthansa |
No |
|
Airline |
Gulf Air |
No |
|
Airline |
British Airways |
No |
Based on previous experience, I chose to go to the SkyTeam lounge.
Related
Review: SkyTeam Alliance Lounge at Dubai International Airport
With six SkyTeam members currently operating to Dubai and one more on the way, the alliance definitely has a presence at DXB.
At the gate & boarding
After an hour or so at the lounge, I had a relatively short stroll to the gate where boarding was commencing. While there were three boarding counters, the flight was full, so to avoid the rush, I waited for a while, enjoying the apron views before heading over to the counter and boarding the aircraft.
Photo: Abid Habib | Simple Flying
The boarding process only took a few minutes, and soon, I was walking through the aerobridge connected to the two-year-old A320 that was flying me home that morning. A crew member greeted me at the entrance and directed me to walk down the aisle to my seat, 31B.
The seat and cabin
My seat, 31B, was in the port-side middle seat in the very last row. Since I was sitting in the middle, I stored my laptop bag underneath my seat rather than in the overhead bins for better inflight accessibility. While this might seem uncomfortable, I can confirm that the legroom available was quite spacious and comfortable for someone over six feet tall. Furthermore, the seat’s recline is ample, and because I was seated in the last row, I could recline without bothering anyone else, making my flight all the more comfortable.
Apart from the recline, the seat is quite comfortable and roomy compared to some A320 experiences I have had with other carriers worldwide. Regarding seat features, there is a seatback fold table available, along with individual air-conditioning nozzles and overhead reading lights for each passenger.
There are also seat-back pockets available where passengers can find the aircraft safety instructions card and the airline magazine, Hello 6E.
Photo: Abid Habib | Simple Flying
The aircraft also has three lavatories onboard, one at the front of the aircraft and two at the back. Considering I usually fly larger widebody aircraft, it was a pleasant surprise when I realized the lavatories were larger than I realized, both in terms of floor space and the fact that, at over six feet, I could stand up straight.
Low-Cost Inflight service
Staying true to the low-cost business model, if you want something extra, you will have to pay for it. While passengers can purchase various snacks or hot and cold food items/beverages onboard, they also have the option of pre-ordering items of their choice from the menu, which can be viewed on the airline website.
The selection of items available is reasonable, with all items costing between INR 200 and INR 400 ($3 – $5). Since I had already had a hearty meal at the airport lounge, I settled in to watch a movie on my iPad for the duration of the flight.
Despite being a full flight, the crew members were efficient with their service, and it was noticeable that they tended to passenger calls quite quickly. Among the cabin crew members on my flight, apart from English, the team could speak multiple Indian languages, such as Hindi and Marathi, which definitely would have helped with language barriers for some passengers.
As for the flight itself, though it was delayed by nearly 30 minutes, the pilots did a great job of explaining the reason, which was that, due to ongoing runway maintenance at COK, on-time departure would have resulted in the flight having to spend more time in the holding pattern, thus burning more fuel, which is undesirable. Despite the delayed departure, the flight landed on time.
After landing in Cochin
Upon disembarking, airport ground staff were positioned on the aerobridge to assist passengers who had requested wheelchairs in advance. The immigration process was smooth, and I was collecting my bags from the luggage carousel quickly.
Photo: Abid Habib | Simple Flying
Considering the COK international terminal is not too big, and the airport is not that busy in the evening, it took less than 10 minutes from the time I disembarked the aircraft to leave the terminal.
Overall thoughts on flying with IndiGo
The flight was brilliant. It got me from Dubai to my destination, Cochin, safely, on time, comfortably, and with good crew service, thereby ticking all the boxes of flying a low-cost carrier.
In an era when several low-cost carriers attempt to switch to a hybrid model of offering both premium and low-cost service, IndiGo remains true to the low-cost operating model, making it an incredibly successful airline. The carrier has followed this successful recipe for well over a decade to become the largest airline in India, and it plans to grow even larger.
Photo: BoeingMan777 | Shutterstock
With hundreds of A320s on order and even 30 A350 widebody aircraft on order, the airline is set to experience a boom in its international network in the coming years.
Related
In For The Long-Haul: IndiGo Orders 30 Airbus A350-900 Jets
The airline also has purchase rights for an additional 70 A350 family of jets.