Trip Report/Flight Review - Indigo(6E)A320N:Dubai(DXB) to Chennai(MAA) & Experience of Chennai's New Integrated Terminal

[flyingvegan]

Hi All,

Here is another trip report from me.

In this, I am sharing my experience flying India's Indigo Airline(6E) international flight from Dubai, UAE to Chennai, India. Indigo uses Dubai's Terminal1 as any other foreign airlines which uses the same, except Emirates and Flydubai. Dubai's Terminal1 is still neatly maintained, updated and is equipped with the latest technology systems for immigration and security check. The main check-in area doesn't have departure gates, it is connected to the departure/satellite terminal through train frequently. The departure area has duty free shopping, foreign exchange counters and some coffee shops. The cafeteria and First/Business lounges are located on the next floor of the departure terminal and it had decent options for food like McDonald's, KFC, The Draft House sports bar, etc.

I have taken many domestic flights with India's Indigo airline but this is my first international flight with them. As it is a low cost airline, I didn't have much expectation. Although Indigo is a low cost airline, they provide free baggage allowance of 30Kgs for international flights but they charge for seat selection except middle seats which are free. There is no IFE, in-flight meal is to be purchased on board and prebooking options in their website were also very limited, seats are thin but comfortable, legroom is decent, lavatories are clean, crew is very efficient in handling and providing services.

Nowadays Indigo is connecting Delhi and Mumbai with Istanbul, Tbilisi, Bali and Nairobi which are flights with a duration of 5 to 7 hours. Personally I might not prefer Indigo for such a long duration of flights. They have even wetleased 2 Boeing 777 aircraft from Turkish Airline for operating flight from Delhi and Mumbai to Istanbul which also has more than 500 seats.

This is also my first experience using Chennai's New Integrated Terminal building which was inaugurated in April 2023, all international flights and airlines started operating from this terminal from 1st July 2023. Chennai airport being operated and run by the Government's Airport Authority of India(AAI), immigration was quick but had to wait for nearly 40 minutes for collecting my checked baggage. I observed that although the terminal is new, the equipment being used such as seating provided and trolleys for baggage was old and some were even broken. AAI should definitely improve it. Chennai's airport has very good connectivity to the city with options of metro, buses, etc. Recently a mall with a multiplex was also opened which is named as Aerohub. As I had to take another domestic flight, I had the opportunity to use the Travelclub Lounge in Chennai domestic terminal. Service and seating in the lounge were good, there were decent options of food available but the taste was average.

Do watch the full video and comment on it.

[sn26567]

Thanks for this nice flight report.

You mentioned that seat selection is at a cost (except for the middle seats). How much does it cost to book a window or an aisle seat?

You mentioned that legroom is acceptable. How many seats are there in the IndiGo A320neo?

[flyingvegan]

Thanks for this nice flight report.

You mentioned that seat selection is at a cost (except for the middle seats). How much does it cost to book a window or an aisle seat?

You mentioned that legroom is acceptable. How many seats are there in the IndiGo A320neo?

Cost for window & aisle seats from row 21-31 is 3$, row 11-20 is about 5$, front row seats with extra legroom and exit row seats are price between 24-30$.

There are totally 186seats in this aircraft