Topic: TAR 20 Transport

[theschnauzers]

Something to keep in mind: Leg 7 of TAR 5: Teams flew into Narobi from Luxor in Egypt, and then flew a charter flight to Kilimanjaro and then a bus to their first route marker on the leg.

There's nothing ruling out a similar option this time around from what has been included in previews, promos and CBS press releases; and the one sighting at the Narobi airport.

Given the problems the show has had in other years with scheduled passenger flights in Africa, the charter option shouldn't be ignored.

[apskip]

Quote from: theschnauzers on Yesterday at 04:43:09 PM

    Something to keep in mind: Leg 7 of TAR 5: Teams flew into Narobi from Luxor in Egypt, and then flew a charter flight to Kilimanjaro and then a bus to their first route marker on the leg.

    There's nothing ruling out a similar option this time around from what has been included in previews, promos and CBS press releases; and the one sighting at the Narobi airport.

    Given the problems the show has had in other years with scheduled passenger flights in Africa, the charter option shouldn't be ignored.


theschnauzers,
The opening words of leg 7, AR5 in "My Ox is Broken" are "Receiving $75, teams return to Cairo and from there take the fastest available flight to Nairobi, Kenya, where a charter to a "mystery destination" is waiting.

Some proof the the above is that on normal flights Charla/Mirna and Linda/Karen tried to take alternate connecting flights which proved unsuccessful and left Charla/Mirna fighting for last place and this episode.

[apskip]

I entered the below information once already, but it vanished.

This is about flights from either Kilimanjaro or Nairobi to either major Kerala cities Kochi (formerly Cochin) and Trivandum (airport for Trivanarandum) starting on 12/10/2011 and also on 12/11/2011. Here are the flights:

Dec. 10 JRO NBO PW727 1530 1625
           NBO BOM KQ202 1735 0156+1
           BOM COK 9W2111 0535+1 0717+1

Dec. 11 JRO NBO 9W727 1530 1645  or  5H458 1413 1500
           NBO BOM KQ202 1835 0308+1
           BOM COK 9W2111 0535+1 0722+1

Dec. 10 JRO NBO PW727 1530 1625
            NBO BOM KQ202 1735 0156+1
            BOM TRV AI667 0653+1 0858+1

Dec. 11 JRO NBO PW727 1530 1625
            NBO BOM KQ202 1735 0156+1
            BOM TRV AI667 0653+1 0928+1
   

[apskip]

TARFANSurvivor,

Of course Peach is right. There is no need to do this again, since post #59 has what you ask for. Here are the 3 most probable flight possibilities (although there are dozens of low probability alternatives):

GYD NBO on maybe Dec. 8, 2011

QR975 GYD DOH 1800 1945 connecting QR534 2030 0610+1

TK333 GYD IST 1330 1430    connecting TK607 1835 0210+1

EK256 GYD DXB 1845 2135 connecting KQ3110235+1 0645+1   


Here is something new, a connection on to Kilimanjaro airport in Arusha Tanzania:

Dec. 9 NBO JRO PW724 0800 0900

[TARFansurvivor]

TARFANSurvivor,

Of course Peach is right. There is no need to do this again, since post #59 has what you ask for. Here are the 3 most probable flight possibilities (although there are dozens of low probability alternatives):

GYD NBO on maybe Dec. 8, 2011

QR975 GYD DOH 1800 1945 connecting QR534 2030 0610+1

TK333 GYD IST 1330 1430    connecting TK607 1835 0210+1

EK256 GYD DXB 1845 2135 connecting KQ3110235+1 0645+1   


Here is something new, a connection on to Kilimanjaro airport in Arusha Tanzania:

Dec. 9 NBO JRO PW724 0800 0900

Thanks! So Baku connection Istanbul connection Nairobie and then Arusha?

[apskip]

I guess I should have been clearer. Flights from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro (Arusha) or Kilimanjaro to Nairobi are all speculation. They may or may not happen. It is not a huge distance from Nairobi to Arusha, specifically 144 miles so buses or cars could easily be the source of transportation in either direction. What is clear based on schedules is that from outside Africa, flights will come in to Nairobi and from Africa to India the cross-Indian Ocean leg will be a flight from Nairobi.

[TARFansurvivor]

I guess I should have been clearer. Flights from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro (Arusha) or Kilimanjaro to Nairobi are all speculation. They may or may not happen. It is not a huge distance from Nairobi to Arusha, specifically 144 miles so buses or cars could easily be the source of transportation in either direction. What is clear based on schedules is that from outside Africa, flights will come in to Nairobi and from Africa to India the cross-Indian Ocean leg will be a flight from Nairobi.

Thanks!!!!

[DrRox]

If they are flying from Nairobi to Kerala, South India, then they could just as well fly into Calicut International Airport in Karipur, Kerala as either Kochi or Trivandrum. Kozhikode (formerly Calicut) is known as the city of spices and is a textile center. It has many arrival flights from all over the Middle East, Kuwait, Oman, Saudia Arabia and all the emirates. Seems the Arabs like to hire the people of S India for their worker bees. It also has domestic connections to Mumbai and Delhi if they go somewhere else first in India. As far as exiting South India…..I think they would have to leave by either Kochi or Trivandrum. Both those airports have connections to either Kuala Lumpur or Singapore and both those airports have connections direct to Osaka.

[Jimmer25]

What day did teams check into Baku? Is it December 8?

[apskip]

If they are flying from Nairobi to Kerala, South India, then they could just as well fly into Calicut International Airport in Karipur, Kerala as either Kochi or Trivandrum. Kozhikode (formerly Calicut) is known as the city of spices and is a textile center. It has many arrival flights from all over the Middle East, Kuwait, Oman, Saudia Arabia and all the emirates. Seems the Arabs like to hire the people of S India for their worker bees. It also has domestic connections to Mumbai and Delhi if they go somewhere else first in India. As far as exiting South India…..I think they would have to leave by either Kochi or Trivandrum. Both those airports have connections to either Kuala Lumpur or Singapore and both those airports have connections direct to Osaka.

Dr. Rox,

The use of Kozhikode airport is possible, but unlikely. The reason is only one flight per day in from Mumbai and one flight per day out to Mumbai. The population in the metropolitan areas of Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode is all at 2 million or slightly less. Thiruvananthapuram has the largest city population, followed by Kochi and by Kozhikode. So, bottom line, the probability of using either Thiruvananthapuram or Kochi for at least one leg is my conclusion.

It is only 113 miles from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi and vice-versa, so that makes the possibility of 2 Kerala legs in those two cities reasonable. It would be possible to take the AR20 to Bangalore or Chennai or Goa or Mumbai or Delhi, but I don't think world Race Productions has done that. Kochi is next to Ernakulam, a major rail center for southern India.

[apskip]

I want to look ahead to leg 11 transportation where teams will have to fly from probably either Kochi or Trivandrum airports to Kansai Airprot in Osaka. It will take a minimum of 2 connections and nearly 24 hours to make the shortest possible trip. I have looked at routes through Chennai and through Mumbai and I strongly prefer those connecting in Mumbai. I have also looked at a second connection in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Hong Kong, which I believe have the best possibilities for decent schedules. It turns out that the optimal second flight is Mumbai to Bangkok and the third is Bangkok to Osaka. Here are the specifics:

16 Dec. TRV BOM AI668 0938 1134 
or COK BOM AI682 0720 0905  or   COK BOM 9W2112 0850 1043

16 Dec. BOM BKK 9W68 1315 1847

16 Dec. BKK KIX TG622 2324 0636+1

[Paldog]

Here is one other, probably unlikely option. The teams could fly to Tokyo, which has a lot more connections, and then travel by train to Osaka or Kyoto. The bullet trains are super fast (it only takes a few hours).

[apskip]

Paldog,

Although that is a good idea in theory (only one air connection in Mumbai is needed to NH944 BOM NRT), the actual timing of that flight makes it unlikely (as you have stated alternative). Any flight from TRV or COK into Bombay will do, but NH922 timing is 2118 0825+1. Add at least 4 hours for disembarking and taking fast trains to Osaka.  You have to have a morning flight from TRV or COK to get the optimal result, as most Amazing Race legs start between midnight and noon.

I do have a flight alternative to what you propose, but it suffers from the same drawback. Here it is (second connection is in Seoul):

COK BOM G8452 1918 2103
BOM ICN KE656 0300+1 1415
ICN KIX KE725 1520+1 1740+1

[TARFansurvivor]

Here is one other, probably unlikely option. The teams could fly to Tokyo, which has a lot more connections, and then travel by train to Osaka or Kyoto. The bullet trains are super fast (it only takes a few hours).

Yes i hope it is true the Racers taken trains in Japan!!!!

[walkingpneumonia]

In the latest preview from CBS - I can see that the teams are at the Kenya airways transfer desk in Nairobi around 6:35 (there are 2 wall clocks visible).
Of course I can't tell if its AM or PM.
What does that tell us about flights?

[apskip]

walkingpneumonia,

Precisely what I would expect from this post above:

GYD NBO on maybe Dec. 8, 2011

QR975 GYD DOH 1800 1945 connecting QR534 2030 0610+1
or
EK256 GYD DXB 1845 2135 connecting KQ3110235+1 0645+1   

Note: I have excluded the flight combination arriving at 0210+1.

From NBO, teams could take a car, take a bus or fly to get to Arusha about 120 miles away.

[georgiapeach]

They Fly. In the new promo they are transiting in Nairobi...

[walkingpneumonia]

Here is something new, a connection on to Kilimanjaro airport in Arusha Tanzania:

Dec. 9 NBO JRO PW724 0800 0900

This flight works for me - its a code share with Kenya Airways (6724 ) so it would make sense that the teams are at the Kenya Airways transfer desk.

There are some later flights if teams don't make the first one:

JRO Kilimanjaro PW 724 Precision Air Services 08:00 AT7    
JRO Kilimanjaro 5H 451 Fly540                 08:15 BE1    
JRO Kilimanjaro PW 722 Precision Air Services 10:45 AT7    
 

[apskip]

I am trying to reconcile the information presented in this telecast to real-time flight information for Dec. 8, 2012. Previous information assumed Dec. 7 but if you count out the days of the race that cannot be true. I cannot quite get the first one to match but it's only a half hour off and has no impact on when teams reach Nairobi.

From Baku there are two flights to Istanbul possible (note - I also checked Dubai, Doha, Muscat and Cairo but none had any flights):

TK337 0800 0915
J2 75  1000 1038

Both streams of teams meet up and got on the same Dec. 8 flight from Istanbul to Nairobi:

TK607 1843 0223+1

So then they wait around for about 5.5 hours for the first Precision Air flight to Arusha, PW724 0800+1 0900+1.

[DrRox]

I am trying to reconcile the information presented in this telecast to real-time flight information for Dec. 8, 2012. Previous information assumed Dec. 7 but if you count out the days of the race that cannot be true. I cannot quite get the first one to match but it's only a half hour off and has no impact on when teams reach Nairobi.

From Baku there are two flights to Istanbul possible (note - I also checked Dubai, Doha, Muscat and Cairo but none had any flights):

TK337 0800 0915
J2 75  1000 1038

Both streams of teams meet up and got on the same Dec. 8 flight from Istanbul to Nairobi:

TK607 1843 0223+1

So then they wait around for about 5.5 hours for the first Precision Air flight to Arusha, PW724 0800+1 0900+1.

The flight you have teams on from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro International, PW724, is a daylight flight. How do you reconcile that with the episode when teams land at Kilimanjaor in the dark, take a taxi from there to the Arusha airport, sign in for charter flights from Arusha to Ngorogoro, still in the dark. Then they have an HoO waiting for charter flights at 930, 945, 1000?

There is/was no 830 departure to anywhere from Baku on Dec 8. If you noticed the travel agent computer screens, TPTB had them all fogged up so we couldnt see. I think they were trying to fool up. I think a much more likely itinerary was:

GYD to DXB  J2 11    1005-12:39 pm
DXB to NBO  EK721   305 pm to 715 pm
NBO to JRO   PW728  1000 pm to 1100 pm

This fits more into what was seen on the televised episode.

[apskip]

I expect that teams will be leaving on December 12 after an extended pit stop in between the 2 Tanzania legs. Here are logical flight connections to go from Kilimanjaro Airport to Nairobi to Mumbai to Trivandrum:

JRO NBO PW723 0600 0655  or  PW721 0915 0935  or  5H452 1415 1500

connecting to:

NBO BOM KQ202 1730 0406+1

connecting to:

BOM COK 9W2111 0535+1 0738+1  or  SG131 0830 1015  or a number of later flights

In order to reach the first flight out of Kilimanjaro International Airport, teams will probably have to take a taxi for 100 miles (just like AR5)
from the Kibaone area on the west side overlooking Lake Manyara. That will have to be done early enough to reach JRO by about 8am or 1pm, depending on which flight is possible. It [probably rules out the 6am flight for teams.

 
   

[apskip]

There are a lot of trains on the Eranakulam (either the in-city station or the suburban Junction station) to Trivandrum Central station. Here are the ones that ran on Wednesday Dec. 14, 2011:

0055 0515
1725 2055
0755 1250
1050 1540
0625 1120
0945 1435
0255 0725
2125 0125
2252 0335
1625 2210
0500 0940
1257 1750
0550 1005
0130 0605
1415 1840
0002 0505
0440 1015
1010 1505
0235 0715
1620 2110
0345 0910
1330 1830
1350 1855

So that's 23 separate trains running at the average length of about 4.5 hours.

Bus will be an option for this 130 mile trip, but Indian National Railways will have the edge.   

[apskip]

I thought I would run find available schedules on buses Kochi to Thivurananthapuram. However, almost all the potential websites provide train schedules only. Although there is bus service, they won't reveal schedules. The only one I discovered was this:

depart Thrissur 2110
arrive Kochi         unidentified (but since it's 40 miles and late evening it should arrive soon after 2200)
arrive Alappuzha  unidentified
arrive Kollam       unidentified
arrive Thiruvananthapuram 0310+1

The road distance Kochi to Thiruvanananthapuram is only 177 km (108 miles).

There is an alternate report that the distance is 205 to 225km (sources vary) and buses take 5 hours, which is what is shown above. It appears that buses move about as slowly as trains do in Kerala.

The India Rail Ministry has approved, but it will be a long time before high speed rail is available in this corridor. when that happens and the first phase of this proposed project is completed travel between Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram will be reduced to 45 minutes.

[apskip]

KOCHI to OSAKA FLIGHTS on Dec. 16, 2011

COK BOM AI682 0720 0905  or  9W2112 0850 1143

16 Dec. BOM BKK 9W68 1315 1847

16 Dec. BKK KIX TG622 2324 0636+1

[apskip]

I have reconsidered which route and flights the first 4 teams took. The arrival 45 minutes before 605am bothered me but I had to work extra hard to come up with a route and actual flight departures/arrivals that were closer. Here is what I believe they did through Muscat:

Dec. 12 PW486 JRO DAR 0740 0900

Dec. 12 WY716 DAR MCT 1645 2310 2323

Dec. 13 WY201 MCT COK 0150+1 0645+1

The problem with this is what I expect Vanessa/Ralph did:

Dec. 12 JRO NBO PW723 0600 0635

Dec. 12 NBO DOH QR539 1359 1856
 
Dec. 12 9W555 DOH COK 2320 0605+1

I think that the other teams actually connected through somewhere in the Middle East to get to Doha in time for the same 9W555 because teams appeared to arrive at the same time in Kochi. This would not be possible if they connected through Dubai (earlier arrival) or through Muscat (later arrival) or Mumbai (quite a bit later arrival).