Archive > The Amazing Race 14
AR14 Timelines, Timetables and Flight Information
Neobie:
Aah, so Bangkok Airways doesn't run on Mondays! That solves the problem on why the Munoz brothers took a flight that sucked so much! I think the Hong Kong connections (UO121 or KA700) work on Mondays - but wow - this means an entire Guilin leg taking place in the darkness?
Time to eliminate some cities as the India candidate. To recap:
Phil was waiting for a flight on the night of Thursday 13 Nov from Delhi to Bangkok. That puts him on one of these two flights:
TG316, Fridays 0005-0535
9W64, Fridays 0100-0655
TG314 flies from Kolkata to Bangkok, 0155-0550,
TG318 flies from Mumbai to Bangkok, 2320-0505,
TG338 flies from Chennai to Bangkok, 0015-0510, and
TG326 flies from Bangalore to Bangkok, 0030-0545.
Phil wouldn't have to fly through Delhi to get to Bangkok, so we know he didn't actually start in these four cities.
And remember - Phil's not in a race for minutes - not when all these flights land within half an hour of each other, and not when he's a full day ahead of the racers! (This points to an extended Pit Stop in India.) Production would want him to take the cheapest reasonable connection to Bangkok, not necessarily the absolutely quickest flight. So... what works?
Northern India's my best guess. The rest of India looks like flights could be cheaper from the other hub cities. Example: Connecting through Bangalore instead of Delhi from Kochi - if such a flight exists - would save Phil quite a sum of money in exchange for 10 minutes...
apskip:
Neobie,
I applaud your efforts to narrow this down. I don't find all of them convincing due to assumptions you have made. Let us start with assuming that the flight for Phil must be on Nov. 13 just before midnight or 14 just after. I would not conclude that based on the information from the blogger, who I recall to be not specific on the exact time of sighting. I would expect that the flight could be well after midnight.
I have looked at your Cochin to Bangalore to Bangkok flight combination. There are flights that do that, but they leave just after 5pm from Cochin and arrive about 740am into Bangkok.
The assumption that World Race Productions are trying to minimize air fare for Phil is possible, but I don't consider it likely. They are likely to ticket him just like the racers, which means in Y class with total flexibility. The only huge savings are possible when you have a fixed time and lots of advance notice for a one-way ticket purchase. I would not expect that to be the way World Race Productions did it. They would have had private advance reservations for Phil but I don't expect anything more because the timing of the Amazing Race can be disrupted by pilgrimages in southern Africa and by snowstorms in Siberia.
Those things said, I think Bangalore itself is a logical place for an Amazing Race leg. It is the largest city in India that has not yet hosted an Amazing Race leg. I even have the perfect flight out, nonstop TG268 BLR BKK 0030 0545. I show arrival in Delhi from Novosibirsk via Moscow and Almaty at 2115. Unfortunately, there are no flights from Delhi departing between about 9pm and 6am, so that is out.
Hyderabad would be my second choice. Hyderabad has no flights between 9am and 6am.
Next would be Goa, a neat place not visited yet by an Amazing Race. There are no flight between 1pm and 8am for Goa.
Next is Cochin, which we know a little about from ARA3. Cochin has one late flight, AI315 DEL BOM 2200 0015 connecting to AI690 BOM COK 0130 315 (sound familiar, ARA3 fans).
Next is Varanasi, one of the holiest cities in India. All listed flights there from Delhi are in the morning, departing form 6am to 1040am. No go.
Next is Chennai, already visited by the Amazing Race. Flights are from 6am to 820pm only.
I try Calcutta out of desperation since the Amazing Race has been there, but there are no flights from 845pm to 11am.
I try Mumbai because that too has hosted Amazing Races but as the largest city in India it should have flights. It does, AI349 0400 0615 and also the AI315 DEL BOM 2200 0015 used as the front end to Cochin.
Ahmedabad has nothing between 7pm and 6am.
Jaipur has nothing between 730pm and 545am.
In conclusion, in all of the major cities of India only Mumbai and Cochin have late-night slghts originating from Delhi and there are only one each (plus the 10pm origination flight Mumbai on the way to Cochin). This is startling to me. Indian State Railways has departures at odd times all through the night, but the willingness of Indians to fly at night must be different.
georgiapeach:
wow guys, you are awesome!
Remember that one of our sources saw Phil flying Business Class so he doesn't come cheap, lol!
And my vote, just because I loved it so, is for Varanasi, aka Benares. This is an incredibly visual city, and one of the most overwheming culturally. It is the most holy city, Hindus believe if you die here, you no longer go through reincarnation.
Neobie:
--- Quote from: apskip on January 31, 2009, 09:13:29 AM ---I would not conclude that based on the information from the blogger, who I recall to be not specific on the exact time of sighting. I would expect that the flight could be well after midnight.
...
The assumption that World Race Productions are trying to minimize air fare for Phil is possible, but I don't consider it likely. They are likely to ticket him just like the racers, which means in Y class with total flexibility.
--- End quote ---
I think I can back up this assumption to some extent. As of last November, only Thai, Jet and Indian Air had flights from Delhi to Bangkok. I can't access the Indian Airlines website (stupid Mainland China censorship!), but neither Jet Airways nor Thai Airways had other flights to Bangkok at night. Will check Indian Airlines once I get home!
Now even if Phil were to be ticketed as the racers, cost savings can still be earned by flying a shorter distance?
Hmm, I don't think Phil would have to go from (Bangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Kolkata or Mumbai) to Delhi, and then change flights to get to Bangkok; if he could have simply hopped on the direct, saving him at least a connection and several hours... The remaining places look possible though!
DrRox:
--- Quote from: georgiapeach on January 31, 2009, 10:43:42 AM ---
Remember that one of our sources saw Phil flying Business Class so he doesn't come cheap, lol!
--- End quote ---
I guess about by TAR3, I started thinking about the actual mechanics of how TAR was produced. Around TAR 5/6, it sort of hit me that Phil was probably leaving the pit stop right after the last team arrived. He would have to do his to be able to do all the stand ups for the detours/roadblocks and all the time he would have to wait by the pit stop mat. So to me, his flying biz class is really his hotel room. He has to lie down and get some sleep, somewhere.
--- Quote from: apskip on January 31, 2009, 09:13:29 AM ---
Next would be Goa, a neat place not visited yet by an Amazing Race. There are no flight between 1pm and 8am for Goa.
--- End quote ---
I couldn't agree more with you apskip.....Goa is NEAT and UNIQUE......I have wanted them to go to Goa since TAR1. Maybe, one day, you and I will get our wishes for them to go to Goa and do some things. They went "through" Goa on TAR4, but I don't think they even slowed down on the way from Mumbai to Cochin.
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