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  About Chennai

Chennai falls in the top 10 cities of India with an illustrious history and thriving heritage. The 369-year-old city is one of the most developed cities in India and stands proudly as the capital of Tamil Nadu. Formerly known as Madras, the city of Chennai is known for its glorious history, arts and culture and its ardent enthusiasm towards automobiles. The city is also known as India's health capital as attracts the highest number of foreign tourists with 45 percent catering to health. The thriving city's melange of a modern vibe and traditional roots makes it one of the best urban cities in the world. The airport has excellent flight connectivity to and from Chennai and other domestic and international cities. You can make your flight bookings to Chennai as well as find a range of hotels to book from in the city.

Best time to visit Chennai

As Chennai is a tropical city located by the coast, the temperatures are incredibly high. Even the seasons are binary. The summers in Chennai are between April to June but is hot for the rest of the year too. The monsoon season in Chennai takes place twice in a year. While it receives scanty rainfall between June to September (as opposed to the rest of the country, which receives bountiful rain), the months from October to December see heavy rain in the city, owing to the north-east monsoon. The climate is hot and humid all-round the year, but December is the most pleasant time in the year to visit Chennai.

Places to visit in Chennai

Beaches

As Chennai rests comfortably on the coastal parts of Tamil Nadu, the city has some pristine beaches to check out. Touted to be the second-largest urban beach in the entire world, the Marina Beach is the jewel of Chennai with a shoreline of 12 km long. The sandy shores of the beach teamed with the exquisite Colonial buildings on the street-side make for quite a spectacle.

While Marina Beach is more on the populous side, to enjoy the serenity of a quieter beach, you can visit Edward Elliot's beach and Breezy Beach, to name a few. These beaches are quaint and attract individuals who need to step away from the city's bustle. The peaceful ambience of these beaches has turned into quite the tourist attractions in Chennai.

Temples

The temples in Chennai are centuries old and found aplenty. Every corner of the street has at least one temple. These temples have fascinating stories and exquisite architecture. The temples are known to have a specific structure in South India with detailed gopurams, enormous water tanks in the back of the temple, domestic animals such as cows and dogs, hawkers selling toys and snacks, quaint ponds and shrines of several deities. Some of the famous temples in the city that you can visit are the Kapaleeswarar Temple, the Parthasarathy Temple, Sri Ramakrishna Math-Universal Temple, Kumaran Kundram and Karaneeswarar temple.

The city is also home to a bunch of churches and mosques. In fact, the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Thomas can be found in Chennai. The shrine is believed to be built over the tomb of St Thomas the Apostle, who had visited India in 52 AD. After his death, the saint's body is said to have been buried under the same spot where the Basilica now stands. Other notable churches and mosques include St. Thomas Mount, St. Mary's Church, Big Mosque (Wallajah Mosque) and more.

Museums and Monuments

Chennai's rich culture is reflected not just from the slew of temples and coastal delights but also the monuments and museums in the city. Since the city was also under the direct influence of the British East India Company, much of the architecture, culture and infrastructure have an English vibe. Visit the National Government Museum to learn more about the city's history. You can further go on an artistic voyage by visiting the National Art Gallery, which is more than 100 years old.

Ecological parks

Another major highlight of the city is the number of ecological parks and gardens that can be explored. The city runs a crocodile preservation park as well as a snake park called the Guindy Snake Park. Sprawled across 280 hectares of land is the Guindy National Park which is known to be the smallest national park in India. While the national park is inhabited by very few flora and fauna, it does hold a dedicated space to preserve reptiles and other amphibian species. Besides these two, one can opt to visit the Arinjar Anna Zoological Park, also known as Vandalur Zoo, which is located in the outskirts of the city.

Things to do in Chennai

Chennai is heavily invested not just in the automobiles but also the literary, arts and culture fields. To them, dance and music play a significant role in their daily lives. In fact, the city also observes a bunch of festivals such as Madras Music Season, Madras Day, The Hindu Lit for Life and Chennai Book Fair to commemorate some of their indulgences. These events are a rage and definitely worth attending. You can visit some of the music and dance functions held by the Nungambakkam Cultural Academy Trust, The Music Academy in TTK Road, Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha and Indian Institute of Music and Arts to name a few.

Another fun activity to take up would be to watch a movie of a South star at one of the single-screen or even a multiplex. The fervour of fandom during the release of their favourite celebrity's movie release is euphoric and definitely worth experiencing. As for bibliography enthusiasts, you can visit the Theosophical Society to explore the library set by Anne Besant. There are various malls with high-end fashion brands that you could check out. Or you can always go to Pondy Bazaar in T Nagar to shop silk ensembles and golden accessories.

Food and Restaurants in Chennai

T Nagar and Anna Nagar in Chennai are known market places with many food and restaurant options too. In fact, some of the best joints in the city can be found here. One of the most popular restaurants, Saravana Bhavan, is a must-visit to get the best of South Indian vegetarian food. Sri Anandam Hotel, Geetha Cafe in Pondy Bazaar, Rathna Cafe in Triplicane and Karpagambal Mess in Mylapore are some of the best restaurants that will you give quite the experience of the delicious South Indian cuisine. Dakshin and Southern Spice also offer tasty food.

However, if you do wish to explore a little more, Mansuk's shop in T Nagar is known to emulate Mumbai-chaat and Gujarati Thali. For sweets and desserts, you must let your tastebuds acquaint with Mysore Paks, Tarti Paal and other such sweets, which you will find at Sri Krishna Sweets and Aavin corners. DOJO Kulfis is also a famous hub for traditional ice creams such as kulfi, faloodas and smoothies.

How to reach Chennai

By Air

After Delhi airport and Mumbai airport, the Chennai airport is the third most active airport in India for domestic as well as international departures and arrivals. The airport is divided into two terminals, the Anna Terminal reserved for international flights and the Kamraj Terminal for domestic flights. Located in the same long stretched airport, the flight connectivity to and from Chennai is excellent.

Not just domestic but even international cities are well-connected with Chennai. Major international flight routes from Chennai to cities such as London, Frankfurt, Singapore, Malaysia, the Middle East, New York, Hong Kong, etc. can be reached as flights are available from Chennai Airport. Since Chennai is one of the busiest cities in India, the flight demands are also quite high. Make your flight bookings to Chennai months in advance to avoid high ticket costs.

Another perk of the Chennai airport is how it is well-connected with the city too. While it is located in the outskirts, the airport has a Metro which directly connects with the main city, making travelling far more convenient.

By Rail

There are two central stations which connect Chennai to other major cities in the country. Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore are the two central stations with regular trains entering and exiting the city from different parts of India. While Chennai Central is known to connect the city to other cities, Chennai Egmore has intercity trains that run regularly. Interestingly, both the stations are well-connected with the Chennai airport.

Chennai Central sees trains coming in from cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Madurai, Ahmedabad and Coimbatore daily. Since the rail connectivity is so good, it is often considered by travellers. You must book your rail tickets well in advance as the demand is always high to travel to Chennai.

By Road

The city's bus station is touted to be one of the largest in Asia. Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) is a state-owned property and provides transport services to a plethora of destinations in the South of India. Located in the main city, there are several direct buses to the airport as well as the Egmore station. Considered to be a cheap and affordable means of travelling, you can visit Chennai as long as your location is in the neighbouring states. The travel time to Pondicherry, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Tirupati, Trivandrum, etc. is considerably low.

  About Qantas Airways

Qantas Airways Limited is the national flag carrier of Australia and is recognised as the largest airline in the country with respect to international route connectivity and fleet size. The airline is the third oldest in the world following KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Avianca. It was founded in 1920 and completes 100 years in the aviation industry in 2020. The airline commenced its international operations for passengers in 1935. The name Qantas is an acronym which stands for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". It has also been nicknamed as "The Flying Kangaroo" in the aviation industry. Qantas is one of the main founding members of the Oneworld airline alliance. Based out of Sydney's suburb of Mascot, the airline is adjacent to its main hub at Sydney Airport. In 2014, the airline owned 65 percent of the shares in the Australian domestic market while carrying about 14.9 percent of passengers travelling to and from Australia. Qantas as a slew of subsidiary airlines that operate predominantly in the regional market and on some trunk routes (or domestic routes) prevalent in Australia. These airlines fall under the QantasLink banner.

The airline owns and operates one of the biggest low-cost airlines, Jetstar Airways, which caters to the domestic routes as well as international routes from Australia and New Zealand. Qantas has also invested in all the Jetstar-branded airlines and holds a higher stake in all of them. In 1998, along with British Airways, Cathay Pacific, American Airlines and Canadian Airlines, Qantas also co-founded the Oneworld alliance. Eventually, several more airlines joined the airline alliance. Qantas' market share saw a brief dip with budget airline Virgin Blue (now Virgin Australia) entrance to cater to the domestic routes. Intending to compete with the budget airline, Qantas introduced their own version of budget carrier, Jetstar Airways, in 2001. The same year, with Jetstar Airways' creation, its competitor Ansett Australia collapsed. This led to a 90 per cent spike in Qantas' shares in the market. However, simultaneously, cut-throat competition with Virgin Australia also increased as the latter announced expansion plans.

Using the Jetstar subsidiary, Qantas has expanded tremendously in the aviation market catering to domestic routes in Australia and international routes majorly connecting Asian cities and New Zealand. Along with Jetstar Airways, the airline further announced similar modelled budget airlines such as Jetstar Pacific and Jetstar Asia Airways. Qantas is known to have contributed tremendously to the aviation market with the constant creation of various subsidiary airlines. While many failed to take off the way the airline intended them to, that hasn't stopped the parent airline from establishing newer subsidiaries. Some of the famous airline subsidiaries introduced by Qantas include QantasLink, Australia Asia Airlines, Jetstar Airways, Impulse Airlines, Jetconnect, Australian Airlines and Qantas freight as well. During its years as one of the oldest airline, Qantas has seen all sides of the financial scenarios from losses to profits. There was a brief period in the illustrious history of Qantas when the airline reported losses. This resulted in downgrading sources, facilities, fleet and even staff. After suffering from some losses, the airline returned to its profit-making structure in 2015. Further, the airline also sold off its lease of Sydney Airport's Terminal 3.

Fleet size of Qantas

Qantas Airways' fleet size as of 2020 stands at 126. The airline only has variant aircraft from the Airbus and Boeing family. The current fleet comprises aircraft such as 18 Airbus A330-200s, 10 Airbus A330-300s, 12 Airbus A380-800s, 75 Boeing 737-800s and 11 Boeing 787-9s. They have also ordered for additional three Boeing 787-9s. In 2012, the airline announced that they were cancelling their order of 35 Boeing 787-9s due to heavy losses incurred. However, they did hold on to the 15 aircraft Boeing 787-8s order to add to the Jetstar Airways' fleet. In 2015, the airline stated that they would be ordering eight Boeing 787-9s, delivery of the same was expected in 2017.

In 2019, the airline made quite a few orders and cancellations. At the Paris Air Show, Qantas Group stated that they would be converting their 26 Airbus A321neos to A321XLR variants. Similarly, they planned to make a few more conversions with their aircraft, including A321neos to A321LRs and A321XLRs. This led to Qantas Group to accommodate a total of 109 aircraft from the Airbus A320neo family. The same year, they also announced that a select few of their Airbus A350-1000 would be used as non-stop flights from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne to connect to international destinations such as Paris, New York, Cape Town, Paris, Frankfurt and Rio de Janeiro.

Baggage Allowance

Qantas Group has a consolidated list of baggage allowance criteria that they have uploaded on their official website, along with a calculator. Passengers who are opting for Qantas Airways can learn more about their baggage allowance deals and whether it works in their favour. As per their policy, the airline accommodates about 50 kg and 40 kg weighing baggage from first class and business class passengers respectively. The weight could vary depending on whether the member is part of the airline's frequent flyer programme. Similarly, the airline allows 40 kg and 30 kg weight for passengers travelling from premium economy and economy class respectively.

The baggage allowance policy as mentioned here applies to all international routes of Qantas Airways except for North and South America. The dimension of the bags should all individually be not more than 158 cm. The same can be calculated using the airline's baggage calculator. Purchase of additional baggage is also allowed with weights that depend on the cabin class of the passenger or the ticket type. As for hand baggage, the airline allows business class passengers to carry one piece of baggage that should not weigh more than 10 kg and can be accommodated with an accessory bag. The dimension for the same should not be more than 115 cm.

In-flight services

Qantas' in-flight services have won several accolades and praise by commuters and critics for being one of the best in the world. They offer a series of facilities onboard starting from comfortable seating with personalised entertainment systems to delicious in-flight meals. The airline's in-flight staff are quite friendly and cater to the requirements of the passengers with a big smile on their faces. The aircraft also comes with premium class cabins to economy class cabins that enable travellers from all walks of life to journey together.

Popular routes and top cities for Qantas

Qantas is one of the few international airlines to operate charters to Antarctica and does the same on behalf of Croydon Travel. The first flightseeing trip to Antarctica took place in 1977. However, the services were suspended for many years due to a crash of the New Zealand Flight 901. Eventually, in 1994, Qnatast restarted flightseeing charters to the continent. Qantas has a slew of operations to various international routes and domestic routes that make it one of the largest in the continent and also in the world. Over the years, the airline has introduced various popular routes from Sydney to North America, the Middle East, the United Kingdom and more. The airline brought forth a non-stop service from Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth in 2014, which is operated by Airbus A380. Some of its top international destinations include Hong Kong, Denpasar, Jakarta, Tokyo, Osaka, Auckland, Queenstown, Christchurch, Singapore, Bangkok, London, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York City - JFK and San Francisco. They have terminated a huge list of international destinations, following the coronavirus pandemic.

The airline has also signed some agreements and tie-ups with international airlines to accommodate more international routes. Some of its codeshare agreements are with airlines such as Air France, Alaska Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Jetstar Airways, SriLankan Airlines, Air New Zealand, American Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Jetstar Asia Airways, Vietnam Airlines, Air Niugini, Asiana Airlines, Bangkok Airways, British Airways, Emirates, Fiji Airways, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Jetstar Japan, Vietnam Airlines and more.

Why travel by Qantas?

Qantas Airways is a known brand that has been offering the best of airline facilities as well as in-flight services for nearly 100 years now. It has expanded tremendously in recent years by accommodating some convenient facilities such as web check-ins, receiving flight status, booking a Qantas flight online or by their mobile app and to know more about their baggage allowance. In fact, you can even purchase extra baggage through their app and keep all flight-related details on the phone. The mobile app also has details of Qantas flight schedules that would help the passenger plan out the journey with more convenience. Further, the airline has also tied up with international airlines to bring forth better frequent flyer programmes that would benefit their regular customers. Qantas has also included newer routes and destinations both, domestic and international, to ensure better connectivity. The fleet size of Qantas has also enhanced to accommodate better aircraft that would cater to world-class facilities and amenities in-flight and give passengers the experience of a lifetime.

  About Chennai Airport

Chennai International Airport serves as the international airport to the city of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. The airport is situated in Tirusulam, which is about 21 km away from the city centre. It has been recognised as the third busiest airport in the country in terms of international traffic as well as cargo capacity. The airport falls behind New Delhi and Mumbai to be on the list of the busiest airport. The Chennai International Airport is also the fourth busiest in India, with respect to passenger traffic and follows New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. In India, the airport falls in the top five list of busiest international and domestic airports. The Chennai International Airport has also been acknowledged as the 49th busiest on the Asia level, becoming one of the four top cities to be on the top 50 Asia list. The airport is perfectly connected with Chennai Metro as well as Tirusulam railway station, which falls in the Chennai Suburban Railway line.

About Chennai Airport Terminals

The airport has two terminals which have been named after the state's former chief ministers. The domestic terminal is also known as K. Kamaraj while the international terminal is named C. N. Annadurai. They are interconnected by a building. The building now serves as an older international block that deals with administrative offices, along with a restaurant. The whole stretch is one linear structure that was built additionally as Anna terminal (T3) was brought about in 1988 to align with the Kamaraj terminal (T1). The first domestic terminal that was built at the Chennai airport had two aero-bridges. This was considered a milestone as the Chennai airport became the first one in the country to have aerobridges in the domestic terminal. Terminal 1 and 2 are not used for passenger traffic any more. They have been reserved for cargo. Meanwhile, the newly built Terminals 3 and 4 serve the international departures and arrivals. Annadurai terminal deals with international passengers. The terminal has about 45 check-in counters, 38 immigration booths with 16 at the departure terminal and 22 at the arrivals and 18 customs counters which are at the departure as well as arrival terminal.

About airport authority

Earlier, the Civil Aviation Department handled the Chennai Airport in 1952. However, the operations were later taken over by the Airports Authority of India in 1972. Since then, there have been extensive infrastructural development plans and schemes that have been conducted. Much recently, the airport underwent some extensive construction to modernise the amenities prevalent in the airport. The new international terminal (T4), was built just while ago. Simultaneously, the existing international terminal (T3) was renovated, and a second runway was extended. The parallel runway also includes new taxiways, parking bays as well as a cargo terminal. The Airports Authority of India is responsible for working on the designs, maintenance and management of the airport. Not to mention how AAI brings forth funds to expand the development projects and schemes for the airport. The statutory body has also introduced two sustainable gardens which have been installed within the airport premises. Along with this, they have worked towards many other expansions.

Facilities at the Chennai Airport

Child care rooms: The Chennai airport has reserved specific rooms for mothers with infants. The space is perfect for feeding, changing table and other such activities to take care of the kids. The room is perfectly maintained and is regularly sanitised.

Wheelchair services: The airport also has wheelchair services that have been reserved for senior citizens, expectant mothers and passengers with medical ailments. You can find these services at the departure and arrival gates of both the terminals.

WiFi: WiFi services have also been provided at the airport. There is free WiFi that is available for close to 45 minutes in the premise. You can also find paid services of WiFi for better connectivity and longer duration of access. You will need an Indian phone number to get hold of the services.

Medical aid: The airport also has special medical kits and rooms available for emergencies. To ensure that emergency cases are tended to with prompt medical assistance, there are kits and services available at close intervals. There are health scan facilities also available at the airport to get a better understanding of the medical concern if need be.

Prayer rooms: Multi faith rooms have been reserved for passengers. The prayer rooms are open for people of all faith as there are religious books also present in the hall. These rooms can also be used as meditation halls.

Lost and found: Lost and found facilities are also available at the airport premise. Details of the same can be received at the information desk. A few dedicated spaces have been allotted at close intervals for lost and found desks.

ATMs and Forex: The airport has a slew of ATM kiosks and foreign exchange counters at regular intervals to help passengers. In case you are running short of cash or need to exchange some currency, you can find counters at the airport.

Post Office: One of the cool facilities that the airport has is postal services. There are courier services and post offices in the airport vicinity. You can find them at both the terminals. This can be ideal for last-minute mails and documents that need to be sent out.

Restaurants and cafes:

Chennai airport has a bunch of hotels and famous food establishments. The airport cafeteria has many options to choose from for food. From Indian cuisine to dishes from the international kitchen, there are many choices that can be made for food while you wait to board the flight.

Smoking zone: The airport has dedicated smoking rooms too. The rooms also have provisions for cigarette boxes, in case passengers run out of them or need to purchase them.

Baggage wrapping: The luggage facilities at Chennai airport are also good. Aside from trolley services and luggage counters to store them, the airport also has baggage wrap services. The airport is equipped with professional staff that package the bags with plastic to avoid various concerns ranging from baggage mishandling to thefts.

VIP lounge: Chennai airport has reserved halls for VIP lounges. Individuals with first-class flight tickets and premium memberships with specific airlines will have access to the VIP Lounge. The lounge services are quite good and upscaled.

Top airlines flying from the Chennai Airport

Domestic flights flying from Chennai Airport are from Terminal 1. The Chennai International Airport is touted to be the HQ of the Airports Authority of India, with states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Lakshadweep and Puducherry under its wing. The Chennai airport has immaculate connectivity with most of the Southern cities and hence, has various domestic airlines catering to the same. Airlines such as Air India, Air India Express, Air Asia India, Alliance Air, GoAir, IndiGo, SpiceJet, TruJet and Vistara, operate from the Chennai International Airport. These airlines have flights connecting to specific small towns within the Southern belt and hence, make the airport an important hub.

Along with the domestic airlines that operate from the city, there are a plethora of international airlines that also function from the airport. A majority of flights connecting to Australia and New Zealand have airlines available. The most important international airlines that operate from Chennai Airport are Air Arabia, Air Austral, Air Canada, Air Mauritius, Air New Zealand, Air Seychelles, Air Asia, All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Batik Air, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, EgyptAir, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Fiji Airways, flydubai, Flynas, Garuda Indonesia, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Kuwait Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Maldivian, Malindo Air, Oman Air, Qantas, Qatar Airways, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Saudia, Silkair, Singapore Airlines, Srilankan Airlines, Thai Air Asia, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines and Virgin Australia. Terminal 3 and 4 are reserved for international airlines as departures and arrivals take place from them.

How to reach the Chennai Airport

The Chennai International Airport is located on the National Highway 32, also recognised as the Grand Southern trunk Road. The highway is known to be a famous link that connects the city to other important cities in Tamil Nadu. The best way to reach the Chennai International Airport is by opting for its closest railway station, the Tirusulam railway station. The station falls on the Suburban railway network. Often this route is considered as it directly connects with the city centre. Another famous route connecting the city centre to the airport is via the metro station. The airport metro station falls in the Chennai Metro line. The metro line is also considered to be the ideal way to reach the Chennai Airport. Aside from the Tirusulam railway station, the Metro station is favoured more. It is also acknowledged to be the second metro station which connects with an airport in India.

There are expansion plans that are in the making to make the connectivity to Chennai airport better from the city centre. It has been announced that a direct tube will be constructed to bridge the distance from the metro station to the Chennai airport. Flyovers are also being erected to connect the metro station directly to the departure and airport terminals. Simultaneously, the government is also planning on facilitating a connection between the Tirusulam train station with the metro station.