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  About Kochi

Kochi is one of the most dynamic cities and the commercial capital of Kerala. The city is constantly bustling while its surrounding remains true to its agricultural roots. Kochi, as a city, plays an essential port to the South-west coast of India. The ports are connected to the Maldives, Lakshadweep Island and many important coastal cities.

Despite having a blend of various seasons, the heat and humidity in the air continue to remain constant. However, that only makes travellers fly to Kochi instead. Not to mention how the gorgeous setting of the city and its impeccable connectivity that allows a traveller to traverse through various terrains.

Best time to visit Kochi

Kochi sees multitudes of seasons and climate all-year-long. Throughout the year, even know specific seasons are set and have been followed, every year, sudden twists in the western forecasts leave the locals in peril. The tropical setting of Kochi and even Kerala it ideal for summers and even winters. In fact, the months from October to February are actually enchanting and the best. The temperatures dawdle between 17 degree Celsius and 33 degree Celsius. Not only is the winter season perfect for backpackers and solo travellers but also couples and newlyweds who wish to go to honeymoon in Mumbai itself.

The months from March to June marks the start of summer in Kochi. The temperatures in Kochi during summer continues to escalate up to 37 degree Celsius. Although it is considered to be a good season to visit the city, it is only because there is less crowd. On off-seasons, tourists avoid visiting places as they fear unpleasant experiences. However, flying to Kochi on off-season might be helpful as people wouldn't have to deal with the excess tourist crowd. Plus, flight tickets to Kochi see some massive price drop. Many airlines also have flight deals to bring down the cost of a ticket to Kochi.

Monsoons in Kochi are exceptional. Even though it is not a peak season for the city as a rain-washed city would not be favourable for tourist activities, many travellers opt for monsoons. The main reason behind choosing monsoon as the best time to catch a flight to Kochi is that the city's lush greenery turns emerald as the backwaters dance under the torrent rains. Booking a hotel in Kochi during this season is also affordable as it is an off-season for hoteliers. The whole sight of the place is enchanting and definitely an unmemorable experience. Kochi experienced monsoon between July to September.

Places to see in Kochi

The gorgeous Arabian sea might border Kochi on one side, and the towering Western Ghats on the other but the melange of the two varied geographies only makes the city alluring. When in Kochi, you should definitely check out some of its famous beaches namely, Veeranpuzha Beach, Cherai Beach, Munambam Beach, Fort Kochi Beach and more. The city also has many pristine churches that should be visited. These are St Francis Church, Santa Cruz Basilican and the Paradesi Synagogue.

Besides these attractions, Kochi also has museums like Indo-Portuguese Museum, Ginger House Museum Hotel, Folklore Museum, and more than would enlighten you about their cultural heritage, their history and more. Not just the beaches but you should also check out what the lush green valleys close to Kochi have to offer. You can witness the Athirapally Falls and the Areekkal Falls. More than anything, you can visit the famous Lulu Shopping Mall too, which is right there in the city centre. You can further continue the pilgrimage by visiting temples such as Shiva Temple, Gowreeswara Temple Cherai, Ernakulam Mahadeva Temple, Thrikkakara Temple and more.

Things to do in Kochi

Elephant Training Centre

A little away from the city of Kochi is an adorable retreat for elephants. An Elephant Training centre has been established by the Ernakulam district where the animals are brought together to live in harmony. At the centre, these elephants are bathed and fed properly. The centre takes good care of the elephants and even allows visitors to come over and play with the giant animals. Visit this beautiful place and feel happy in the company of playful elephants who would keep you entertained with their goofiness.

Fort Ayurveda Spa

Kerala's Ayurvedic spas are world-renowned and for all the right reasons. The therapeutic massages and spa treatments actually help rejuvenate the body, mind and soul. Kochi has the Fort Ayurveda Spa, which lives up to the reputation of providing the customers with excellent services. Book an appointment here and let your troubles be washed away by the gentle touch of a masseuse. The experience will be beautiful and certainly have a lasting effect on you.

Kathakali Centre

The classical dance form of Kathakali is enchanting and compelling. The performances usually have a backstory and a theme based on which the whole show is presented. The art would keep you engaged as the eyes of the dancers would hypnotise you. Often these performances express a certain Hindu mythological story.

Snorkelling at Thiruvankullam

Compared to other parts of coastal India, Kochi has extremely beautiful and clean beaches. The shores are just as bright and spotless as is the Arabian sea that touches the coasts. The clean and clear waters of Kochi have enabled snorkelling in the area. You can head to Thiruvankullam and take up the water activity. You will be surprised to see some exquisite marine life that's prevalent just miles away from the city of Kochi.

Backwater tour

Kochi connects to Alleppey, which is the hub of backwaters in Kerala. Although it is a few kilometres far from the main city, Alleppey has a harbour from where you can either choose a houseboat or a shikhara ride to explore the gorgeous backwaters lined by rice paddies.

Food and restaurants

Kochi's lifestyle is heavily inspired or rather influenced by the Portuguese, Dutch and English. This is easily reflected in their way of living, lifestyle and more importantly, their cuisine as well. While they still have their special curry and parotha as the highlight of the state, the landscape of Kerala cuisine has seen quite a lot of transformations. As a coastal city, the cuisine mainly centres around exquisite seafood and Malabari food. As a developed city of India, Kochi manages to sustain the traditional cuisine as it also embraces other cuisines such as Asian, North Indian, Continental and more.

Sky Grill Lounge and Bar, Fort House, Asian Kitchen, The Rice Boat, Dhe Puttu, Fusion Bay are some of the finest restaurants that you will find in Kochi. You might not know this, but Kochi actually has a lot of quaint cafes to cater to the backpacking audience. In the city and close to the coastal area, you will find small joints and ventures that have a hipster vibe and attract the young crowd. It is a known fact that the seafood in Kerala is a delight to the taste buds. The city centre will acquaint you with not just exciting dishes but also taste and flavour that will be unforgettable.

How to reach Kochi (Transportation)

By Air

The Cochin International Airport, located 29 km away from the city centre sees excellent flight connectivity from Kochi to other major cities in India. In fact, the airport also has flights taking international routes from Kochi to Middle Eastern countries. Kochi airport is known to be one of the busiest and crowded airports thanks to the excellent connectivity it has with the other cities in the country as well as internationally. A plethora of flights fly from Kochi to cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur and more. The city is always on demand and hence, getting good flight deals for Kochi becomes quite challenging. However, with good planning and timing, you might be able to get cheap flight tickets to Kochi and even decent flight deals.

By Rail

Just like the flight connectivity of Kochi with the rest of the major cities in India, even the railway network is strong. There are two railway stations, namely Kochi Railway Station and Ernakulam Junction Station that connect the city with the rest of the country. There are express trains too that travel to Kochi from Mumbai, Delhi and other big cities. Train tickets to Kochi can be booked online as well as physically at the railway station. The city is well-connected within the state too and has bus and railway services to ensure that the city's stature as one of the economically strong and developed places sustains.

By Road

Kochi has impeccable roadway network as well owing to the city being a commercial hub. The city doesn't just contribute to the state's economy but also to the country's and hence, is blessed with strong roadways network. Several buses enter and leave the city from various parts of the country. The neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, even Goa, have bus facilities that provide services to the city. The Kerala State Run Transport Corporation (KSRTC) travels through several cities, including Kochi. There are options for AC and Non-AC buses that you can choose from for your travel needs.

  About Malaysia Airlines

Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) or formerly referred to as Malaysian Airline System (MAS) is primarily recognised by its brand name Malaysia Airlines. It is the national flag carrier of Malaysia and is also one of the members of the Oneworld airline alliance. The airline has its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur International Airport. In fact, the airport is also the main hub for the airline with Kota, Kinabalu and Kuching being the secondary hubs. The airline was predominantly owned by the Malaysian government's sovereign wealth fund called Khazanah Nasional. It owned about 69.37 per cent of stakes in the airline. However, in 2014, the fund further expressed interest to purchase the remaining ownership from the small-time shareholders and to even de-list Malaysia Airlines from Malaysia's stock exchange. Their eventual aim was to renationalise the airline by primarily taking over the entire venture. The airline has catered to a slew of destinations sprawled across Asia, Europe and Oceania. It currently operates two subsidiary airlines under its wing, namely, Firefly and MASwings.

Malaysia Airlines' Firefly operates from its two designated home bases in Penang International Airport and Subang International Airport. It has scheduled flight operations and focuses majorly on tertiary cities. Meanwhile, MASwings focuses on inter-Borneo flights. Along with the passenger-flying airline subsidiary, Malaysia Airlines also has a cargo carrier fleet called MASkargo. The freighter fleet enables cargo carrier services and caters to the aircraft cargo-hold capacity for all the dedicated passenger flights of Malaysia Airlines. The history of the airline traces back to the time when it was founded as Malayan Airways Limited. The airline was founded in the 1930s, in Singapore and chartered its first commercial flight in 1947. In 1963, the airline was rebranded as Malaysian Airways following the formation of Malaysia. As Singapore separated from Malaysia in 1966, the airline was once again renamed as Malaysia - Singapore Airlines. Eventually, the assets were divided, and in 1972 two diverse airlines, namely Malaysian Airline System and Singapore Airlines, were formed.

Over the years since its formation as a dedicated national flag carrier to Malaysia, the airline has received tremendous recognition by Skytrax, including the titles of The World's 5-Star Airline and Asia's Leading Airline at the World Travel Awards. They have actually won these accolades on multiple occasions. However, despite the recognition and accolades, Malaysia Airlines has struggled to cope with the costs that have accumulated with the rise in the low-cost carriers prevalent in the region. After incurring huge losses, the airline did announce a turnaround plan by cutting a few routes prominent yet unprofitable long-haul international destinations. These included Los Angeles and Buenos Aires in North and South America as well as cities in South Africa. Internal restructuring of the management and operations in Malaysia Airlines also kick-started as they planned to sell off some of the engineering and pilot training units. Malaysia Airlines currently owns about 28 subsidiaries, of which 25 of them are wholly owned by the company. Further, the airline has also diversified into various sectors that are pertinent and related to the aviation industry. These include aviation engineering, tour operator operations, aircraft ground handling and aircraft leasing, to name a few.

Fleet size of Malaysia Airlines

Malaysia Airlines' current fleet size accommodates 81 aircraft in total. The airline majorly has Airbus and Boeing aircraft. It has a total of 48 Boeing 737-800 narrow-body aircraft, 15 Airbus A330-300s, six Airbus A330-200, Airbus A330-900 and Airbus A380-800. Meanwhile, the airline has already placed an order for 15 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 10 Boeing 737 MAX 10. Airbus A330-200 and Airbus A330-300 flights cater majorly to the high-demanding medium-haul and long-haul routes. These flights also accommodate business class and economy class cabins. Meanwhile, they started accepting deliveries of six Airbus A350-900 in 2017 and replaced them with the ageing Boeing 777-200ER fleet.

With the inclusion of Airbus A350-900, the airline received its first aircraft fleet with provisions of first-class cabins. With a view to replacing the ageing Boeing 747-400 fleet with Airbus A380s, Malaysia Airlines also signed a contract in 2003 to purchase six of the new fleet. Although the flights were expected to be delivered in 2007, there were some delays that cropped up due to manufacturing concerns. Malaysia Airlines did announce to purchase 25 Boeing 737 MAX jets in 2016, the aviation authorities put the deliveries on halt, following two fatal crashes that took place in less than five months.

Baggage Allowance

Baggage allowance in Malaysia Airlines varies depending on the ticket type and class cabin. For passengers who are travelling from the business class cabin, the maximum weight for checked baggage allowed is 40 kg. The passenger will be charged extra if the weight exceeds the set allowance weight. As for the economy class cabin, the airline allows 30 kg of checked baggage. The checked baggage dimensions should also not exceed a sum of 158 cm. While extra baggage weight can be purchased, the same cannot be done for the dimensions as it is a mandatory clause. For hand baggage, the airline allows two pieces to be carried in the cabin. The weight of the two bags should not exceed 14 kg. As for the economy class cabin passengers, the airline allows baggage weight to be 7 kg and not more than that.

Passengers also need to make a note of the dimension of the baggage which should be within the total dimension of 115 cm. Should your baggage weigh more than the free checked baggage allowance allotted by Malaysia Airlines, the airline would charge in US dollars per kg. It will also depend on the passenger's point of departure for the tariff. For example, if the passenger is travelling from India, the set airline charge for the excess baggage would be USD 20 per kilo. Medicines and toiletry items such as perfumes, toothpaste, creams, etc., can be carried in hand luggage, provided they are in 100 ml/mg containers. The airline also expects the passengers to put the said toiletries in transparent plastic bags, and the total dimension should not exceed 80 cm. Special reservations are made for passengers who are travelling with infants. Details of the same can be found on the official website of the airline.

In-flight services

Malaysia Airlines is recognised for its immaculate in-flight services that range from world-class hospitality to well-equipped flights. The airline offers a slew of exquisite in-flight services such as comfortable seating arrangement, reclining seats made of leather, decent legroom, personalised in-flight entertainment systems, in-flight meals for medium and long haul flights, and more. These facilities are available on all the class cabins to enable a comfortable journey for the passenger.

Popular routes and top cities for Malaysia Airlines

Malaysia Airlines initially catered to about 118 domestic routes and over 114 international routes that sprawled over six continents. However, following the announcement of the turnaround plan in 2006 to accommodate more profits to the venture, the airline terminated several flight services to destinations that didn't yield profit. Some of the routes whose flight operations were reduced include Vienna, Manchester, Kolkata, Zurich, Chengdu, Fukuoka, Xi'an, Cairo, Ahmedabad and Nagoya. The airline did commence services to South Africa with flights to Cape Town, Johannesburg, to name a few.

However, these services were also suspended following the cost-cutting plans. Malaysia Airlines has played a pivotal role in introducing the Kangaroo Route, which has direct connections to Australian and New Zealand destinations from Europe via Kuala Lumpur, in less than 5 hours. As of 2020, the airline caters to top cities such as Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Phnom Penh, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Mumbai, Jakarta, Osaka, Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Penang, Kathmandu, Jeddah, Medina, Seoul, Colombo, Bangkok, London, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, to name a few.

Why travel by Malaysia Airlines?

Malaysia Airlines has witnessed tremendous trials and tribulations over the years since it rebranded and became a new aviation entity. Despite all the concerns with respect to losses and debts, the airline continues to offer world-class facilities and amenities that manage to attract travellers to choose the said airline. Over the years, the airline has terminated a few of its international routes and domestic routes to accommodate better in-flight services and enhance the travel experience of the passengers.

Further, they have also started online booking facilities as well as ensured to keep their website up to date. Passengers can book a Malaysia Airlines ticket online without having to worry much as it is available on all travel portals. The airline's phenomenal connectivity with major Southeast Asian destinations has added to its reputation for being a sought-after choice to travel in the Asian continent. Plus, their newer and more comfortable international routes with direct flights have also put them on the map. Passengers can do web check-ins as well as get updates on the flight status. They can also get hold of Malaysia Airlines' flight schedule on their official website to help plan a trip.

  About Cochin Airport

Cochin International Airport is located 25 km away from the city of Kochi, at Nedumbassery, in the state of Kerala. The Cochin Airport is the first airport in the country that has been developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. The project is funded by about 10,000 non-resident Indians (NRI) sprawled across 30 countries. The airport is known for its busy status as it is the most active in the state of Kerala. The airport is also the largest in the state. Cochin International Airport provides to ap[proximately 61 per cent of passenger movement. The Cochin Airport is also recognized nationally as the fourth busiest airport, with respect to international traffic and eighth most active overall.

About Cochin Airport Terminals

There are three main terminals at the Cochin International Airport. While two of them cater to the domestic terminal, the third one works as an international airport. Terminal 1 was previously used for international flight activities. However, with the new and improved Terminal 3, the international operations were shifted there. The terminal caters to the domestic airlines and operations and can accommodate 4,000 passengers per hour. There are 56 check-in counters, six private lounges and seven aerobridges with a conveyor belt that transfers baggage of about 12 flights at once. Terminal 2 offers an executive experience with CUTE enabled check-in counters, four self-check-in kiosks and six security gates with a space to handle about 400 passengers at once. The terminal was converted as an executive terminal much recently. The international Terminal 3 came into existence in recent times. Built with the Kerala architecture and influence from the Thrissur Pooram, the terminal boasts exquisite fibre elephants adorned with traditional costumes. There are five entry gates, 84 check-in and 80 immigration counters.

About airport authority

The Cochin International Airport is owned by the public limited company, formally known as Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), which is a public-private consortium. The Government of Kerala also holds ownership in the venture with 33.36 per cent stakes. The government is the largest investor in CIAL while various Indian and foreign organizations also have stakes on it. Companies such as BPCL, AAI and Air India have a collective stake of 8.74 per cent. Meanwhile, foreign organizations such as Emke Group from Abu Dhabi, Galfar Group of Oman and Majeed Bukatara Trading of UAE hold 5.42 per cent stake. There are many more players in the venture too such as Federal Bank, Canara Bank and SBT. 38.03 per cent of stake is collectively owned by approximately 10,000 personal investors panned across 29 countries. These are non-resident Indians with stakes in CIAL.

Facilities at the Cochin Airport

Luggage facility: The airport has a slew of services available pertaining to the luggage. There are free luggage trolleys available at the entrance of the airport as well as at regular counters till the check-in. The terminal also allows porterage services where you can avail help from a professional to escort your luggage from one point to another. The porterage services do come for free for senior citizens, expectant mothers, physically disabled individuals, minors and more. It is imperative that you coordinate with the respective airlines to avail the services. Along with porterage and trolleys, the airport also offers baggage wrapping services. You can get your luggage wrapped in plastic to protect them from theft, mishandle and other concerns.

Child care room: The Cochin airport has designated child care centres in the domestic as well as international terminals. This comes in handy for mothers with infants. Women with kids can make use of the room to feed and change diapers. The room also has other provisions of baby products, including toys, to help soothe the child, if needed. The centre is well-sanitized and is maintained perfectly to ensure the hygiene of the space. Mothers must find it safe and healthy.

Information desk: The information desk is available at regular intervals. The space offers all details about the airport, including a map of the airport. The desk provides all the necessary information regarding flights, airlines, boarding gates and other such concerns even if you need to find specific places such as the lost and found and VIP rooms.

Conference halls: One of the major highlights of the Cochin Airport is the conference halls that it has. You can host meetings and other such conventions at the airport. It is excellent and quite convenient as it helps save time for all the parties involved. Business professionals can simply meet at the airport, wrap up the conference or convention and take their flights to return to their cities. It is a convenient setting and hence, is most favoured.

Postal facilities:

Cochin airport has postal facilities as well that work perfectly for the passengers. In case there are some important documents and letters that need to be posted, you can make it happen at the airport. Postal services are available at both the terminals.

Restaurants and cafes: Kochi airport's domestic wing has only a few food establishments in the food court. The international terminal of the airport does have a decent slew of restaurants and food establishments that you will find.

Pre-paid taxi services: From the airport, there are many pre-paid taxi services outside the airport. Outside the airport, the officials have segregated the parking spaces in such a way that specific pillars and lanes are dedicated to taxi cabs. Depending on your bookings, you will be directed to the specific pillar or lane for taxis.

ATMs and Forex: Foreign exchange counters and ATM kiosks are present at regular intervals in the airport.

You can make your currency exchanges and even get a good rate at the airport. You can also withdraw cash at the ATMs to ensure that you have enough money in hand.

Medical facilities: Much like every airport, even Cochin airport has medical services. It is a necessary protocol that needs to be followed by all the airports to have medical facilities. The possibility of a medical emergency is always prevalent at airports.

VIP lounge: The airport has exemplary VIP lounges and guestrooms for special people. Travellers who have first-class tickets or premium memberships at specific airlines will get access to the private lounges or VIP rooms. These lounges and rooms have upscaled luxury services with great hospitality.

Top airlines flying from the Cochin Airport

Cochin International Airport is recognized as one of the largest and busiest airports in the state of Kerala. With an air passenger movement of approximately 61 per cent, the airport easily becomes a busy one in the state. The Cochin International Airport also witnesses tremendous international traffic. As many flights directly fly to Middle Eastern countries from Cochin and witnesses a high demand too, the international traffic is just as busy as the domestic terminal. Cochin International Airport also serves as a base to the operations of the airlines Air India Express. Aside from Air India Express, the airport also sees many other important domestic airlines such as Air Asia India, Air India Express, GoAir, IndiGo, Indian Airlines, SpiceJet and Vistara. There are three passenger terminals with Terminal 3 (international terminal) being the largest terminals in the whole country.

Earlier Terminal 1 served as the international terminal. However, after a massive upgrade that took place and with the genesis of Terminal 3, the international flight activities shifted to the other one. The capacity is also quite good, with over 4,000 passengers per hour. Some of the international airlines that fly from Cochin Airport are Air Arabia, Air Asia, Air India, Air Jazeera, Emirates, Etihad Airways, flydubai, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Malindo Air, Oman Airways, Qatar Airways, Saudia, Silkair, Singapore Airlines, Srilankan Airlines, Thai AirAsia and Tiger Airways. These airlines majorly cater to the passengers flying in and out of Middle Eastern countries. As the demand for the Middle Eastern countries is very high in the state of Kerala, quite a few airlines have direct flights to those international destinations. Cochin airport houses airlines that directly connect with cities such as Muscat, Kuwait, Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Riyadh and Jeddah.

How to reach Cochin Airport

There are various ways to reach Cochin International Airport. Buses, taxis and private vehicles can reach you to the Cochin airport without any hassle. There are dedicated buses that travel to the Cochin International Airport. Often many travel to Cochin Airport to reach places such as Alleppey, Munnar and other prominent tourist destinations in Kerala. While the main city does have the main bus stand, there are many bus routes that connect to the airport. These buses have destinations such as Ernakulam, Padma, Thrissur, Fort Kochi, Angamaly, Kaloor and Ernakulam-Vyttil-Thoppumpady, to name a few.

Another famous and favoured way to reach Cochin International Airport is by pre-paid taxis. There are taxi counters available close to the domestic and international terminals. There are booths available within the premise of the airport too from where you can make your taxi bookings. Even outside the airport, there are taxi counters from where you can get your taxis. Ride-sharing services are also available with apps such as Uber and Ola at work. Often many travellers even opt to reach other cities in the Ernakulam district by booking a taxi. To further enhance your trip, the airport also has rental services available. You can make a booking at the taxi counter as well.