Oneworld carrier Qatar Airways currently sells discounted business class roundtrips from Milan and Rome to Kochi in Southwest India. Kochi is the capital of Kerala province, one of the most visited leisure destinations in India. Prices start at €1,621 for a roundtrip from Milan, with tickets from Rome costing just a little more. Sadly, this is a business class light fare, not including lounge access or seat selection. Adding lounge access to your ticket increases the price by almost €500.
Unsurprisingly, a short layover in Doha is necessary to get to India. Qsuites are currently not advertised for any of the flights involved.
Our availability calendar highlights all possible flight dates at the lowest price for trips up to 28 days. It will forward you to Qatar Airways with your selected flight dates.
The aircraft involved in this deal a very straight forward: All flights between Italy and Doha are Airbus A350 services, while all flights from Doha to Kochi are operated by Airbus A330 airplanes. Qsuites are not advertised for any flight segment.
Search & Book
This fare is valid until January 31, 2024 for travel before June 30, 2024. Your inbound flight may arrive later. The fare rules are rather restrictive, requiring a minimum stay of six days and not allowing stays longer than one month. In general, availability is fairly great during the travel period.
Google Flights helps you compare prices or find additional flight dates (instructions). We recommend purchasing premium tickets directly from the airline.
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.
Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
Mileage
Qatar Airways issues tickets for all flight segments in booking class P. A roundtrip from Milan to Kochi earns the following miles and points:
- 18,720 Miles on Royal Jordanian Royal Club
- 14,042 Points on JetBlue TrueBlue
- 14,042 Miles on SriLankan FlySmiLes
- 11,700 Miles on American AAdvantage
- 7,020 Avios + 360 Tier Points on British Airways Executive Club
- 7,020 Avios + 66 Qpoints on Qatar Privilege Club
- 7,020 Avios + 600 Elite Points on Iberia Plus
- 7,020 AsiaMiles + 100 Club Points on Asia Miles
- 7,020 Miles on Alaska Mileage Plan
- 7,020 Award Miles on Bangkok Airways FlyerBonus
- 7,020 Points on Finnair Plus
- 7,020 Award Miles on LATAM Pass
- 7,020 Points + 20 Elite Points on Malaysia Airlines Enrich
- 7,020 Miles on MEA Cedar Miles
- 7,020 Miles on Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer
- 7,020 Award Miles on Oman Air Sindbad
- 6,552 Miles on Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
Cover Picture: Photo by Jaison Thomas on Unsplash