LOVE INDIA - NOT AIR INDIA

At the outset, let me state clearly that i had always been a staunch defender of AIR INDIA whenever someone criticized it, out of a sense of patriotism (which, i now realize, is alas, misplaced). What changed my heart ? Read on......

I and Bharathi left Chicago on 17th June'2010 to return home to Hyderabad by Air India flight AI 126. Our problems started at O'Hare Airport when we checked in. Let me state that in the month of May'10 i visited their web site and tried to get our seats against our confirmed tickets that were originally booked in Chicago. I was greeted with a message that ASR is not working currently (ASR = Advance Seat Reservation). After several trials over the next few days, i got in touch with our 'desi' travel agent who made our bookings. After a while he told me that he too has the same problem and message and can not help.

So, when we checked in at O'Hare, i asked the girl in the counter to provide us two seats together out of which one should be 'aisle'. She checked up and said that no 'aisle' seats are available and no two seats together are available !!!! When i protested saying that i couldn't get their ASR for a month on the web, she smiled and told me it rarely works and she can not help (she was an American girl). Finally she gave us 20B and 20E , both middle seats, but, in the same row. After we got into the aircraft, i asked the 'AIR AUNTY' to help us and she told me to try it at a personal level with our neighbours on the flight for a 'friendly exchange'. When i told her about ASR, she too said it never works. She said that i could have visited their office in advance in person and tried.

Now, if you are wondering about the term 'AIR AUNTY' , i find that the female staff on board an Air India flight can be classified into two - majority of them are 'AIR AUNTIES' who are aged, overweight, hardly move, rarely smile and answer you with a sad look. The minority are what we normally call 'AIR HOSTESS' who are young, energetic , smiling and helpful. They even do the mistake of calling you a 'Sir'. AIR INDIA has a lot of AIR AUNTIES and only a few AIR HOSTESSES.

Having been duly advised, i managed to exchange 20 E with 20A so that we had one window and one middle seat, but , grateful that we are together on the long flight. And luckily, 20 C was another 'telugu guy' so we could disturb him, as often as we wanted.

We took off on time at 4-05 pm and landed at Frankfurt at 7-30am (all local times please). I was upset to see that there was no 'Aero Bridge' and we are required to climb down the stairs. Now, we had a strolley which was a bit heavy because of a laptop. Bharathi had to carry that and go down the steps while i limped along behind her with my backpack and one hand holding the supporting rail.

We were loaded into a bus and after a few minutes were asked to get off. We entered the airport terminal and walked into the security check. It was a thorough check and once we were through we looked up at a huge display board that showed 1C against flight AI 126 to Mumbai. We looked around in vain for any Air India staff to guide us, and not finding any, we started following others. We walked for a mile or so, often in doubt, where we were going. It reminded me of a scene from old hit 'Gumnam' - only thing missing was the song .... Gumnam hai koi..... Suddenly everybody stopped, because one of those who were leading the pack managed to ask some airport staff in German for directions and we took an escalator to one level below and another display board which now said the gate is C 20 in terminal 1C. So we walked on , manfully, the young and the old, the women and the children, another half a mile, to Gate C 20, which by the way is the LAST GATE. There we entered the Transit lounge and mercifully rested our bottoms on the comfortable chairs. Our relief was short lived because, another display board here showed that our flight would leave at 11-45am and not at scheduled 930am. We were aghast, we did not know the reasons for the delay.

The Transit lounge was very comfortable in terms of seating, ambiance and Rest Rooms. The only problem was there was NO DRINKING WATER and NO STALLS where we could buy one. The bold ones walked back a half a mile and bought what they wanted. You guessed it right, we did not dare. Around 10am one of the Air India staff came on the Public Address System and told us that the flights to Mumbai, Ahemadabad and Delhi all got delayed because the flight coming in from Newark got delayed. It should be here soon and then we should be boarding soon. He also said SORRY but hardly sounded really sorry. When i asked one of the staff there about lack of drinking water he just shrugged. Finally our flight was called and we were taken by a bus all the way back to our aircraft (the same one we landed). We trudged up the steps again warily and collapsed into our seats again. Bharathi wondered aloud why we had to go to the other end of the airport for a transit lounge without water and come back all the way. SOME ONE SAID IT COSTS AIR INDIA LESS THAT WAY, PASSENGERS BE DAMNED!!!!! I do not know if it is true but would certainly like to know Air India's answer. We finally took off around 12-30pm (against scheduled 9-30am), a three hour delay.

We were about 80 miles from Mumbai and were expecting to land around 11-45pm when the pilot announced over PA that this is the monsoon season and there is a rain and the ATC advised us to be on the 'HOLD' and may take an hour more. So, there we were, circling over the Arabian sea for an hour and fifteen minutes. Now, Bharathi, my dear wife of 42 years, is a worrying type, and was not exactly happy with the idea of circling over the sea for more than an hour. Finally, we landed at Mumabi at 1am. After going through a quick security check (which was hardly any thing compared to what we had in Frankfurt) we were asked to proceed to Gate No 4. When we were passing through the Duty Free Shops which were dazzling, my wife said that Mumbai airport looks good now compared to last year. But alas, IT WAS A LITTLE PREMATURE COMMENT. When we neared our destination we had to go one level down. THE ESCALATOR WAS NOT WORKING AND THE STAIR CASE HAD PEOPLE SITTING ON BOTH SIDES ALONG THE SUPPORTING RAILS LEAVING A NARROW PATH TO WALK DOWN.
NOW, JUST IMAGINE OUR PLIGHT, WALKING DOWN THE STAIRCASE WITH A STROLLEY AND WITH NO SUPPORTING HAND RAILS.

I SAID TO BHARATHI 'WELCOME HOME'.

By divine grace we managed to climb down the stairs without an accident and entered the lounge at Gate 4 which was already chokeful of people. MERCIFULLY, TRUE TO INDIAN VALUE SYSTEM, TWO YOUNGSTERS GOT UP AND GAVE THEIR SEATS TO US, GOD BLESS THEM. There was a stall near by where we could have bought some water but we did not dare for two reasons - it meant we could lose our seats and it also required courage to make one's way through the mad rush there.

They kept on announcing that flights to Bangalore and Hyderabad are delayed because incoming flights are delayed , AS IF IT WAS THE PASSENGERS WHO WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR IT.
Finally we were asked to board and our flight took off for Hyderabad around 4 am on 19th , a delay of three hours.

Once we landed at SHAMSHABAD at 5-30am, it was like a dream. The whole process of immigration, baggage collection (paid porters were plenty) and walking out took JUST HALF AN HOUR. We got the cab without any problem and were back home in jiffy.

LEARNING POINTS
1) AVOID TRANSITING THROUGH MUMBAI IF YOU CAN, LIKE PLAGUE
2) BEST TO FLY LUFTHANSA WITH JUST ONE HALT AT FRANKFURT ON THE CHICAGO-HYD SECTOR. ( FRANKFURT IS THEIR HOME BASE)
3)BLOCK YOUR SEATS AT THE TIME OF BOOKING YOUR TICKETS, THAT IS YOUR ONLY CHANCE.
4) NEVER ASK THE AIR AUNTIES FOR ANY HELP, THEY ARE LEAST INTERESTED IN YOUR 'MINOR' PROBLEMS
5) DEMONSTRATE YOUR PATRIOTISM IN OTHER WAYS, AVOID FLYING AIR INDIA.