JAB WE MET: New Air India aka Indian Airlines journey Hyderabad to Mumbai ... fasten your seat belts!

I had a mind-boggling (sarcastic term for hell-a-kind) experience with the new fleet of Indian Airline aka Air India flight journey from Hyderabad to Mumbai on 07th November 2008.
No doubt that (to my fancy) the new Airport in Shamsabad (Hyderabad) has been built to the International Standards! But still the attitude and behaviour of a 'typical' indian will not change under any circumstances.

My journey started on 07th November 2008 to Mumbai from Hydeabad airport and flight was scheduled to leave at 21:25 hours. I reached the Hyderabad airport at 20:15 hours (as per the protocol of 1 hour before check-in) to the Air India Check-in desk,

At the airport entrance to the security guard I have shown the passport and e-ticket printout to enter towards check-in desks, I was stopped asking about where is the ticket? (in Hindi) I said it is the printout that I have got from Air-India on this flight, he said no this is not a valid ticket and you must show the paper-ticket (image). I was replying in Telugu/Hindi language to explain him with no use, immediately I explained him plain english that now a days Airlines do not issue paper tickets and travellers will only get an email confirmation and thank-god that one of the Singapore Airlines staff member was passing by and asked me what's the problem. There ends the discussion with the security guard on this ticket/ticket-less fiasco, phew.

This is just a starter for you to feel on the feast of problems I faced, read-on!

There were 5 lanes open for this flight IC141 and I chose the lance that has 5 people in queue, as the rest of others were bit longer that this one, assuming my check-in process would complete in 10 to 15 minutes of time and I will have ample time to browse thru the airport after the security checks.

Time is ticking and 18 minutes past I was still on the same place and not even moved an inch in the line! To the passengers surprise other 2 lanes were closed due to the technical glitch with the systems at the airport (sounds familiar eh..?). The esteemed employee of Air India on the lane I was in was working on a god-speed manner (taking atleast 16 minutes for each passenger) and by the time my turn-in the time was 21:10 (here comes the trouble).

The first question I was asked was how many bags you have got to check-in, I had 1 big suitcase (as my return journey to UK was scheduled on 09th November from Mumbai) and 1 hand-baggage (back-pack). When I kept the check-in suitcase on the scales (weighed around 25 KGS) he asked me are you going to New York on the same flight, I said no and then next question was: "why are you taking such a big suitcase if you are travelling domestic route"? I said "Is there a problem taking such a luggage when the weight is way below the actual allowance?". So he never expected such a type of counter-question from me and said, no problem here. Ok, what next: the pace of that person at the check-in counter was way slow and I believe he never noticed the time to accept the boarding to a flight when the scheduled time is just 14 minutes away!

I asked him "you are accepting on such a late time, are you sure the flight will be delayed or no indication that this flight is on delayed departure, so that I can inform my receivers at Mumbai to ensure they don't simply waste the time at airport". He replied: Ah don't worry the flight will leave as per the scheduled departure time! Hmm, I thought so there is a development in the infrastructure as per the aviation laws the check-in must be closed 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time. I was asking in a pleasing manner to him that to check whether any window seats are available, which was simply ignored and I was allocated 16C seat number on the flight. Not to mention that I was never been asked to show the identification (such as passport) or no such questions as 'have I packed luggage myself or I have been given anything by anyone to carry?". Ok, why-bother!

Now the check-in headache is over I rushed towards the departures to ensure I don't miss the flight as it may be longer queues at the security check-point. In front of me 2 boards were shown "International Departures - straight ahead with UPARROW and Domestic Departures - On left-hand side corner of this lounge. I rushed towards domestic departure as my final destination is not out of India and is-valid, after standing and passing-thru in the line towards the security-checks I was asked to go towards International Departures. I argued that I'm just going to Mumbai which is not an international destination, I got a reply from the security guard that your flight gate is not-reachable from this way, "What the....". Ok I started running again to the other end of this lounge (400 metres) towards International departure, now the time is 21:25 HOURS!

I can see 10 people in the queue at International departures slow descending towards immigration check point, my turn I was directed to a counter who asked me to go to domestic departures as my flight is not an international-one, "come on ... give me a break!" Out of impatience I just yelled at the security guard that "What do you think you are doing, I was just there and I have been asked to come down this way .. .stating the flight's gate is not reachable from there." Again one of the immigration department member asked me 'Sir what is the problem?" I explained him in english about what is happening and just give me a straight answer what to do! Thanks to him that he said you can go from here and let me see your boarding-pass (still no question of asking my passport!), I was asked about another form which will be given to the international passengers about the goods as per the customs, I said I'm not flying international so I need not fill such a form. But inspite of that I was asked fill a full-page form, ok why to tussle with Immigration authorities, I filled the form with required information and descended towards security-check gate.

****** Take a break ... have a kit-kat or coffee ... still a lot to go!!! ***********

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Ok after the immigration blurb at the security-checkpoint we (about 6 passengers) were advised to stop stating it is shift-changing time (21:30 hours) .... la la la la la .. another 5 minutes passed on and I kept my hand-baggage, belt and I have asked whether to take out the shoes, said no on the x-ray scanner belt. I have passed thru the check and waiting on the other end to collect my belongings, another 5 minutes wait as the security guards at the monitor to scan the items having a chit-chat about their weekend plan and the moving belt was stalled! After 8 minutes of waiting there I was out from there checking about which I go for the gate, 35 and to my surprise already they started boarding and announcing on the tannoy for the remaining passengers. So, a bit happy that inspite of such delay the boarding continued at 21:43 hours.

Entered into the plane and checking for my seat 16C, where I was greeted by a person simply asking me... go and sit in seat 23E, I said why I was allocated the seat where you are sitting! Then he again asked me politely, could you please site in 23E as my wife is sitting in 16B…. I said you get that arranged with Air Hostess and this is not something I entertain. Ok, nice ending for him and I got it arranged on 23E seat.

You might guess what the time at that point was and it is 21:55, precisely. That means already there is a half-an-hour delay as per the scheduled departure. I can see hardly there are 20 seats still to be filled and on top of that it was reported that the flight is full, no place to keep the luggage on overhead lockers, pretty straight forward eh! The gentleman sitting next to me was a real entertainer, as he was counting on number of people who are supposed to board the plane. Now the time is 22:20 hours and most of the passengers were at wits end, why not and pressing the Air-hostess button continuously asking for what is the status. Out of blue it is reported that the flight deck staff are unable to reach the ground-staff at the airport to announce on the airport about IC141 gate is closing soon, with no success.

So at that point including me and few other passengers have volunteered to go out of flight and contact the relevant ground staff to arrange for an announcement. Inside to the gate at the airport to our surprise no one was available and we had no idea whom to contact, when we saw a lady who is a member of airport staff and asked for help, the reply we got was her duty time was over so go and contact someone else at the Air India check-in desk which means we have to pass out of security gates to get a contact! We came back to flight and reported such a fault that no one was available at the gate inside the airport, somehow the pilot was able to contact the tower to arrange, that we were expecting to get an announcement to arrange. I came back to my seat and explained to the fellow passenger next to me, then slowly other passenger who were checked-in at 22:10 hours at the airport were making their way to flight! One person came straight through back of the plan and searching for his seat along with other passenger. My seating row is 23 and back row is 24 where all of them were filled except one, there we have 2 of them looking for their seats. I asked him what’s the problem, he said I’m searching for my seat number and unable to find, the number was 25E & F and we laughed out loudly asking is that the correct one and to my surprise it is. The last seating row on this flight is limited to 24 and those 2 persons has got the seat numbers with 25 E & F which means numbers are allocated but no seat is available, it is like they have to travel standing like in city-bus.

After 10 minutes air-hostess came back and settled them by arranging them to other vacant seats after checking out on the list, at last the pilot has made an announcement to our joy that flight will take-off in next 10 minutes, which is around 22:35 hours with a travel time of 1 hour 10 minutes to Mumbai.

Phew, most of the passengers were happy that atleast the flight is starting to leave at that time and expecting to be in Mumbai by midnight. 1 hour on pilot has made another exciting announcement that Mumbai airport is busy and due to low-fog we have to circle around the city to get a clearance and expected to land at 00:20 hours, noooooooooooo!

So we landed at 00:25 hours and waiting for the bags to collect from Mumbai airport terminal for another 15 minutes, there were at least 14 passengers who are supposed to run to catch their international connection to New York at 00:45 hours, I pity on them. Now another thing is I found that my check-in luggage has been damaged where I wanted to report to Air India authorities. I was able to get hold of one of their staff member and explained my next flight to UK within next 24 hours asking for help to get my suitcase repaired at the earliest. That Gentleman coolly replied to me that it is not possible until Monday as the repair department in the airport is off on Saturday & Sunday, oh great what a day! Eventually I pressed on them to file a report and I shall need a contact person with their reachable number & email, with an argument over 15 minutes, so the time was 00:50 hours 09th November 2008 I came out to meet my BIL with a mind-boggling voyage with Air India flight from Hyderabad to Mumbai. So such a delay if calculated and the scheduled time I’m supposed to land and reach Mumbai by 22:45 hours.

Out of this my BIL told me that he has been trying to reach me and Air India call centre to enquire about status of IC141, he got a reply that there is no such flight scheduled from Hyderabad to Mumbai, and next time he called Air India staff said they can see records that flight has been taken-off from Hyderabad and they don’t have any report of landing in Mumbai! What a corporation!!!


IT CAN HAPPEN ONLY WITH "AIR INDIA" and having with such a mind-boggling experience I swear to myself that I will never board Air India again!!!!