The Air India experience

As I have already mentioned in my previous posts that I was in India for 3 weeks, it is but obvious that we flew with some airlines there. And which one did we choose this time? It was, of course, Air India, the national carrier of India. Due to last-minute booking, the cheapest option available was only available with Air India. And due to it, we had to wind up from the old house in Karlsruhe on 9th December itself. We flew on the 10th, and the return tickets were on 1st January. We had to miss T's school for two weeks. He was not very happy with it, but we had no choice. We had obtained special permission from the school on its letterhead, lest we would be questioned at the border control. But the officer there didn't take cognizance of the fact that a 7-year-old was with us. We didn't have to show the letter. We went to Frankfurt airport well in advance, and our flight was scheduled to depart at 4:30 pm.

We waited in the Gold member lounge at the Airport. Thanks to A's frequent travels abroad, he has got upgraded to Gold class, where he has access to all the Gold members' lounges of the Star Alliance all over the world. It was a different experience altogether. With a buffet spread of all possible items, it was quite relaxing to be there. The time flew, and it was time to board the flight. The flight was coming from Mumbai, and we were going to board the same plane after it got cleaned up. It came late from Mumbai. And we boarded late, and it got delayed by almost one hour. The flight was full, only a few non-Indians were aboard. The food and services were pathetic. The staff was old and stressed up. There was hardly any smile on their faces. They seemed to be bored. The entertainment system was not working for most of us. The flight of 7.5 hours was an ordeal for me as I couldn't sleep a wink. The Dabke boys slept for some hours. They are very good at that. Sleep doesn't evade them anywhere they go. I was like a zombie when I got down in Mumbai. Only after I reached home and slept for 2 hours, did I gain my mental balance back!

And then it was Air India again! We were taken to a free trip to Hubli on our way to Bangalore from Mumbai. Till we boarded the flight, we didn't know it. It was not specified on the ticket. It wasn't announced at the time of boarding. Only when we got into the flight and the flight was about to leave, it was declared that we would be making a stop at Hubli, wait for 45 minutes there and then fly ahead to Bangalore. I didn't know whether to cry or laugh. We weren't offered any food or drinks. The ticket that A had booked had promised us snacks. Nothing came. And unnecessarily, we were delayed in getting to Bangalore. The journey, which usually takes 1.5 hours, took us close to 4 hours. I had no option but to accept what had just happened.

3 weeks flew past like we were never there! It was time to fly with Air India again! Based on the experience flying to Mumbai from Frankfurt, I was not expecting much. The only good thing about Airlines is the luggage that is allowed to be carried both ways. It's very decent and compared to other Airlines, it is the best. That's the reason why most of the Indians book it. The time to fly back to Frankfurt was also excellent as the flight is at 10 am from Mumbai. The flight was comparatively not full compared to the flight to Mumbai. Surprisingly, we boarded the flight at 9:20 itself. T was happy that we would leave on time, it would have been a record if it had happened! I didn't believe it, though. And my fears were proved right. The flight was delayed by 1 hour, yet again! Some 5 students boarded the flight at 10:45, and then the flight took off. How careless can people be! The entire plane had to wait for them. God knows where they were stuck, what they were doing! Ideally, the flight should have taken off without them as the boarding gates close before 45 minutes of the flight time. But no, Air India being Air India, they waited for those students and delayed the schedules of all the people in the flight.

The food and services were pathetic, yet again! The meal ordered for T was delicious. It was fried rice with mix vegetables, curry, and chocolate pudding with a croissant. I was given white rice with a very minuscule portion of two vegetable balls and curry. I ate half the rice with curd and pickle and couldn't finish the rice. I said sorry to the food for wasting it. But there was no other option. I couldn't eat it further. The bread slices given for snacks after a few hours were cold and dry with just one slice of some cheese, which didn't taste good at all. T was given bread slices with a pink jam; he presumed it to be strawberry jam and devoured it. Bread is his weak point. He can eat bread anytime with anything, if there is Salami, it's the best option! He can survive anywhere in the world. I watched movies on the iPad, and T watched Harry Potter and Mowgli on the Ipad while watched something on the entertainment system, which was working miraculously this time! The flight to Frankfurt is of about 9 hours. It gets very tedious and tiring, and I was just counting the number of hours remaining to descend. Finally, we reached Frankfurt. I was hoping to get the 4:52 pm train to Karlsruhe, but our luggage arrived late, and we missed that train. The next train was at 5:53 pm, and we had to wait for it for an hour almost.

T told me a very poignant thing about the flight and the delay. He said, Our flight got delayed due to people, and why do people then complain that it gets delayed every single time? Why do people complain so much when they are responsible for the delay? This thought moved me. I am very strict when it comes to abiding the time. And I expect others to do the same. I was there on time for the flight both the times. But due to the attitude of some irresponsible people, all the people suffered. And the reputation of Air India gets worse and worse. Only when Indians change their attitude towards time and get serious about their commitment, can we grow to a different level.