[RGK]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Closing Comments
However, discipline is just not exercised after the aircraft has landed - people tend to get up and grab their bags even before the captain's announcement to disarm slides.

Smaller airports are undoubtedly more advantageous for a variety of reasons. People in Coimbatore, West TN/South West TN now favour US-Kochi via Middle Eastern nations.

Indians are completely lacking in this discipline. They often act as if they had an unique exit to leave the plane when it comes to a complete stop, and I have noticed this for the past 20 years.

[sameer sultan]

In Bangalore at least the airport is too far away for anyone to use the auto for practical purposes. On another note, I feel we as a nation should start thinking about phasing out autos altogether. They are crude contraptions that are noisy, pollute a lot and offer no safety. Instead of a sudden ban, there should be a well-thought-out obsolescence plan.

Phasing out Auto's altogether can be considered when there is an efficient public transportation in our Cities. Until then Auto's are a life line. Without them the already congested roads will become worse.Rather than phasing out the Auto's completely the way forward would be to upgrading to electric Auto's with proper charging infrastructure which would also address the polution issue.

[shahadav]

Nice write up. Thanks for sharing.

I prefer small airports. I live in Doha and the time and walking it takes to get to the departure gates is an effort on its own. One needs to seriously consider this duration while planning their departure from the Hamad International Airport here.

[TechnoBloop]

I have one grouse with Trivandrum Airport. There is no proper tea or coffee available at the departure terminal anymore. Just machine coffee, and dip tea were available when I was there in April This seems to be a post-pandemic situation and hopefully, things will improve.

I just came back from Kerala on July first week. They seemed to have the natural 'classic' chai & coffee available with them. It could be due to the pandemic, they maybe had to take this decision to have less physical contact with foods as much as possible. Their domestic terminal is kinda small, so maybe that could be another reason, the int'l terminal has all these facilities!
But I think nowadays most of the airports have these machine produced drinks only, if you want to enjoy a classic chai, you might have to go to a restauraunt.

[dragracer567]

Originally Posted by TechnoBloop

Smaller airports have their own charm. Trivandrum Airport is a good example, it's a nice, decently big airport with more than enough facilities, no rush in baggage counters, no rush in security check-ins, you always get a place to sit and relax, everything we need.

Indeed and quite the turnaround. Until around 2010 before the new terminal was built, the Trivandrum Airport was one of the worst major international airports in South India - many sections were not even air-conditioned (IIRC), immigration took hours and the baggage belt area felt like a railway station from the 70s - it was a horrible experience. Now, I had visited the airport recently, a few months back and I was pleasantly surprised - it was genuinely a good experience.

[Arun_S]

Originally Posted by Malyaj

The most hassle free airport I have used is Koh Samui in Thailand. Very relaxed tropical resort atmosphere. No taking off shoes, belts etc. You just walk through the door metal detector (no frisking) and wait in the departure lounge. A cute cart-like bus will pick you up from the lounge to the aircraft. The lounge has no glass or cement wall restricting access to the airside (doesn't mean you should try it

Attachment 2338701

I too agree with you on Koh Samui airport, it was one of the best airports i have visited.
I thought the flight was 1 hr later had to rush to the airport but it didn't take more than 10 minutes for me and my wife to complete the onboarding formalities.
The small huts and the cart like buses were really unique.

[TechnoBloop]

Indeed and quite the turnaround. Until around 2010 before the new terminal was built, the Trivandrum Airport was one of the worst major international airports in South India - many sections were not even air-conditioned (IIRC), immigration took hours and the baggage belt area felt like a railway station from the 70s - it was a horrible experience. Now, I had visited the airport recently, a few months back and I was pleasantly surprised - it was genuinely a good experience.

You can expect some more good stuff coming up since Adani Group has taken over Trivandrum Airport!
Expansion of the airport won't be possible because it already is situated in a confined space and moreover the sea level has risen too much, it has eaten up the Shankumugham Beach Roads (a beach situated just a mere 500-600 metres away from the airport). The sea level has risen so much that Shankumugham Beach doesn't exist anymore.

This is a photo of how the beach looked like:



And more or less, this is how it looks now (notice the orange roofed building!):



Some work has been done to control the sea water, but it's a part of nature, we won't be able to keep control over it for a long time.
A sea runway project is being rumoured for the airport, let's see how it goes!

[gvivek75]

In the small vs big airports debate the minute international airports come into picture, the whole ball game changes. Few things to consider depending upon the type of journey you're undertaking

1. Transit only: Larger airports generally fare better in this aspect since you have lots of options to relax and unwind before catching your next flight out, including lounges, movie theatres, gym, gardens and what not. Singapore, Dubai, Hong Kong, Seoul etc are best examples when it comes to this. However the size alone doesn't always mean they are automatically better. Case in point - Heathrow or Suvarnabhumi are as chaotic as they get, and have never been able to get things right. The likes of Frankfurt or Amsterdam may not be as fancy as their new age Asian counterparts, but they are pretty functional and get the job done.

2. Departure and arrival: Here it's all about efficiency and not always about size. As many have pointed out in earlier posts in the thread, sometimes smaller airports just happen to work better for most passengers, unless they are tourist hotspots like Goa. Anyone who's departed from Changi using their automated immigration lanes would vouch for its efficiency.

Net net, my point is that sometimes your priorities determine whether larger or smaller size works. But clearly nobody wants to get stuck in never ending queues at check-in, security or immigration

[sukhbirST]

Originally Posted by ike

Absolutely... shared between commercial operators and the Navy.

Some places have more flights during tourist seasons or summer etc. Sharing of resources ensure viability of small airports or else they will become ghost airports. Many things like security of airfield, maintenance etc are looked after well when shared, especially if it defense airfield. Remember there are many support teams who do shifts and it becomes a challenge financially for all miscellaneous organizations who are dependent on fights.

[satish.gawai]

Originally Posted by ike

Absolutely. And probably the only airport in the country (as far as I'm aware) that is shared between commercial operators and the Navy.

Pune also is a shared airport. It is shared between commercial operators and the air force. That is why there is a limitation on the number of commercial flights per day.

Small airports are preferable from a convenient point of view. Less hassle, no long queues, quick commute to the gate. But long airports are good if you have enough time to pass (especially during those delayed flights).

[Mechanto]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Closing Comments

However, discipline is just not exercised after the aircraft has landed - people tend to get up and grab their bags even before the captain's announcement to disarm slides. I do hope this gets sorted out.

Typical behavior of Indians in India. BTW - I prefer smaller airports too, just increases the convenient quotient multifold. Nice write up!

[dragracer567]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Closing Comments

However, discipline is just not exercised after the aircraft has landed - people tend to get up and grab their bags even before the captain's announcement to disarm slides. I do hope this gets sorted out.

Honestly, I’ve noticed the exact same behaviour with Europeans (mostly in flights to leisure destinations like Ibiza or Santorini), Arabs and Latinos. Certainly not a Indian-only thing.

[Gypsian]

A long drive to reach an airport can start the entire trip off on a sour note, finding a smaller local airport that’s closer to where you live can go a long way to relieve additional pre- and post-travel stress. We Bangaluru folks hope that Hosur airport will soon be functional, so that Devanahalli airport is avoided for domestic travel.

[Amey Kulkarni]

I personally prefer airports (small or big) with lounges to grab a coffee / light snack prior to boarding especially during official travels when the flight timings are odd or with the family if it’s a personal travel to chill / attraction for the kiddo. Hate Pune airport and Dubai’s non-Emirates terminals for this very reason. However, I love the commute to these airports from the city center as they’re not far off.

Moreover, I have no preference based on the size of an airport as ultimately the real struggle is outside the airport going home or vice versa eg Mumbai or Bangalore airports.

On a lighter note, one may reach Mumbai from Dubai faster than he reaches home from Mumbai airport travelling to Thane say.

Cheers,
Amey

[Mach_1590]

The small airports are comfortable in a way that you don't have to walk a lot to reach places, no long queues for security check, if you live nearby you can literally track the flight and go as and when you like. I have frequently used Kandla airport(a very small airport) and I love it for almost zero hassles. Downside is that you have just 1 food outlet and the quality of food is pathetic with that "airport" price, the chairs are not very comfortable to sit and sometimes it feels like you are sitting in a bus stop with all the chaos.

The larger airports have their own charm. Endless options to eat from, duty free alcohol , its like a city of its own with clean and organized space, you can literally spend hours just viewing the flights take off and land. Downside is that for a 2/3 hour domestic flight, you waste at least 3/4 hours in traffic and long queues inside the airport, the parking fees is sky high and the cabs also charge exorbitantly.