[Dieseltuned]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

Oh, I thought using the food truck was a one-off incident in my case. Wonder why there are no other mechanisms available in a big airport like Bangalore.

Infact I have also seen the food truck being used to board a wheelchair. I wonder how safe is this practise and is it allowed by DGCA rules ?

[anjan_c2007]

Once in early 2001 I took an Indian Airlines flight from Mumbai to Goa. Being a tourist season there were lots of foreigners on board. The flight constantly affords a view of the Western Ghats, coastline and the Arabian Sea. Just some 15-20 minutes before touching the Dabolim airport in Vasco De Gama, the viewable scenic beauty is awesome. The landmass, sandy coastline, blue sea water, numerous coconut trees dotting the landscape all appear too good to be true from the airplane windows. The foreign tourists hitherto used to "free for all" photography in their respective countries were not aware of the government imposed restrictions on clicking airplanes, airports and also views from the airplane windows. Hence, their cameras instantly got focused and multiple clicks commenced from multiple windows, by multiple human beings, multiplying the number of clicks every few seconds. The air hostesses in their Indian Airlines' saree - blouse attire got very disturbed and all of them ran sprints to and fro through the aisle yelling, "please shut off your cameras, photography is prohibited" again and again. These were not centralised announcements but decentralised ones individually by each air hostess who were spread throughout the length of the A-320. It took a while for the tourists to grasp what was being said, but many, many clicks had already happened!

However, recently such stringent socialistic era photography norms have been now liberalised by the Civil Aviation Ministry.

[fhdowntheline]

First flew back in 1978, all of some 4+ years old, on an Indian Airlines Boeing 737-200, from BOM to GOI. I remember commenting how the clouds below looked like thick cotton sheets. They gave a big fat samosa and some toffees and earbuds back then. A parting souvenir was the B737 Safety card, printed in dark jungle green with the plane sketched on the front. I collected souvenirs of both of IACs mainline planes, B737 and Airbus A300B2 and my dad got some on planes which I never flew (HS748, Caravelle) . I vividly remember my first trip on the A300 as well, flying from BOM to DEL, and was allowed to visit the flight deck for a short while. It was a truly fascinating experience. The bonus was that I got to see Hema Malini who was seated amongst the first few rows on the way back to my seat. Imagine my delight ! But sadly, I vividly recollect those earlier childhood flights but since the industry opened up, most of the domestic trips have been just like glorified bus journeys sadly.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

Interesting because when I last flew to Goa from Pune a few years ago, the crew made it a point to announce before take off itself, that these airports are civilian enclaves in a military establishment hence photography was not allowed.

Pune, Dabolim - Goa, Chandigarh, Port Blair are just some of India's military air bases that are used for civilian flights, where photography is not allowed ideally. In fact, until very recently, Pune airport did not have permission to operate civilian flights at night. As expected, civilian flights are also suspended when the Air Force flies sorties - quite a spectacle if you're at the airport already.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Pune, Dabolim - Goa, Chandigarh, Port Blair are just some of India's military air bases that are used for civilian flights, where photography is not allowed ideally. In fact, until very recently, Pune airport did not have permission to operate civilian flights at night. As expected, civilian flights are also suspended when the Air Force flies sorties - quite a spectacle if you're at the airport already.

Yes as a matter of fact our plane had to stay put on the taxiway at Pune for nearly 20 minutes while we got to see a C17 take off, followed by 4 Sukhois. We felt the vibration of those machines inside our plane as they rocketed past us with afterburners on.

[MDED]

Since folks are talking about good airline, let me talk about absolute stinker of an airline which is Spice Jet. Back in their glorious days also, they were too arrogant to give a damn to customers and with the dwindling WC and source of revenues, they have become absolute blot on performance, time discipline, upkeep of aircraft, etc, etc.

My parents had booked DBR-BLR in the last week of December 2022 and there was absolute cacophony of sorts at DBR. They made the passengers wait at the airport for 3 hours, then took them in bus till the runway and again made them wait in the bus for another hour or so and then took the bus back to the terminal building. They said some technical issue with the aircraft!!

Finally after lot of hue and cry was made, and then they made arrangements of accommodation for the passengers at some resorts on the outskirts of DBR and made the passengers board the next days flight!

[Astonite]

Just flew SpiceJet from Chennai to Shirdi and back (6 pax in 3 per PNR each side). Really enjoyed the service from Check-in till the end. One thing I did not like about the company is that, when we have a 6 month infant, it would have been better if they gave the spicemax seats however they were chargeable at Rs.1999 per person. Had 2 PNRs for each leg, had to pay for the upgrade. Service and food were good, the cabin crew and ground staff were very kind and understanding which eased us mentally (mostly me - I was the worried guy) as this was the first flight for our kid (6 months). Gave them stellar review as the survey post flight was for the cabin crew.

About the aircraft:
1. Onward was 737-800 which was horrible, felt and sounded like a flight that was about to fall apart.
2. Return was 737Max, felt and looked brand new.

Having always used Indigo for all domestic flights (except for one horrible trip with Air India circa 2016 from Chennai to Goa), SpiceJet came out a pleasant surprise. However, will reserve my judgements till I fly with them next without any upgrades.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Go First early morning flight out of Bangalore left behind, literally left behind, about 55 passengers coming up in the last coach

Also, it's a very big security issue. If I am not mistaken, Airlines are supposed to off-load checked-in baggage of travellers who are not able to make it to the flight for any reason.

So, the plane must be carrying the baggage of the people who were not on board.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Also, it's a very big security issue. If I am not mistaken, Airlines are supposed to off-load checked-in baggage of travellers who are not able to make it to the flight for any reason.

So, the plane must be carrying the baggage of the people who were not on board.

Its a really puzzling incident. Do they not tally incoming headcount with the pax manifest sheet? Or have they abandoned these basic procedures in the name of On time performances. Wouldnt the pilots have noted a more sprightly takeoff than usual if 50+ pax are missing on an A32x type plane? When exactly did they come to know? No one from the airlines ground Ops radioed them while taxiing to the runway? Go First is not exactly a massive airline like Indigo for this to be missed out. Somehow it doesnt add up at all.

[rjainv]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

Wouldnt the pilots have noted a more sprightly takeoff than usual if 50+ pax are missing on an A32x type plane?

Infact there is something called a loadsheet, which is handed over to the pilot at time of departure/dispatch and has total weight of aircraft at stand which takes into account fuel uptake, cargo and passenger count.
This feeds into engine thrust setting for takeoff and rotation speed etc. if these settings are wrong, it’s a safety risk! Eg possible tail strike on takeoff.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by rjainv

Infact there is something called a loadsheet, which is handed over to the pilot at time of departure/dispatch and has total weight of aircraft at stand which takes into account fuel uptake, cargo and passenger count.
This feeds into engine thrust setting for takeoff and rotation speed etc. if these settings are wrong, it’s a safety risk! Eg possible tail strike on takeoff.

Obviously that trim/ loadsheet must have accounted for those 50 passengers, and thrust settings made accordingly . Therefore they would have noticed drop in the load during the TO roll isnt it?

[Drlmtukkar]

Flying has always been my achilles heal and i just hate flying. Not that i am afraid but experiences so far have always been bitter. I missed a flight from the old Blore airport - just because i was stuck for 2 hrs in a traffic jam at 5am in the morning , a lot of flight delays in the other flights and then i lost a big sum when my booked tickets disappeared in thin air after Jet airways collapsed.

My latest experience with Indigo has been bad too. Our confirmed tickets booked in July 22 for our holiday in Dec 22were canceled in Sept and i was literally forced to buy tickets at double the price again. No matter which airline, I feel everyone is just waiting to fleece the flyer.

I’ve always been a car guy and would vote for a drive than a flight to anywhere where we can drive.

[Stribog]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

First flew back in 1978, all of some 4+ years old, on an Indian Airlines Boeing 737-200, from BOM to GOI. I remember commenting how the clouds below looked like thick cotton sheets. They gave a big fat samosa and some toffees and earbuds back then. A parting souvenir was the B737 Safety card, printed in dark jungle green with the plane sketched on the front. I collected souvenirs of both of IACs mainline planes, B737 and Airbus A300B2 and my dad got some on planes which I never flew (HS748, Caravelle) . I vividly remember my first trip on the A300 as well, flying from BOM to DEL, and was allowed to visit the flight deck for a short while. It was a truly fascinating experience. The bonus was that I got to see Hema Malini who was seated amongst the first few rows on the way back to my seat. Imagine my delight ! But sadly, I vividly recollect those earlier childhood flights but since the industry opened up, most of the domestic trips have been just like glorified bus journeys sadly.

Why is it sad? Pre liberalisation of the airline industry,flying was only for the elite and uber rich (or company sponsored for senior employees), these days I can fly Bom Maa Bom for like 12-15k all in, while in the late 80'z it used to cost Rs 2,500 which inflation adjusted is something like Rs 37,000 today.

With the rising market, we have a plethora of carriers while previously it was a take it or leave it IC.

For those who miss the exclusivity of flying in the 80's I normally recommend flying only business class. The pricing is (inflation adjusted) the same, you get priority boarding, lounge access, priority baggage delivery....win win.

[fhdowntheline]

Its sad because there is no charm left , it has become a bit too procedural, and with the advent of LCC, you get a very vanilla experience all across. I disagree with the airfare bit, because prices are still too high in my opinion especially for slot constrained airports. Fuel cost structure needs to be looked at for aviation to take the next step. The only thing that has improved is the overall safety record, which is a big plus.

[fordday]

I flew Akaasa Air on last week of December '22. BLR - GAU - BLR.

Aircraft was 737 Max. Seats are clean and legroom is more compared to A320. Ambient lighting was good. Variety in food and all items were available.

On top of it cabin crew was warm and responsive. Their uniforms looked cool and comfortable.

However we faced cabin pressure issues. While taking off there was little bit of ear pain but while descending almost everyone was facing ear pain. No amount of saliva swallowing helped.

On the return flight too faced the same issue (most likely the same aircraft).

Never faced this in A320s ever before.