[honeybee]

Originally Posted by Ayesha

As a cabin crew, please accept my sincerest thanks for this post. This literally made my day. And you're right, this means much more than anything else to us.

Thank you once again,
Your stewardess.

You are most welcome! And I appreciate all the hardships you guys go through to make sure everything goes alright at 35000 feet. Often times it is a thankless job and most passengers take it for granted.

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

All large electronic devices like Ipads or laptops have to be taken out and put through the X ray machine separately. This is everywhere in the world and not only in India. In the US even shoes/slippers have to be taken off.

Not trying to be rude, but I didn't understand the point of your post on this thread. You just described the process of flying from the time you enter the airport. But you forget to mention what happens after you get off the aircraft

In Malaysia I have experienced they ask you to take even your belts off. It's a funny sight to see one hanging onto his pants with one hand, trying to collect his belongings at the end of the line.

This time / and most of the times, I stuff my mobile phones in the bag - I even had my tablet inside the bag. No alarms went off, nobody flagged it off.

It's just a passenger's view of things. Not critical of any particular experience, but just felt like narrating it here.

What happens after one gets off the aircraft? That's a huge relief or a huge tension, depending on where you are getting off. In Mumbai, I feel at home, finally relieved and just one last danger of a cab ride home with my beloved ones. First time I landed at Narita, it was a bit better, having caught up with some sleep on a longer flight, the excitement and anxiety of landing in a foreign soil, that too in Japan. It was a strange feeling, mixed with relief and anxiety - knowing everything would go well and anxious to see how.

Back home, the biggest pain is to find a cab. On the worst days all the cabs are available, and people are waiting in line, exasperated, hearing "no cabs available", and slowly dispersing to find alternate means. It's often at odd hours and is the last straw on a camel's back.

Again, the sleep is difficult. Riding in a cab at 80kmph on seemingly empty stretches with a driver you know nothing about, praying silently that you reach home safe and sound, is not something that could induce sleep easily. Unlike the pilots in whose hands you had entrusted your life a few hours earlier, the cabbie may not have had enough rest and may be trying to make some extra cash by sacrificing his rest. Also there is no co-driver (unless the cabbie allowed me to drive).

And you finally reach home, at early morning instead of late night, where you try to shrug off the fatigue and catch up with the dear sleep. Only to wake up a couple of hours later by your baby's calls.

Thank god it's a vacation!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

All large electronic devices like Ipads or laptops have to be taken out and put through the X ray machine separately. This is everywhere in the world and not only in India. In the US even shoes/slippers have to be taken off.

What you mean is that the rest of the world is just as bad.

In fact, America leads: the rest of us follow. Sensible or not!

[honeybee]

These practises just don't make any sense. If you are searching for contraband such as drugs, you could just as easily ask the person to strip and search. Baggage tags and their stamping is probably unique in India - it does little to prevent/identify lost luggage, but adds one more layer of bureaucratic nonsense. Of late I am seeing the tags are no longer checked at the boarding gate, and there is talk amongst the involved agencies of abolishing this practice altogether. Better late than never!

Another nonsensical thing in vogue is the so called Silent Airport. No gate announcements, boarding announcements, nothing. I had a harrowing time last time I flew from Delhi on a GoAir flight as the boarding gate on the pass was different and the actual boarding took place from another gate (though nearby). No announcements - either over the PAS or by the personnel manning the gate, no indication. It's when the irritated passengers started asking that the staff revealed that the GoAir boarding would take place from the neighbouring gate. This probably avoided the shameful incidence of the flight being full but the plane being empty. All these measures just simply don't put the traveller at the centre.

[vpillai]

Hi Guys,

Sorry to interrupt your discussion with a different topic. But, I have a quick question.
Do you recommend booking a separate seat for a 10months old infant (probably with a child seat fit on that) ? Flight duration around 22 to 24 hrs.

And, are we allowed to carry the food for infants to the flights?

Also, I would like to hear from somebody who has used the "Silkair + Singapore Airlines" combo for traveling to SFO from TRV, on how good their services are?!! And if there is anything not so good about choosing these two airlines?!!

Thanks.

[honeybee]

You can certainly carry food - not just for infants but even for grown ups - into your cabin baggage. Just make sure you don't have any sharp objects with the food, knives, forks etc.

No idea if booking a separate seat for such a long duration is. necessary or. not - Considering a two year old kid can travel for free, I guess the kids are made to share the same seat, and if you are really going to fly for so many hours without any stop overs, you should look at the option of booking a separate seat. Why not check with the airline too, to see what they can suggest?

[hserus]

Originally Posted by vpillai

Also, I would like to hear from somebody who has used the "Silkair + Singapore Airlines" combo for traveling to SFO from TRV, on how good their services are?!! And if there is anything not so good about choosing these two airlines?!!

SQ is a very nice airline to fly but probably the longest route to sfo because it is sin - hkg - sfo or sin - icn - sfo as a one stop.

My recommendation is Air India via Delhi - 15 hours nonstop to SFO from Delhi and plenty of TRV-DEL connections on AI (though fewer will land directly in the international terminal). Just did the route and its great - aircraft in good condition and decent food options. (far tougher in economy than business but still cuts 6..8 hours off your travel time).

After that if you fly west coast destinations like SFO, fly Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong if possible and if connections to Chennai work out. Again a much shorter route.

Airline seats aren't sold for kids under 2 so you might end up paying the full adult rate. Ratings for child seats vary widely from country to country so call your local Air India office and check.

[SilentEngine]

SQ now has non-stop SIN-SFO flight (flight numbers 31/32) since last few months. Flight time 15 hours SIN-SFO and 17 hours for return.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by Ayesha

As a cabin crew, please accept my sincerest thanks for this post. This literally made my day. And you're right, this means much more than anything else to us.

Thank you once again,
Your stewardess.

I've always made it a point to thank cabin crew, and generally do stuff like pour my own water from the galley if they're seated working on reports / eating and scramble to help.

Treating cabin crew as human beings being helpful rather than as servants (or worse, people getting drunk and trying to grab them etc) sometimes gives foreign cabin crew working desi routes a huge surprise - you see the routine politeness give way to humanity and friendliness all by itself. With AI cabin crew - genuinely warm friendliness, somehow. The days of grumpy crew going through the motions seem long past.

[Fillmore]

Hopefully the time taken to clear security upto boarding the aircraft should reduce now with the removal of Hand Baggage stamping in 7 airports.

i.e.
Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Cochin.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...w/57314835.cms

The 2nd or 3rd level security you pass through before boarding now only has to check your boarding pass and not the baggage tag , so that should be a saving of 1 second per passenger , thereby causing the lines to move faster .

[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

Guys!

How is 'Kuwait Airways'? Has anyone traveled on their flights?
I am getting good deals for JFK - B'LORE flight.

Please share your experience.

They have a very good deal for JFK - B'lore. Need to decide soon...

Anyone, who has traveled Kuwait Airways, Pl. share the experience.

[vishal9999]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

They have a very good deal for JFK - B'lore. Need to decide soon...

Anyone, who has traveled Kuwait Airways, Pl. share the experience.

Kuwait airways and EgyptAir are having very good deal for BOM - JFK.
In business class Egypt airways till cairo (Standard reclining seat) and remaining is Angled flat seat till New York.
In business class Kuwait airways till kuwait (Extra reclining seat) and remaining is lie flat seat till New York.
Please share experiences.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by vishal9999

Kuwait airways and EgyptAir are having very good deal for BOM - JFK.
In business class Egypt airways till cairo (Standard reclining seat) and remaining is Angled flat seat till New York.
In business class Kuwait airways till kuwait (Extra reclining seat) and remaining is lie flat seat till New York.
Please share experiences.

Any gulf based carrier at all will be a zoo with mediocre service and many passengers bringing back largescreen TVs etc for flights into or out of India to their hub. After that the facilities will be much better as will be the service.

But Kuwait / Royal Jordanian etc are in the second rung of carriers behind Emirates / Etihad / Qatar. Might be flyable but they have some truly ancient planes so be aware of that.

[sdp1975]

We have some liquid medicine to carry with us on a domestic flight from Bangalore Airport. I'm assuming putting it in the check-in baggage won't be a problem ? I saw a restriction of 100 ml liquid in the cabin baggage so I'll check it in.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

We have some liquid medicine to carry with us on a domestic flight from Bangalore Airport. I'm assuming putting it in the check-in baggage won't be a problem ? I saw a restriction of 100 ml liquid in the cabin baggage so I'll check it in.

Medicines in their own ziploc are fine and you won't see people raising objections especially on domestic flights.

[sdp1975]

We're planning to carry some jewelry on a domestic flight in our cabin baggage. I did not find any restrictions as per the aviation/aircraft rules.

It's some bridal jewelry we're carrying and not really gold biscuits or bars, so I guess there shouldn't be a problem with the security asking too many questions ?