Quote:
"Very sorry, sir! The flight is over-capacity so I am afraid I have to move you to business class"
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And
why does that never happen to me? Sob... Sob...
Not quite the Yeti Life, but I went on a round trip to London for a week from Chennai recently.
It was a last minute decision and the cheapest available seats from BA (the only direct flight on this route) were
World Traveller Plus Class. To be honest, were it not for the cost I would never fly ordinary economy ("World Traveller") again. You get an inch or two more on the width, but what makes the real difference is
seven extra inches between seats. You can still breathe even when the person in front of you turns out to be a manic recliner. The downside? The fare was just over 60,000.
Checked in online, as always --- but how is it that, despite being there on the
dot of flight-24, that those plum bulkhead seats are gone already? Anyway, had the extra seven inches.
I don't remember a quick-bag-drop at Chennai before, but there is one now, and even though there was a family with some long-time-to-solve problem in front of me, it was still much quicker than the big snake queue. One day everyone is going to catch on to this and then it'll become quicker not to check in online!
After checking in, went back to the barrier for bye-bye chat with wife. I hadn't realised how long the Emigration check was going to take. This was just awful, and I must have been in that queue for 45 minutes. Patently they did not have enough staff, and patently they spent far too long on each person. Why they need to give even Indian travellers such a going over is a mystery. Got to the gate in time to queue for the plane. First time I have ever been through an airport without sitting down.
Arriving at T5 (my first time) was uneventful except it took a while for the bags to arrive. I was met by the mini-cab driver I'd booked by phone from India.
Leaving through T5 was also pleasantly uneventful. T5 stands as a monument to Bad British Management, which is a great shame, as it is an attractive building, and now seems to work well. If only they'd waited another month!
Again, the Quick Bag Drop was relatively quick; check-in was easy.
I'd been dreading the British Paranoia Security Check, but the reality of that was nothing to dread at all. "Do I have to take these shoes off?"; "No, they're fine". Straight through. Collect bags and coat. No delays. Some of the restrictions still in force may be a bit silly, but if one complies with them there is nothing to be bothered about.
Chocolate? There are now 15 Toblerones in my fridge, and no begging letters, please,
they are all mine!
T5 is so big that I had to catch a train after check-in and shopping to the departure gate. Apparently it would have been a 15-minute walk; the train took less than two minutes.
Sat and had tea, SMS-ed my wife that I was at the airport, drinking Rs150 tea, then sauntered to the gate itself. Swapped the London boots for the Chennai sandals (But not until reaching home did I swap the trousers for the vesti!) and packed the thick coat in my carry-on. It was hard making all fit, and I asked a woman at the gate if I could take my small bag separately --- she said I was allowed two carry on bags, no problem. I keep a bag for in-flight stuff, sounds player, books, etc, which I put under the seat in front. Sandals are so much more comfortable on a plane anyway.
Arrived Chennai on time, Immigration was reasonably quick, but the baggage took an age to come through. I sat on a trolley; why does everyone
stand and wait? Optimism?
The pre-paid car only cost 50% more than the call-taxi, so I was soon back home to my waiting mug of chai, which did not cost Rs150.
Although my wife is yet to tell me what I am going to be charged for a 3.00am welcome home!
I'm a BA regular, due to there being no choice unless I want to fly via somewhere else. One thing I've noticed on my last two flights, (Nov 08 and Nov 09) is that the food seems to have improved recently. Also that the female crew no longer wear saris, which (as one of them agreed) is a shame.