The best part was, instead of the crowded waiting area, we got to sit in a colourful lounge area, where only we were allowed.

BHPian Ms. Tesla recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A big thank you for all the responses on this thread, because without reading this thread, I would not have known about this special service at all!

And though I know this thread is only for Tips and advice, I wanted to add a step-by-step journey, using this service, so that you can see it from a Minor's point of view!

Enjoy!

The beginning of all flights is at the airport, which is where the journey starts.

We were confused as to where we would go for the verification, and where the staff would come to pick me up! But then we asked a staff member, and he pointed to an office box.

(!DISCLAIMER!)

According to which Airport you are using, the location of the office box varies. The flight says the Office box must be from the same airline.

We reached The Office Box (Ours being Vistara) and had to pay Rupees 5,000 for all these services.

After waiting a good 10-15 minutes, The staff came. There was one porter, and one adventure female staff member, who came to collect me, after taking all 4 copies of the form (which you had to print out and bring from home). I said bye to my family, took a photo with the staff, and headed towards an enormous adventure!

At the entrance of the airport, I got my Aadhaar card and flight ticket shown and we progressed inside.

Then, we went towards the baggage check-in area, and instead of checking it in, I got to sit in a comfy chair inside the office area, where the staff sat, and had to wait a great deal, but in about 15 minutes, my bag was checked in, and I was going for security check.

Now, I am sure you are wondering, how can they manage a kid in such a crowd, when they have to do a security check themselves?

Simple! The staff member would do the check with us!

After that, we had to quickly scan our boarding passes and we were free with about 1 hour on our hands. I went for a frappuccino (no coffee) and we left for the boarding gate. The best part was, instead of the crowded waiting area, we got to sit in a colourful Lounge area, where only we were allowed.

The view was amazing!!

Finally, the flight started to board!

We skipped the whole line, and I got a few looks.

We did not enter the plane first but we skipped many people, and finally, we were in the plane.

Though we had booked seat “12A”, they had to move me, because 12A was directly next to the emergency exit.

The flight was smooth and once we landed, they told me to wait after everyone (including wheelchair users) was off the plane.

As I got off 2 people were waiting to escort me to the exit after baggage claim. They took me to the bag carousel, got my bag and in the next five minutes, I met my grandfather outside the airport. They needed his ID and a photo of us.

After that, we were free to go!

I spent one fun (holi) filled week in Delhi, spent with my friends and family and soon enough, it was time for my trip to Bombay.

I left my nanu’s house filled to the brim with excitement and satisfaction. It has been an amazing vacation!

My grandfather and I went to the box office, this time inside the airport, and though it took a lot of time, the female assistant finally came and took me and my suitcase. We headed off to the baggage check-in office, like last time, sat there for 10-15 minutes, got my bag checked in, and then a different staff member came and collected me. we went for a security check and guess what?

For MUA (Minor Un-Accompanied) we had a separate setup area for security check-in!

So we got done with that and, the best part, I got to sit in the ‘VIP Air India Lounge’!

It was lovely! There was even food and drinks! And after that experience, we went to my gate and boarded.

The flight was smooth, and in the end, I had to wait for all the passengers to get off the plane before I could deplane. As I exited the plane, There were 2 staff to escort me out! We went to the baggage claim, and in under 1 minute, I was out of the airport, with my suitcase in hand! I finally spotted my mom in the crowd, took a nice picture, and we were on our way.

As I went home, I realized that there is nothing like home sweet home.

Overall, The service was top-notch!! I loved it and it was one mighty experience.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Porsche and Delta Airlines have had an exclusive partnership for over a decade.

According to media reports, Delta Airlines and Porsche are offering a few passengers a chance to ride in a 911 GT3 RS - the brand's latest track weapon, to their connecting flights at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

As per the program, lucky "select" and "unsuspecting" flyers with tight connections at LAX will be whisked away planeside and driven till their next flight in the 911 GT3 RS. The program will be up till Feb 26, 2024. So, flyers landing at LAX before then and hoping to catch a connecting flight with a short transfer window could stand a chance to ride shotgun in Porsche's track-spec supercar.

Porsche and Delta Airlines have had an exclusive partnership for over a decade. The airline has enhanced the travel experience of a number of its passengers via a fleet of Porsche supercars, including one-to-one airport transfers.

Source: Road&Track

I chose to fly from Chennai, as prices from Bangalore were almost double

BHPian vigsom recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Introduction

This is an account of my experiences at the all-new Terminal A at Abu Dhabi International Airport. As a bonus, one more new Terminal of an Indian airport will also be featured here - Buy one get one free

What's in scope and what's out of scope

This account covers my experiences at arrival and departure areas but does not include lounge experiences or transfers. I'd urge readers to chip in with their experiences with transfers at Abu Dhabi International (AUH) and, one of the USPs of this airport - the US preclearance.

This was an impromptu trip

I have been yearning for quite some time to leave the shores of India on a break, but it took me over six years to execute that; and when an opportunity presented itself, I seized it and the first task was to look for tickets. There were only two daily flights to Abu Dhabi ex-Bengaluru (BLR) and on all my choices of dates, they were astronomically priced - INR 95k for two for a round trip BLR-AUH-BLR. It's a similar scene for BLR-DXB-BLR by Emirates. However, on closer look, I found that there was this connection BLR-MAA-AUH by Indigo that was turning out quite competitively priced.

When I dug deeper, I realized that Chennai (MAA) had three airlines operating direct flights to Abu Dhabi - three daily flights by Etihad Airways, two by Air Arabia Abu Dhabi (on a few days, it was one flight), and one daily flight by Indigo. I then went on to the Etihad Airways site, and with some adjustment of dates, managed a round trip for two of us at just INR 49.6k, almost half of what was offered ex-BLR. I grabbed the tickets without delay.

Three days to departure

With tickets done, I wasn't sure if it was worth attempting visas via the airline given the fewer days at hand. I got the visas issued by my relative in Abu Dhabi - application in the morning, and visas in hand in the evening via a travel agency. No extra charges at all.

How do we go to Chennai?

Does the trainman have to worry about that? I was able to manage tickets by Vande Bharat Express onward and the evening Shatabdi Exp on return.

Journey to Chennai and the brief stopover there

An uneventful 4 hours 15 minute ride by the Vande Bharat Express and we were in Chennai Central. We managed our bags ourselves, found our way out of the station to a friend's waiting Zen Estilo, and got dropped off at our folks' place. We relaxed there for a few hours before setting off for the airport in the wee hours. Ola's pre-booked cab ditched us as expected, but we used Uber and were well on time at the airport.

Continue reading BHPian vigsom's airport review for more insights and information.

The last time I sat in a lounge was in June this year and the experience was not pleasant let alone premium.

BHPian Aditya recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Travelling by air could be stressful. Catching a flight involves standing in queues, going through checks and if you are unlucky, long delays. After checking in your luggage and passing the security check, all you want is a peaceful and comfortable place to sit and relax or work. You might even want to have a good meal. This is not always possible as the seats near the boarding gates and restaurants are taken. You might also encounter some noisy folks.

Many years ago, lounges were introduced at airports. To get access to these lounges, one needed a membership, premium credit card or qualifying airline ticket (business / first class). In return, he/she got a quiet place with comfortable sofas and good food to pass his time and complete some work peacefully. The lounge was an exclusive place where only the affluent could enter. It was an aspirational place.

Image Source

Image Source

Of late though, things have changed. These lounges have become accessible to many more people and as a result, see long queues for entry. With just about everyone who walks into the airport getting access, lounges are losing their appeal. The last time I sat in a lounge was in June this year. It was pretty crowded and getting a good place to sit took time. With many people around, it was certainly not a peaceful or exclusive place. Some people were talking loudly on their phones, children were shouting and running around and only a few of the dishes on the food menu were palatable. What's more, pigeons were flying in and out of the place. All in all, the experience was not pleasant let alone premium.

Image source

With airports getting larger with more places to sit, I have quit using lounges and just opt for a corner seat with a charging point at hand. The number of restaurants and options available at food courts is also healthy.

Why has this happened? One of the reasons is that air traffic is increasing massively. Most fliers use low-cost airlines that do not serve meals on the flight. Food is priced exorbitantly at the airport as well. Those who have access to a lounge, get access to a buffet at a nominal price. As a result, the lounges drew crowds.

Credit card companies started offering complimentary entry into airport lounges. Many new cardholders got access to lounges even with cards that do not have an annual fee. Most people who fly have a credit card and with banks offering lounge access so easily, almost anyone walking into the airport could use the lounge. This made the cardholders happy, and banks, which were coming out of the COVID-19 slowdown were getting business. According to data from the Reserve Bank of India, over the last 5 years till March 2023, the number of credit cards had almost doubled to 85 million.

The number of people who visited lounges rose from 3.5 million in the financial year ended 2022 to 8.5 million in the financial year ended 2023. Dreamfolks, which claims to be India’s largest airport services intermediary, claims that 2.73 million people used lounges through their services in the July–September 2023 quarter, and 2.63 million people used lounges in April–June 2023. That is a total of 5.36 million people accessing the lounges using credit cards, operating on the Dreamfolks platform in six months.

However, not many of these cardholders are actually using credit cards to spend money, while the banks have to foot the bill for offering complimentary lounge access. It costs them ~Rs. 800 per person for domestic lounge access and ~Rs. 1,500 for international lounge access. Therefore, banks are now planning to cut lounge benefits. They are planning to offer spend-based access to their cardholders. This way, they hope to cut lounge usage by 20%. They also hope that lounges will start getting their premium feel back.

Source 1, Source 2

Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:

Airport lounges have become Y-U-C-K! Instead of joining the line to get in, indulging in free all-you-can-eat buffets of cheap food and jostling for space, I use the DigiYatra app, get to my boarding gate early, and enjoy the calm. My laptop is usually on, with a snack & a coffee. It's not uncommon for me to reach my boarding gate 90 minutes before the flight time.

On the other hand, "business class" only lounges (especially when flying international) are spectacular!

Here's what BHPian toiingg had to say about the matter:

Lounges had become like langars, with most of them there for the free food. With anybody with a credit card (heck, even some Debit Cards) being allowed entry, it got too crowded for its own good.

I have come across people sitting with their feet up on the opposite sofa as if it's a bus depot. It's a good thing that banks are finally cutting back on this freebie.

Here's what BHPian V.Narayan had to say about the matter:

Lounges at least in India's domestic terminals are not worth the hassle IMHO. I prefer, like Aditya above, to find a seat near the gate and read a magazine. Once in a rare while, I visit the Air India or Vistara lounge which as of now has entry based on ticket/frequent flyer status. On international legs, I use those lounges which offer a shower & a private toilet - that is real value IMHO. For a lot of folks still relatively new to the whole flying business access to a lounge is a new experience and has a novelty value. In a decade, this excitement will pass.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The system would enable quick movement of cars reducing the hassle of waiting in queues.

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport has introduced a ‘FASTag Car Park’ at Terminal 2.

The multilevel car park has a designated single lane at the entry and exit for FASTag-enabled cars. This would enable quick movement of cars reducing the hassle of waiting in queues for a parking receipt or payment.

The system works in the same way as FASTag-enabled toll gates. It allows for cashless transactions, reducing waiting times. It will also help reduce congestion and will help save fuel and time.

The airport has also installed six DC fast chargers for EVs. These are located at the P5 parking lot at Terminal 2 and the P1 lot at Terminal 1. The charging stations offer CCS Type II 60kW and GB/T (DC 001) 40kW chargers.

According to the airport authorities, EV owners who use the chargers will be offered deductions against the parking fees.

At one of the airports, a cab service provider tried to fool me by showing the fare for an SUV that was much higher than that for a sedan.

BHPian vigsom recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Introduction

This is a brief account of my experiences at two airports in India - the lesser known Tiruchirappalli (code TRZ) versus the bigger Hyderabad (Shamsabad) (code HYD). The intent here is to showcase how a smaller airport, although short in style, can be a surprisingly pleasant and hassle-free experience.

How did I get to use a lesser-known Tiruchirappalli Airport

I was in town for work and had to go to Hyderabad at short notice. I knew that this airport was connected to Hyderabad by an ATR72 in the evening, but when I checked, I realised that the late evening ATR72 had made way for a morning service which was an A320. I booked myself on the morning departure as it made better sense to board at TRZ than go by road/ rail to Chennai and then fly out to Hyderabad.

Small yet significant information on the Tiruchirappalli Airport

For the uninitiated, Tiruchirappalli Airport in Tamil Nadu has apparently been functioning since pre-Independence times to cater to mail service to/fro Colombo. Commercial flights started after independence. From what I know, there was a time in the 80s when this Airport would serve three commercial jet planes a day of the then Air Lanka to Colombo, but would have just one Indian Airlines Avro HS748 service to Chennai a day.

Even today, this airport services more international flights than domestic - of the approx. twenty flights a day, six are domestic connecting Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, while the rest are international, connecting Colombo, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Some of the international services are daily while some of the Air India Express ones are on fewer scheduled days every week.

Experience at Tiruchirappalli Airport

I took an autorickshaw to the airport, and realised on arrival that they aren't allowed inside the airport gate; got off at the gate, walked in, and was pleasantly surprised to see beautiful parking and an even more beautiful terminal against the morning sun. However, I was shocked to see a serpentine queue of passengers waiting to get into the terminal.

Reason: There were two or three international departures lined up around that time and only two security personnel to check passengers and let them in. Although I was there two hours prior, I felt that this queue might play spoilsport to those arriving late for baggage drop.

My fears were allayed as I was in the terminal in a mere 15 minutes, which was very good considering how long the queue was. Post that, my baggage drop, security and move to the gate was another 20 minutes. This, despite the fact that the security check area was rather small.

The visual treat aka parking at Tiruchirappalli Airport

Terminal Building against the morning sun

Queue outside

Pre-baggage drop screening and belting

Check-in and baggage drop area

Cafe before moving up to the gate

Passage to the new gate area

Gate area

Continue reading about vigsom's airport experience for BHPian comments, insights and more information.