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stealthpilot · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 2325 Location: BLR, DXB

I wont say too much on the DXB-BOM ..... 777 in J.

DXB airport - I never noticed these carry on bag x-ray machines earlier .... dunno how new they are.
There was a lot of place before and after so people had time and space to remove laptops etc ..... after the xray the 'baskets' were automatically sent in a loop and popped up on the other side. Was neat, like the ball in a bowling alley Wink

I like these information screens in DXB, nice and wide. Map on one side touch screen info on the other.

The Marhaba lounge, they have a few of these throughout the terminal. I cant use the Emirates lounge but this is nice for my use- just to relax for 30 mins or so before boarding, small bites of food nothing special but nice quiet atmosphere. You can have a shower as well but if im not mistaken you may have to pay for that?

A6-EBR for you registration nuts

The return BOM-DXB = this was the headache. My wife and I had to be in BOM for a few days- wedding- and I had to leave on a Sunday because I needed to be back in DXB the next day.
I had a subload ticket on EK ... and with 5 daily flights found it hard to get on. Weekends are the hardest for standby travel- there are flights which leave with free seats but unless you go camp at the airport for hours its hard to know which one. The 4am flight looked good but it was too early. Anyway cut a story short I gave up trying EK and booked a standby on Jet Airways (9W 544) which left at 1850. Waited in line .... overbooked. Since I had to be back in DXB the next day we had booked normal confirmed tickets as a backup in case all else failed. 6E and SG were non refundable ... so the option was AI or 9W or EK. Emirates and Jet were super expensive, so much to my pain and agony there was no option but to fly AI. I havnt flown AI in maybe 7 years and although I am sure they are a minuscule better I have a moral issue giving them (more of) my money. What to do, had to, even more painful had to fork out way too much on a one way last minute economy ticket..... on AI ..... Rolling Eyes

BOM is a crap airport, much improved but still crap.
Check in was slow. Not many people in the queue but it took almost 30 mins. The chap who checked us in was a bit clueless, maybe he was new but it was no problem. Just very slow.

Here was the real shocker, the immigration lines. It was loonnggg + slow + disorganised. Lethal combination. Now iv seen some horrible lines when i land at an airport but departing? I should have taken more pictures to show the chaos, from the time we stood in line to cleared security was 72 minutes. Quite a few people were worried about missing their flights, a few were sent to the priority F/J lane (badly marked/though out) but most were told there was nothing to do.

This pic is half of the inside part, there was another identical snakey zigzaggy line behind me + the part of the line that extended out the door in the corridor. The line was longer when I was waiting at the 9W check in counter with my fingers crossed, thank god the lines were shorter now + we were early for the AI check in !!!

Duty free area.
When we were boarding = surprise!!! we were bumped up to J Very Happy

... first time that's ever happened to me. Full flight in economy + probably because we bought the most expensive last minute economy ticket possible. Neither my wife nor I are regular AI/frequent flyers or anything so I cant think of another reason. Good looks and charm I think not?

It was a 321, sorry forget the registration PP something.
Welcome drink

Amenity kit? Flight left a little over 30 mins late probably waiting for some poor souls stuck in that ghastly line. I didn't mind, I felt sorry for them.

Not really much to say, relatively short flight I managed to just about nap.
Heres a funny sight . Trusted in what way .... what rubbish Rolling Eyes

Might be worth buying, but id stick to my fellow anetters and their amazing photos. Guys if you decide to make a book ill order a dozen!

Legroom was good, only thing the seat didn't recline that much.

Thats pretty much as far back as it went.

The food was very good. Granted I was hungry and I miss Indian food but i liked the main course.
The salad sucked ... the desert was pretty lousy and I didnt eat the bread ..... but the palak and chicken were yum and so was the paratha.
They offered whiskey and some other alcohol with dinner.
bit odd - they served the food with the plastic wrap still on.

All in all a yo-yo experience. Irritated to pay so much and fly AI and deal with BOM airport ..... then upgrade to business. Main course was very good other than that nothing to boast about. The seat IFE was off the whole flight so nothing to watch, I assume the music channels worked tho I never tried.

Seat was fine I guess (on a regional flight) service also no exponential goof ups but nothing said WOW.
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sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

Hmm...a trip report with a thorough description of AI food alone, would mean that a certain resident glutton has been targetted...and is he not loving it? Very Happy

Lovely trip report, stealthpilot! It is nice to read about the uncommon things that catch your eye: the bag screening, the information screens, and of course, the description of the planning for the return trip. Your details made the reader feel like being there with you, and give a different perspective to people, who would otherwise think standby tickets to be something romantic, more so, when travelling with family members. Mumbai's CSIA has exasperated me no end - T1A and T1C are superb, how could the GVK group do such a bad job of the T2 renovation? Apart from a nice food court air-side, the immigration and customs part is tiresome, with a large number of people packed into a very small space. From us airline nutters, there is hardly any view outside from the terminal. Power ports are just about absent thorughout the terminal - so much so for the 24 hour free WiFi, which is actually superb in the domestic T1A-T1C section, which has lots of power ports, and spotting opportunities, in addition to food options. The AI food main course looked nice - bad luck about the rest of the items, and a non-functional IFE. Thanks for sharing another witty trip report with us - do keep writing, we enjoy it!
Cheers, Sumantra.

ameya · Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 4:27 pm Post subject:

Very Nice TR. Had fun reading it ! and the pics !

Nimish · Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 9:41 pm Post subject:

That security/immigration queue at BOM is a national disgrace. Even at peak times, BLR does not take more than 10-20 minutes, but BOM international is a horror.
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We miss you Nalini!

abhijith16 · Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 4:53 pm Post subject:

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

abhijith16 · Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 5:07 pm Post subject:

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

Jaysit · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 4346

That meal service in J looks like Y with a real china cup for tea/coffee.

Nothing J or premium about it. Y Class meals on TG/SQ long haul are presented better.

And what is that ghastly "pate" like thing for an appetizer that AI has been serving up in J for the past 20 years? Looks like processed chicken offal by Mafco.

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

jasepl · Member Joined: 26 Jul 2008 Posts: 4257 Location: bund-bay

Wow. Did they give you the economy tray by mistake?

Or maybe it was deliberate, since they ate all the J meals. Smile

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four years free of jetya punti!

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

stealthpilot · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 2325 Location: BLR, DXB