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ameya · Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 10:21 am Post subject: IDR - PNQ on 9W FSC on 9th Nov

After landing on Indore on 7th, we were quickly taken to Bhopal in a multi axel Volvo. I was dreading about the famous Madhya Pradesh Roads, but a lot has improved and this journey of about 190kms was covered in 3.5 hrs watching GADAR and having a stop at MP tourism outlet on the way. Bhopal is a nice city of lakes and it was fun. The high point of the trip was visiting the Shan-e-Bhopal restaurant, which has been made by taking a Broad guage bogey from railways and converting it into a restaurant at the Lake View Ashoka Hotel. The food is not that great but the experience in unique. While I was sitting there, saw SG Q400, 9W B737 and AI A319 on finals at BHO.

It was time to head back home after the short trip and the journey route was same, a Volvo – this time showing Singham, to Indore and then take 9W 795 to PNQ. A slight change in the routing I observed, one aircraft does CCU-BOM-PNQ-IDR-DEL-IXR-DEL and another does DEL-IDR-DEL-IXJ-DEL-IDR-PNQ-BOM-CCU. Unfortunately, the aircraft were swapped such that I got VT-JBP again for the return journey. It sounds pretty boring to have the journey being covered on the same plane.

None the less, we reached airport at 1445 for a 1600hr departure. The new airport at Indore looks grand. A quick look at the FIDS confirms that I wouldn’t be able to see the Air Ventura aircraft. Post screening the baggage, which I thought would be inline, we head to the long lines in front of 9W counter. The BLR-NAG-IDR-DEL-SXR flight of 6E was running late that day and the CCU-RPR-IDR-BOM flight of 6E had just left. The lines at the Jet counter were getting longer and longer and the agents were taking over 7 minutes to check-in one passenger. It was getting on to the nerves of many passengers but alas, after a wait of 20 mins our turn came. The printer got stuck and a couple of minutes later we finally had out boarding passes in hand.

We headed up for security. Surprisingly, a CISF chap was standing before the security checking if there are tags on the bags. I wish he could be relocated to congested airports like BOM / DEL where he would have some productive work to do.

A quick security later, we waited for the aircraft to land. The metar for the day were clear skies at both the places. The washrooms were tending towards typical AAI washrooms, unclean, water flowing and what not. I think the passengers are to be blames equally for the mess. However, it is not the age of the airport but the operator (AAI) which leads to such service levels and I am sure the fancy terminals at Chennai & Kolkata are soon going to give way to stories like these.

The big building at Indore is hardly used with limited flight services there and a large section of the terminal is closed. Secondly, most of it is not even dusted regularly if I go by the dust around the seating area. Before I could think more, VT_JBP landed from DEL and taxied to one of the bays.

Soon boarding was announced, and we went to the lower level awaiting departure call, which was quick. After being herded into the bus at 1539, the bus did not start still 1550. 11 minutes without aircon in a dirty Jet airways bus. Unbearable.

As we headed to the aircraft, and formed a line to board, a bag was lying under the fuselage, unattended. It has fallen while loading.
The boarding was quick and we took our seats , the emergency row – 21
There was a lone person seating in row 20 and he refused to open the emergency door in case of emergency which prompted the crew to ask one of us to sit at the emergency door on that row.

Take off from rwy 25 was quick and we stabilized at 32000 ft pretty quickly. The flight had departed with a delay of 15 minutes.
Service started soon and I asked for a veg meal which had a very huge but not so good sandwich and tea/coffee, which obviously I tried only to find out that it doesn’t taste good.

Descend started around 1650, and we touched down at PNQ at 1725, a delay of 20 minutes on rwy 28.

The walk to the terminal was long and yet had to wait for a while to get baggage on the belt.

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

Yes another Ameya report, replete with marvellous facts and figures!
- I too have been to the Lake View Ashoka! Yes, the food was not fantastic, but the Railway car was very nice, with its time-staggered screens. I forgot to write about it in my last visit trip report, `Little BHO-Peep'. Thanks for mentioning about this unique contraption! Aircraft coming in to land over the lake is a nice visual experience, both for passengers, as well as for the viewer. I wish I had been able to take some pictures.
- It is sad to hear about the new IDR terminal falling prey to bad maintenance. I have excitedly written about it on my last visit to Indore in my last trip report on the place, but it is still in the works. I have been to Indore twice in 2012. I hope to be able to complete this job, soon.
- Your amazing analytical mind figures out the routing of every plane that you see!
- Nice observation about the CISF constable!
Thanks for sharing this with us...I was looking forward to this, just before setting out for the Narita airport, which I will do in about half-an-hour.
Cheers, Sumantra.

ameya · Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 9:36 am Post subject:

Thanks.

Yesterday, I wrote to a senior chap in 9W with all the inputs about the check-in time at Idr and how 6E was doing it at thrice the speed and how it leads to public perception and so on.

Later in the day, I got a standard email reply from guest relations saying they are looking into the matter and would get back shortly.

How stupid could that reply be !

As for the rotations, its actually simple but a little time consuming. Very Happy

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

Nimish · Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 7:16 pm Post subject:

I don't think 9W actually gives a rat's ass about what passengers/ guests feel - it's probably just a checkbox on some process manual they borrowed/ stole from a better airline!

Great report - thanks for posting. That 7 mins to check-in a pax must have been like torture - JetChildren at work?
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We miss you Nalini!

ameya · Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 10:00 am Post subject:

ameya · Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 7:51 pm Post subject:

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

Shannon had said something about Entropy being the measure of information.
Hmm...
Cheers, Sumantra.

PAL@YWG · Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 12:28 am Post subject:

Very nice TR, Ameya.
Some of you don't make the readers feel the absence of pictures by mesmarizing Smile

writing skills!
Thanks for posting!
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