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MBAI 6: The insanity, the adventures, the Air India Maharaja

 
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jbalonso777
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Location: Never, never land

PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 11:35 pm    Post subject: MBAI 6: The insanity, the adventures, the Air India Maharaja Reply with quote

Hello everyone
And welcome.
To the penultimate part of my (mostly Boeings) journey around and across India, and arguably the highlight.

It took me seventeen years to finally even register a Boeing 747 flight, an iconic jet. That could've been a bit earlier, on the flight I would be covering here, just a few months prior to the EVA flight. Although I did get a Boeing 747 flight, it felt like a huge hole was left in me as I missed out an opportunity to fly on the Air India Maharajah. I made amends, and it wasn't easy. I cover most of the planning and convincing in the prior parts of this mega trip:

I flew into Mumbai on Jet Airways, a reasonable flight. That was followed by a slightly underwhelming flight on Vistara to New Delhi. That was followed by what possibly was one of my best flights that I was ever on, on an Air India Boeing 787. I had a plan. A plan to get on a big plane. Some of it were shot down when I had to fly in with Mum from Kolkata to Mumbai. A win win situation, since I was under the watchful eyes of my Mum, while on a new type for me, the Boeing 737-900ER. Following a fairly ordinary flight on a SpiceJet Boeing 737, it was count down to the beast!

Flight into Hyderabad only on Tuesday or Friday?
Flight into Hyderabad in the morning?
Flight from Mumbai in the evening?
Only Boeing?
Giant Boeing?
I'm sure you all must've figured out by now. Yes people, I'll be chasing the Boeing 747, Maharaja version. (Air India, that is). After the failed attempt in 2014, I had to make amends. And so, I was at it again.

CONVINCING, PLANNING, BOOKING, CHECKING IN
Like I said in the previous part, convincing the folks was a bit tricky, but it went off well. My options to get to Hyderabad became a bit limited because my bias. I even did consider getting to Hyderabad on the B747, but it was getting tricky. I settled for SG421 as my flight of choice into Hyderabad, I waited for a monsoon fare sale from Air India's side, hoping for some cheap fares. That came AFTER I booked my AI20 & AI966 multi-city tickets on Air India's website. I lost a bit of cash, but not a very significant amount. The flight details:
AI966 HYD BOM 1025 1210 B744

I used a rather unique way to check in - Air India's own mobile check in site! It was very very outdated, but job done without too much of a hiccup. Pre-booking of seats is not possible on the domestic leg for some reason, so I had to wait for the online check in open, 48 hours prior. 73A I selected, in the rear section of the oldie lady.
Enter details, confirm flight, select seat, check in! Curiously, Dad got a message on his phone saying that AI966's boarding would start at 0830 hours - WAY too early! I called the call center up, and while the agent used some broken English to get the point across, he did get the job done quickly - because this was going to be a very full flight, boarding would start 20 minutes after its arrival time into Hyderabad. Strange.

SIGNIFICANCE OF EVA!
At the time of writing (and flying), Air India had four Boeing 747s in its fleet, registered as VT-EVA, VT-EVB, VT-ESO and VT-ESP. I desperately wanted VT-EVA for a variety of reasons.
EVA (as in Eve-ah) is the heroine in one of my favorite movies, WALL-E.
EVA Air gave me my first Boeing 747 flight, and had my 2014 India plan didn't hit the road block, VT-EVA itself would've flown me.
VT-EVA brought Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his visit to Colombo in Sri Lanka a few months ago, and I remember the hype around it all.
And of course, Sebastian Vettel has named his 2015 F1 car, the beautiful Ferrari SF-15T Eva, a proven race winner! (mods, still requesting a username change Rolling Eyes)
However, the weeks counting to departure, I saw VT-EVA being pulled towards the hangars on FlightRadar24, and it never flew since then......

FAST FORWARD - 21ST JULY 2015
Outside Hyderabad Airport in the arrivals section, there was a lot happening: people, shops, cars, planes...a tall escalator headed up towards the departures section, which was a big relief for me. Towards the international departure gates, there were quite a few passengers for the Emirates flight to Dubai and the Saudia flight to Jeddah. The crew of the British Airways B787 flight to London Heathrow had arrived, and entered the terminal with us. Mandatory ID inspection done, it was time to check in....

What should've happened a year ago...better late than never!



CHECK IN
It really was a case of getting a boarding pass for myself. I tried a kiosk check in - and it didn't work because AI966 wasn't listed on it! Shocked I was getting more and more worried if the flight would actually operate, I wasn't in peace until I saw the plane arrive.
I headed for the regular check in, where I was directed to yet another set of counters that actually were for passengers with cabin luggage only - me. The processing took a while, making me more worried! But that was sorted, and boy was I glad to see seat 73A printed on the boarding pass! I relieved a customs declaration form, because this was indeed a domestic leg of an international flight. I asked a pen from the AI check in staff, and I had to ask only three people, and third lady was a bit apprehensive in giving me the pen - I had to reassure her I will give it back! Rolling Eyes I wouldn't blame the staff though for having that kind of mindset, but it really was just a pen Rolling Eyes


PSEUDO-IMMIGRATION, SECURITY CHECK, SPOTTING!
One stamp at the AI declaration, another stamp at the immigration official, and one more at security, the boarding pass I had was a stampede of stamps. And yet there was one stamp missing! Security was quick, despite disrupting the officials' chai break. I saw a lovely Ohman Hayer Boeing 737-800 all set for departure.

The snaking Hyderabad duty free was next up. I wish I could buy something Sad AI966 would be departing from gate 32, I walked towards one end of the main terminal, where there was a pretty awesome view of the tarmac. The British Airways Boeing 787-8 was at gate 31, boarding had commenced for that flight. There was a lot of activity, including some domestic activity (I saw VT-JGJ AGAIN, this time heading to BOM), VT-JBG operating flight 9W2627 from Delhi, the Vistara flight from Delhi, many Jet Airways and SpiceJet ATR72s and Q400s respectively, many IndiGo A320s, Air Costa's beautiful Embraers ...pretty much everything in the Indian skies was in and around Hyderabad. Except AirAsia India, of course.




Ahh, the old friend VT-SGX heading to Vishakhapatnam! Smile




I checked Google for the flight status - this flight is rarely updated, which means information can be pretty inaccurate, the Air India website too, doesn't keep track of this flight many a times, which is very strange. 0740 was the time given for the arrival of AI966 from Jeddah, operated by VT-EVB. I had to excuse myself from talking to a friend of mine thrice due to the misinformation given. The first time, it was a company A320, second was a Jet ATR, third time lucky - 0754 in the morning, EVB made its majestic arrival into Hyderabad from Jeddah, a few minutes before time. She parked at Bay 55, where gate 32 was located. And my was it majestic - I could hear the beautiful sounds of the four PW PW4056 engines from beyond the glass.

I can proudly say - that is my ride for the day! Very Happy


The amount of Boeing happening in this picture is amazing. Smile




Engines cut, it was all too quiet - even the pushback of the British Airways Boeing 787 and the start of its Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines, was all to quiet. Other interesting activity the arrival of a beautiful A330-300 of Saudia Arabian Airlines, followed by the arrival of our national airline's Boeing 777-200ER from Dubai.







THE BEST most epic plane ever.









BOARDING
Okay, lets keep boarding aside for a bit - it wasn't until 0825 when disembarkation of Hyderabad bound passengers got over! And that just says a lot about this flight!
It was quite some time for boarding to start - I knew the 0830am boarding time sounded outrageous. 0911 hours, boarding was called. First, it was through an automated system, and then all that was said - Air India to Mumbai: no flight number. Of course, there was just the one domestic flight from the international terminal at the time anyways. Unsurprisingly, a long queue formed. I took my time, of course. That said, the line formed in front of Gate 32B was moving pretty fast - props to the person manning the desk! Very Happy


Boarding pass...and its missing a stamp!


Boarding the Big Boeing!

Mandatory check of hand baggage tags (only one bag again, I don't get this!), I headed towards the beautiful Boeing. Of course, I did receive a earful from A6-EMH close by, but I was oh so excited to fly our own Maharajah, a year too late perhaps. I got my camera out in the jet bridge, and the CISF person there said nothing! I happily took some pictures before joining in the line to board EVB.
I saw the Maharajah on the door just before entering EVB.

Yes, yes Emirates - just give me 9 more days!


4 engines for 4 short haul today!


Emirates just kept giving me the looks Razz

The steward saw my boarding pass after wishing me a good morning, he guided my way to the back of the plane. I saw the engines from the front few windows on my right, and the stairs heading to the upper deck on the left. I was onboard only my second Boeing 747 at 0924 hours.
Unlike EVA Air's B747, Air India's B747 did not have bulkhead dividers along the economy section. Just the first class and economy class had dividers, the former being in the nose section anyways. A full view of the cabin, yes! I noticed that about six or seven senior crew members were all bunched up in the galley and emergency exit area of door L4. I found my seat 73A. It looked an absolute throne! However, it did not have a head rest cover thing. I took my seat and instantly felt very comfortable. I was certain that spending a few hours on this plane would be no trouble at all! Very nice padding of the seat.

Getting comfy!



That seat, my seat was in already reclined position, which I thought I would not be able to adjust. The seat pockets were torn, magazines, safety cards and all nearly falling out. The crew members really just stood there and smiled at everyone who went by…not really helping any of the passengers with bags and the like. Seats did not have any pillows, but seat pockets had headphones which were presumably not collected after the Jeddah - Hyderabad flight. The 747 filled up pretty quickly. Two men sat beside me, in the middle he watched episodes of How I met your Mother while a middle aged man sat in 73C.



No smoking zone? Rolling Eyes

DEPARTURE
The old queen’s age was surely showing even in the sound systems - I could hear none of the announcements. Even the safety video (which by the way, was pretty much the same video as the 787, expect that it was for a 747) just got stuck in between, every four or five seconds. So much for a safety video…

The Captain announced for the doors to be armed at 0954 hours, and that's when each of the cabin crew members waiting around door L4 rather hurriedly went back (and forward) to a door they were assigned. This was quite strange in my opinion! Pushback was at 0957, and four of the PW4056 engines came in to life. It was quite slow as you'd expect with this old lady Smile
Seeing the reflection of EVB on to the terminal got me a smile on my face as we slowly taxied through what seemed to be very narrow taxiways for the B747! Also taxiing by the hangars, I did see a Jet Airways Boeing 737-800 for maintenance, and I still do not have a clue of the registration.
We lined up with runway 27L, and a reasonably loud take off followed as EVB vibrated throughout the take off and towards the cruise altitude of 32000 feet.


Do you see the 9W 737 under the might of the winglet? Smile


Come on IndiGo, don't delay others for your OTP needs! Evil or Very Mad


Away we go!



One of 4 powering us on this short flight!

IN FLIGHT
To feed this Boeing 747 full of passengers, trolleys came out of different galleys at 1016 hours, like there was no tomorrow. Seven trolleys is what I counted from the nearest galley to where I was seated, and surely there were more around! When I got the meal, I was disappointed to find out that catering was out of Hyderabad rather than out of Jeddah. But that isn't a surprise, as I did see the Gate Gourmet trucks at Hyderabad, attached to EVB. I guess this was a blessing in disguise - the Jeddah catering is usually a sandwich, but here I was with two pretty amazing cheese croissants, accompanied by freshly cut fruits (pineapples and papaya), and a lovely brownie. Short flight, standard meal for all, but Air India delivered yet again.







It was a pretty uneventful cruise stage of the flight. Tea and coffee service followed, in some pretty horrendous cups (they’d bend with the weight!). I made myself some of my own drama by dropping the small camera on the floor…which meant the co passenger had to get up.. But he didn’t mind. The auto recline throne was comfortable to sit in for the duration of this rather short flight. The Captain made his announcements, which were very tricky to hear. I did however, hear that there would be some delay landing into Mumbai, and that there would be some bad turbulence while on approach. Did I mention IFE was turned off for this flight?


He's been here people, he's left his mark. This is his seat.




DESCENT AND ARRIVAL
At 1046 hours, the nose of EVB dropped a little bit. We had started our descent, a bit too soon I thought, seeing that we took off at 1009 hours. The cabin crew cleared up all the trays and all, and pretty much disappeared afterwards. We started circling, and after completing a round, we headed towards what seemed like Mumbai.


Obligatory winglet shot!




EVB had descended into some really thick clouds. For the next twenty five or thirty minutes, we just cruised through these thick clouds. I got a feel the huge amounts of turbulence sat in the Boeing 747. I wonder how this would’ve felt on a bog-standard A320 or B737! We just went on and on through the thick gray clouds. I kept telling myself that we’d land pretty soon. But for that, we had descend more and more. None of that was happening. I was getting more and more anxious. This was getting a bit too long.


It was quite some time before we continued our descent, which included another very bumpy circle in the skies. The crew members secured the cabin and took their stations. We continued our descent through some very angry looking clouds before circling again. This was a very bumpy ride, bumpier than just about ten minutes prior! Things finally got serious when the flaps were being extended, however, this did include yet another circle in the skies - never have I been on a plane that has circled around over Mumbai! I thought - this was working in my hands because my six and a half hour wait before my 9W252 back home would get shorter, giving me just enough time to go and pick up bags from South Mumbai.


It just got dark!



It was pretty impossible to see out the window due to the clouds. I could see just a few meters beyond the winglet. I was relieved to see the Thane Creek and the flyover for both cars and trains, that meant that we weren’t very far from Mumbai! Relieve soon turned into fear and worry as I saw the situation on the eastern part of Mumbai - I saw the train tracks and two local trains had come to a standstill. Water logging on the tracks, right there. Cars had come to a complete standstill on the Eastern Express highway and roads close by. I had to go to a long way. The situation looked bleak.





A feather like landing was made at 1153 hours, about twenty minutes behind schedule. Touchdown was very close to the cross point with runway 14-32. EVB literally blew any standing rainwater off the surface of Mumbai’s runway 27. It looked absolutely beautiful, coupled up with the Boeing 747’s anyway wonderful wing. The condensation effects created were simply unbelievable! A snail pace taxi towards the international Terminal, T2, followed. But that was okay since I could listen to the classical hum of the PW4056 engines! The rain got heavier as I could barely see out of the window. The slow taxi brought us right beside a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200ER, which pushed back as soon as we docked.



Star Alliance yay!

We had parked very close to the middle point of T2…basically a long walk lay ahead, that’s all. The four engines had cut out at 1205 hours. My second Boeing 747 adventure had to an end. This would be sad for be, but I knew there were special things coming up. Of course, it was quite a while before I could get going. I got a call from my Mum’s friend’s house who anyway took a lot of trouble for waking up at 3am the same morning. She asked me what the plan is…I had to decide quickly…I decided to head for South Mumbai anyways and pick the bags up myself. I had a challenge on my hands. If I fail to make the check in time for 9W252 back to Colombo, I knew I was f**cked, big time. Knowing my time constrains, I stepped out of EVB and took many many pictures of her. This isn’t a usual Jet Airways Boeing 737, this was a pretty Air India Boeing 747, the queen of our Indian skies, the Maharajah. And I wasn’t the only one doing this, there were many others doing likewise. With selfie sticks.



So long, 73A!


And goodbye, EVB!







One can go on and on taking pictures of beautiful planes, but I had to stop.

I began the long walk and pretty much raced everyone to the finish line, the pseudo-immigration. Here, we'd receive another stamp saying that we are indeed domestic passengers. Hmm, I wonder how they sent the passengers from Jeddah to the normal immigration! It was quite a long line also. Flew through duty free, didn't look at baggage claim, waived through customs, I headed downstairs to pre-book a cab. Of course, another lady was in a hurry so she wonderfully jumped the line without even acknowledging my existence. Oh well…… While she jumped the line, I called up my friend who condemned me to the horrible Mumbai Monsoon. Rant number three of the day over, I paid a fairly reasonable Rs. 350 to get from the airport to Peddar Road. Drama would not finish till we realized two print outs of the same receipt were handed to me and a young couple. I had the correct receipt, and I asked the driver how bad are the jams on the road. Quite bad he said, and he estimated around two hours to get to Peddar road alone, and another two to return back to the airport. An interesting adventure lay ahead.....



Regards
Jish
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sumantra
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 27, 2015 12:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

``Yay, Seq#1''
I have borrowed Captain iflytb20's dig at you, in announcing my joy at being at pole position, to reply to THE trip report, one of the most awaited, in recent times, and one unique one, from one person, who describes things in his own unique inimitable manner!
Once again, this starts with a beautiful introduction, and a reminder of the parts reported about prior to this, a soft reminder to the reader.
This is something I will treasure for a long time to come, since the routes on which AI flies the B744, are not routes which see me go for official work, and I have never been lucky with substitutions ex-DEL where a B744 has been used. The last such opportunity had come in two days before an official trip to Calcutta, when VT-EVA `Agra' had done AI 764, the 5pm DEL-CCU flight.
That was in 2013.

No, it is not that I have not flown the Air India B744. I have done so quite a few times, but all of these were on non-refurbished aircraft. All were in the old colour scheme, with the incredibly impressive Hawa Mahal-type windows.
I too have memories of VT-EVA `Agra'. She was the first to be refurbished (while in the old colours outside), and I have flown her last, almost a decade back. AI 144 EWR-CDG-BOM(-AMD). I flew her from EWR to BOM, in an eventful flight. I remember when she had come in to the aero-bridge, Caucasians around me at the Liberty Airport in Newark, gasped at the beauty of the large plane (US airlines did not have many B744s left, except UA and DL), and the shout of ``look at those windows'' brought joy and pride to my heart.

Your HYD experience: nice to know that you have a pen-friend Smile
The next time I ask you for a pen, please beware.
I have seen many people (known, as well as unknown), request me for pens, and then getting brain-fades. I love pens and writing instruments, and have collected many over the years. And lost many more, the same way.

The Boeing picture was beautiful, and in line with the title MBAI. This starts a set of some beautiful pictures from HYD. RGIA HYD looks even more beautiful at night, with its bright white lighting outside. The inside is typically GMR...subtle yet classy.
A request: can you post IMG_5058.jpg. I would like to see the colours on the B744 shown in the PTV screens' start view. Remember that the Thales i4000 and i4500 on the B777s (both B77Ls and B77Ws) have a picture of an Air India B77L...in the interim Air India livery, in which VT-ALA Andhra Pradesh' had been fully painted in, prior to the `merger' with Indian Airlines, and the Flying Swan livery being standardised.

Yes, AI's B744s are not in perfect condition from the inside, especially the upholstery, which is outright disappointing, given the effort spent in the refurbishing. Unclean planes are now appearing again, with disgusting regularity. A little more care, and this beautiful bird will be all the more of an excellent experience. The `No Smoking' signs have been around since the 1990s, when the B744s came in, a legacy from the earlier days.

Lovely wing, winglet, and in-flight pictures!
The food looks excellent, and the loads would encourage AI to fly the B744 on, on legs which need the capacity. The horrendous cups for hot beverages. Bend? I felt that they might even melt!

It is unfortunate that you got some really horrid weather at Mumbai. A sunny day would have given you incredible pictures, both from the inside, as well as the outside. Pedder Road, close to India's first shopping mall, and where many Mangeshkars reside. A nice prelude to some excitement in the next part: we look forward to it!

Cheers, Sumantra.
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jbalonso777
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Joined: 05 Jul 2012
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 8:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sumantra wrote:
``Yay, Seq#1''
I have borrowed Captain iflytb20's dig at you, in announcing my joy at being at pole position, to reply to THE trip report, one of the most awaited, in recent times, and one unique one, from one person, who describes things in his own unique inimitable manner!

Thanks, sir. Its some much needed encouragement. Feels like my TRs are not popular enough anymore, judging by the fact that this series has dragged on for too long and its not yielding too many responses.

sumantra wrote:
This is something I will treasure for a long time to come, since the routes on which AI flies the B744, are not routes which see me go for official work, and I have never been lucky with substitutions ex-DEL where a B744 has been used. The last such opportunity had come in two days before an official trip to Calcutta, when VT-EVA `Agra' had done AI 764, the 5pm DEL-CCU flight.
That was in 2013.

I have been eyeing this flight for quite some time. I knew this flight (or BOM-HYD AI965) would be my best chance at getting onboard a Boeing 747, and I'm glad that FINALLY happened! Very Happy Sir, was EVA refurbished when you flew back in 2013?

sumantra wrote:
No, it is not that I have not flown the Air India B744. I have done so quite a few times, but all of these were on non-refurbished aircraft. All were in the old colour scheme, with the incredibly impressive Hawa Mahal-type windows.
I too have memories of VT-EVA `Agra'. She was the first to be refurbished (while in the old colours outside), and I have flown her last, almost a decade back. AI 144 EWR-CDG-BOM(-AMD). I flew her from EWR to BOM, in an eventful flight.

You have an awesome memory, sir! Very Happy

sumantra wrote:
I remember when she had come in to the aero-bridge, Caucasians around me at the Liberty Airport in Newark, gasped at the beauty of the large plane (US airlines did not have many B744s left, except UA and DL), and the shout of ``look at those windows'' brought joy and pride to my heart.

That is truly amazing to hear! Yes, both the old livery and the current livery make the windows look awesome..and even more so because of the chatline underneath (sad that the 787s don't have that!). And of course, the Boeing 747 is gracious as ever. Smile

sumantra wrote:
Your HYD experience: nice to know that you have a pen-friend Smile
The next time I ask you for a pen, please beware.
I have seen many people (known, as well as unknown), request me for pens, and then getting brain-fades. I love pens and writing instruments, and have collected many over the years. And lost many more, the same way.

Haha! Yes, had it been an Air India branded pen, I perhaps would've slyly taken it away and got it back home Twisted Evil Hotels, airline souvenirs, etc etc...pens are the best way to remember the trips and flights! Very Happy

sumantra wrote:
The Boeing picture was beautiful, and in line with the title MBAI. This starts a set of some beautiful pictures from HYD. RGIA HYD looks even more beautiful at night, with its bright white lighting outside. The inside is typically GMR...subtle yet classy.

I quite like Hyderabad Airport too. I'm sure a certain airline's Boeing 777-300ER look absolutely fantastic in the evening when parked, ready to go on a domestic flight! Smile

sumantra wrote:
A request: can you post IMG_5058.jpg. I would like to see the colours on the B744 shown in the PTV screens' start view. Remember that the Thales i4000 and i4500 on the B777s (both B77Ls and B77Ws) have a picture of an Air India B77L...in the interim Air India livery, in which VT-ALA Andhra Pradesh' had been fully painted in, prior to the `merger' with Indian Airlines, and the Flying Swan livery being standardised.

A cropped image looks pretty damn horrendous. I would, however, thank you for reminding me: I forgot to point out the fact that the B744 was in the OLD livery! It was pretty strange to see that, to be honest...

sumantra wrote:
Yes, AI's B744s are not in perfect condition from the inside, especially the upholstery, which is outright disappointing, given the effort spent in the refurbishing. Unclean planes are now appearing again, with disgusting regularity. A little more care, and this beautiful bird will be all the more of an excellent experience.

To be very honest sir, I for one did not bother about Air India's maintenance standards on the day - in fact, the interior kinda added to the overall experience of that exciting day! It was a truly special flight. Smile

sumantra wrote:
Lovely wing, winglet, and in-flight pictures!
The food looks excellent, and the loads would encourage AI to fly the B744 on, on legs which need the capacity. The horrendous cups for hot beverages. Bend? I felt that they might even melt!

Thanks, sir! The cups were pretty horrendous, yes. And scary to handle, and the same time! I wonder why they used those....

sumantra wrote:
It is unfortunate that you got some really horrid weather at Mumbai. A sunny day would have given you incredible pictures, both from the inside, as well as the outside. Pedder Road, close to India's first shopping mall, and where many Mangeshkars reside. A nice prelude to some excitement in the next part: we look forward to it!

Once again sir, I'd like to think of it as adding to the experience: yes, sunny weather would've been perfect, but the rain just added something to the madness, which at the time was uncomfortable but now I think about it, was all worth it!

Once again, thank you so so much for this hugely encouraging reply! Very Happy

Regards
Jish
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sumantra
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 29, 2015 12:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

No Sir...not yet on a refurbished AI B744 Sad
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sri_bom
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 7:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What an excellent B747 report on of my favourite airplane even today. Every time I board a 747 I feel very assured with the mighty build of this plane that it will fly in any weather which unfortunately I don’t get with the other types of airplane.

The customs declaration form is really outdated. Some of the questions that I can read is whether the passenger is possessing – VCR/VCP/Videotapes/Transistor. This form is so 80’s when people used to smuggle VCR’s. Also never knew ZIP fasteners was such a precious commodity that it is listed in the form. Your description of the stamps “Stampeded of stamps” is so accurate.

The BA 787 looks fabulous and Oman Hayer was a good catch. It would be interesting to know if Raj was piloting.

The AI 747 pictures are fantastic and the plane is so majestic and truly the queen of the skies, but unfortunately from inside it is all tatters with broken cup holders to torn magazine holders it is an absolute disgrace. I am not sure how our ministers fly on this plane do they re-furbish this prior to any state visit? Any idea how long Air India intends to keep the 747?

Thanks once again for an excellent report.
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jbalonso777
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Joined: 05 Jul 2012
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 07, 2015 3:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

sri_bom wrote:
What an excellent B747 report on of my favourite airplane even today. Every time I board a 747 I feel very assured with the mighty build of this plane that it will fly in any weather which unfortunately I don’t get with the other types of airplane.

Thanks, sir! The Boeing 747 is truly a magnificent bird to fly on! And that is quite a statement you make about the 747 - awesome! Very Happy

sri_bom wrote:
The customs declaration form is really outdated. Some of the questions that I can read is whether the passenger is possessing – VCR/VCP/Videotapes/Transistor. This form is so 80’s when people used to smuggle VCR’s. Also never knew ZIP fasteners was such a precious commodity that it is listed in the form. Your description of the stamps “Stampeded of stamps” is so accurate.

I was honestly scared that it was going to be the end of my camera Sad
Since I didn't 'declare' it as such. Plus, the agent forgot about it - I had to remind him to take it Razz

sri_bom wrote:
The BA 787 looks fabulous and Oman Hayer was a good catch. It would be interesting to know if Raj was piloting.

I saw another Ohman Hayer bird that day, and U Raj wasn't flying anyone of them Sad

sri_bom wrote:
The AI 747 pictures are fantastic and the plane is so majestic and truly the queen of the skies, but unfortunately from inside it is all tatters with broken cup holders to torn magazine holders it is an absolute disgrace.

Its sad they aren't maintaining this because it was a truly comfortable flight!

sri_bom wrote:
I am not sure how our ministers fly on this plane do they re-furbish this prior to any state visit? Any idea how long Air India intends to keep the 747?

They fly first class Wink

sri_bom wrote:
Thanks once again for an excellent report.

And thank so much for reading and replying! Very Happy

Regards
Jish
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avbuff
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 10, 2015 8:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

seq#1 ... yay im joining the chorus ... ... lovely report and good spotting of EK wherever you are going ..... btw it was puring pretty much in Mumbai that day I suppose ...
Thanks for sharing.
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 26, 2015 8:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

avbuff wrote:
seq#1 ... yay im joining the chorus ... ... lovely report and good spotting of EK wherever you are going ..... btw it was puring pretty much in Mumbai that day I suppose ...
Thanks for sharing.

Hey Ojas, thanks so much for your reply! Very Happy
Yes, Emirates is pretty much everywhere I go..right from 2010, all flight trips have involved the sighting of at least one Emirates bird Smile
Was a bad rainy day for sure!

Regards
Jishnu
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 20, 2015 7:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here are the videos:
take off: https://youtu.be/oD62s0EqWAc
long landing video! https://youtu.be/d5-OpvrFJJg
the trip report: https://youtu.be/-TQpCqB7ew8

Regards
Wish
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 26, 2015 11:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excellent report!

As you know, I too flew this at the start of the month, and clicked a lot of similar pics to yours. Hold on tight for the TR!

One difference was that I bus-boarded at HYD. So there's that -> https://www.instagram.com/p/-9Ezb5I3Nu/?taken-by=varunr91

Cheers,
Varun Smile
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 27, 2015 7:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey Varun, thanks for your reply!

Lovely picture of Velha Goa there, and I do look forward to reading the trip report! Very Happy

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Wish
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