Airliners-India.com

sriramhariiyer

It all began back in November 2015 when I first saw the announcement for the Singapore Airshow 2016 on the Ninervictor Facebook page. The event was to happen between February 16-21. I always wanted to attend an airshow outside India, and this was my best chance. The Farnborough's and Paris Airshow's seemed too far away for me! Again, being an #avgeek, spotting in Singapore was always on my wish list and this seemed like a very good opportunity to combine two activities in a single shot.

As always, the #avgeeky thing struck me. I am not a person who prefers to travel A-B and B-A, but instead prefer to do a complex routing to reach a destination. I have done many such flights (people have called me a crazy traveller after hearing those stories). Quickly to recap - I have done a CJB-BLR (short 45 minute hop on a Jet plane and a 1 hour hop on a Turboprop) trip on a CJB-MAA-RJA-VGA-BLR sector routing which took me 8 hours to reach the destination. Call it being an #avgeek, and I love doing this.

Narrowing down the flight options

For the SIN trip, I did not prefer to do the CJB-SIN-CJB (on Silk Air) at any point of time. I started to look for the flight options from CJB to SIN. SIN is connected best from MAA with a variety of options (via KUL, CMB, DMK, and even via HKG). Again, I was not favouring the LCCs (Air Asia Malaysia, Thai Air Asia, Tiger Airways, IndiGo) given that the ticket was priced low, but I had to pay for my baggage, food, seat selection, etc. This almost took the ticket price close to that of a FSC! This narrowed my options to Jet Airways, Air India, Sri Lankan Airlines, Air India Express out of MAA.

Narrow body vs. Wide body

Once I narrowed down the airline options, it was to decide whether to fly a narrow body aircraft or a wide body aircraft. Jet Airways and Air India Express operate a Boeing 737-800 (flown on so many of them on the domestic runs), Air India operate their Boeing 787 Dreamliner (eyes opened wide as I haven't been on one yet!), and Sri Lankan operates a mix of A319/A320/A321 (operated by Mihin Lanka/Sri Lankan equipments)/A330-200/A330-300 on their MAA-CMB run and a A320 on the CMB-SIN run.

After my recent experience flying Sri Lankan airlines on one of their very last flights with the Airbus A340-300 4R-ADF, I was mighty impressed with their service and quality offered on the ground and on-board. Therefore, Sri Lankan was always on the top of my list. I will be writing a trip report shortly on that #yetanother #avgeeky trip that I did in October 2015.

Therefore, my options now narrowed down further to Sri Lankan Airlines vs. Air India.

Travel dates vs. Airline Equipment vs. Timing Convenience

Now came the even trickier part! When am I planning to fly, what would the equipment be, and what would be my final ticket cost. This was a complete budget travel and I had to be within my budget limits. I tried different date combinations and after a lot of scribbling on the paper, finally agreed on the travel dates as:

February 18 CJB-MAA
February 19 MAA-CMB-SIN
February 22 SIN-MAA
February 22 MAA-CJB

This gave me a nice mix of equipments that I would be flying on - ATR 72-500, Airbus A330-300, Airbus A320-200, Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner, ATR 72-500. This got me very interested, and you would not believe - for the complete CJB-MAA-CMB-SIN-MAA-CJB routing, I paid a whole INR 8000 less than what was on offer from Silk Air on a direct CJB-SIN-CJB sector. Trip defined, happy, and bookings done in December 2015 Smile

.

And, the day of the trip is here ... Leg 1 of the Journey

Finally, after all the wait, the day of the trip dawned. It was time for Leg 1 of the journey. Reached the airport at 1950 hrs for my 2120 hrs flight. CJB being a small airport and just 3 - 4 flights at that time (3 Turboprops and 1 Boeing 737-800), check-in and security check was a breeze through.

Flight Details

Airline - Jet Airways
Equipment - ATR 72-500
Registration - VT-JCQ
Flight Number - 9W 2768
Seat Number - 3A
Seq # - 0004
STD - 2120
ATD - 2115
STA - 2240
ATA - 2230
Flying Time - 01h 15min
Rating - 7/10 (3.5 stars)

Boarding commenced at 2035 and complete at 2055, almost 25 minutes prior to STA.

But there were few last minute passengers who were late and boarded the aircraft at 2105. Engines were started close to 2110 and a quick taxi to Runway 05 made sure we were airborne at 2119.

Dinner service commenced at around 2135 hours, 15 minutes after departure. The meal box consisted of a Veg. Sandwich, a Chocolate muffin, and the well known "Imli" chocolate offered by Jet Airways.

It was a pretty uneventful flight after the meal service. We commenced descend ten minutes past 2200 hours and made the touchdown on Runway 07 at Chennai International Airport at 2230 hours and docked in to the gate at 2235 hours.

The doors were opened and we were bussed off to the arrival terminal. The bags were already there on the conveyor belt #4 by the time we reached. Picked up the bags and was set to make the long walk towards the International terminal. It was 5 minutes to 2300 hours, still 4 hours before my next flight - UL 126 to Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport.

Leg 2 of the Journey

After picking up my bags, I roamed around the domestic arrivals area till about 2345 hours. Then, I started the long walk towards the International Terminal. It takes easily about 20 minutes to reach the International Departures from the Domestic Arrivals by walk. Thankfully, there are free shuttle services offered by private operators using battery operated vehicles (Go Green initiative!). The service starts exactly opposite the Sangeetha's cafe located little further from the domestic arrivals. I hopped on to one of the shuttle cars and was dropped at the International departures (lower level) in a matter of 3 minutes. Made the way to the International departures on Level 2.

It was close to 0015 hours and it was the beginning of the peak rush hour at Chennai International Airport. Most of the south east asian departures (TR, AK, MH, IX, TG, CX, 9W, SG, and UL) were about to depart in the next 3 - 4 hours. That was not all. The Middle Eastern departures (EK, QR, G9), and the lone European departure (LH). What this meant was a long queue to just get in to the terminal.

Reached the UL check in counter to see the snake long trail to check in. Luckily a UL staff came and asked me if I belong to any of the UL FlySmiles FFP program. I answered I am a Blue Member, and he asked me to head straight to the business class line for a quick check in. Check-in was a breeze. A quick check of my passport and Singapore visa, the agent handed over the boarding pass kit (with both my boarding passes for MAA-CMB & CMB-SIN). Bags were tagged and I was handed the kit with the Immigration form. It was 0030 by when I finished the check in formalities, easily another 2.30 hours before my flight. (only later I realised 2.30 hours was just enough from here! Read on to know why...)

I completed filling the immigration form and started the walk towards the immigration. For a second when I reached the immigration area, my heart skipped a beat. The queue was as long as close to few hundred metres in a series of 6 twists and turns, and moving at a snail pace. I entered the immigration queue at 0040, only to reach the immigration counter at 0135. 55 minutes in the queue!! :O Post immigration, cleared the customs and security checks and by the time I reached the gates area it was 0155. I had just 1 hour when it looked like 2.5 hours at the time of check in. When I cleared security, and looked back, the immigration line had grown longer by fifty to seventy five metres! Call it peak international departure times!!

Took some time out and checked Flightradar24.com to know what will be the registration of the aircraft flying me to CMB. It will be 4R-ALP, an Airbus A330-300 and it was on short final for runway 07 at MAA when I checked. Saw the aircraft gracefully land through the terminal windows. Then I loitered around the departure gates area before reaching my designated gate G15 in the old terminal around 0245.

Flight Details

Airline - Sri Lankan Airlines
Equipment - Airbus A330-300
Registration - 4R-ALP
Flight Number - UL 126
Seat Number - 53A
Seq # - 0001 (Yay!! )
STD - 0300
ATD - 0315
STA - 0420
ATA - 0440
Flying Time - 01h 25min
Rating - 9/10 (4.5 stars)

Boarding commenced around 0235. I usually prefer to board the aircraft at the last. I stepped in to the aircraft at exactly 0300 (the STD!).

Made my way through the first half of the economy cabin and then to the aft cabin towards seat 53A. It was a full flight, packed 100% in all classes and in cargo! I was expecting a long take off roll and a heavy rotation!

Doors were closed at about 0310 and we commenced pushback at 0315, 15 minutes behind schedule.

Engines spooled up and we started our taxi towards runway 07 at 0320. We entered runway 07, began the departure roll and were airborne at 0327. We made the right turn towards the south and set course for Colombo.

Seat belt signs were turned off and snack service commenced in a short while. We cruised at 35000 feet for a very short period of time. Once again, Sri Lankan airlines never failed to impress me in terms of presentation, service, and commitment. The FAs were so friendly. The fruit cake was so tasty that I was offered another serving on request along with a coffee. Exceptional service!

The aircraft and ambience - Top Class offering from UL

The newer Airbus A330-300s of Sri Lankan airlines is definitely a game changer for UL. A welcome change from the old and tired looking cabins on their A320s and the now retired A340s. The ambience is simply great and you will feel the freshness and warmth on board. The seat pitch is great for short and short-medium/long haul flights. The mood lighting is great and gives a nice soothing feeling on these night flights. I'll let the pictures speak more about the cabin, ambience.

The IFE offering is possibly the best I have experienced. Large screens with offerings like Movies, TV shows, Games, etc.

The highlight is the moving map which is totally a new experience from what I have experienced on other airlines till date. Watch this short video to view the IFE offering from UL on their Airbus A330-300s.

https://youtu.be/fw2PiXSNnn4

We made a long approach towards the sea and were vectored for a landing on Runway 04. Touched down in the smoothest way as possible at 0430 and taxied to the gate. Docked at the gate at 0440. Again, I was the last to de-board from the aircraft.

As I went on, I requested the Cabin Manager if i could meet the pilots in the flight deck. To my agony, I was told that the pilots already have made their way out as they were rostered to do another flight. Then I asked if I could click a picture of the business class and economy cabin. I was given the permission and I managed to click few pictures of the cabin. Then made my way out of the aircraft, thanking the FAs for a wonderful flight.

I walked through the arrivals area and made my way to the transit lounge area. It was 0500 already, and I had 2h20min for my next flight to SIN.

Leg 3 of the Journey

0600 hours, 1 hour since I reached the transit area at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport. Freshened up, did some tarmac spotting and looked at the departures board for the status of UL 302. To my surprise, already announcements were being aired as to "Last and final call for UL 302 to Singapore".

I was surprised! For a 0720 departure, announcement of last and final call being aired at 0615 hours. Then I made my way to the security check area and found a large queue. Again to my luck, a Sri Lankan airlines staff came asking for "Any UL 302 passengers, please come forward". I broke through the line and cleared security in an instant. Then only I realised, we had been made to wait in a separate area before boarding the bus to be ferried to the aircraft. 0640, and am through security! We were bussed to the aircraft which was parked at a remote bay.

Flight Details

Airline - Sri Lankan Airlines
Equipment - Airbus A320-200
Registration - 4R-ABN
Flight Number - UL 302
Seat Number - 21F (selected seat)/15A (actually seated on)
Seq # - 0005
STD - 0720
ATD - 0730
STA - 1355
ATA - 1352
Flying Time - 03h52min
Rating - 8.5/10 (4.5 stars)

It will be 4R-ABN, a 4.5 year old aircraft that will fly me as UL 302 to Singapore. Boarding commenced at 0650 and I boarded the aircraft at 0700. Strangely, I was one of the first few to board the aircraft. Scrambled my way through to seat 21F that I had pre-selected, just to find out that a family of 3 had 2 seats on 21D & E, and 15A. The cabin manager asked me if I could change seats to 15A, which I happily accepted. A happy family, and a warm smile from the FA Smile

. The loads were almost 95% full with few empty seats here and there in the cabin.

We pushed back 10 minutes behind schedule at 0730 and made the taxi to Runway 04. An immediate rotation made sure we were airborne at 0742.

After take off, we banked right and set course over the Bay of Bengal for our long flight to Singapore. The climb was gradual and we levelled off at 37000 feet. Strangely the IFE wasn't turned on during departure and came on close to when we started our cruise.

Menu cards were handed out with the breakfast options available on board.

I chose the vegetarian option, and received my meal tray at 0840, 1 hour into the flight. The menu consisted of Vegetable Stuffed Chapati Wrap, Panneer Tikka Masala, and Rajma Masala accompanied by a huge Croissant, butter, and Jam. A choice of juice was on offer - Apple Juice and Orange Juice. I chose the Apple juice. Finally coffee/Ceylon tea was on offer, thereby wrapping up the breakfast option. The meal was mouth watering and filled up my tummy.

The meal service closed at about 1000 hours when the trays were cleared, 2.5 hours into the flight. It was a mildly turbulent flight throughout as we made our way to Singapore.

I was tired by the time I finished the meal, and then tried my hands on the IFE system for sometime, put on a movie, and by the time the movie entered the 10th minute, I dozed off.

I was woken up by the sound of the engines being reduced to landing power and saw that we were already on approach to Changi International Airport. The time was 5 minutes past 11 am (IST), and we started a series of turns to intercept the localiser of Runway 02L at Changi.

Finally we touched down at 1122 IST (1352 LT) and docked at the gate at 1130 IST (1400 LT), just 5 minutes past the STA. Next to us, the Star Alliance livery Boeing 777-300ER 9V-SWI docked in after arriving from Sydney, thereby giving me my first opportunity to click a Star Alliance scheme aircraft of Singapore Airlines. This started my spotting sojourn at SIN, and I was already looking forward to the next 3 days in SIN.

We started de-boarding, and again I requested for a quick visit to the flight deck. Luckily this time, I was granted the permissions and I went in to the cockpit to meet the crew. Thanked them for the wonderful flight and chatted with them for couple of minutes. That's when I realised the same crew were preparing for the return flight back to Colombo. That's a quite tight turnaround. Waved my bye to them and left the aircraft after another perfect flight from Sri Lankan airlines. UL did not fail to impress me the second time on this trip, and am definitely sure I will fly UL whenever I get a chance. Way to go Sri Lankan airlines. Your hospitality rocks!

I took the long walk towards the immigration and baggage belt number 25. I got in touch with fellow spotter and aviation geek Vivek Manvi (Viman Photography - http://vimanphotography.com/) and we planned to meet up. Realised that he was staying at Crowne Plaza Changi, and my flight docked just in front of his room. See the picture clicked by Vivek.

That's my flight docking at the gate as seen from Crowne Plaza Changi Airport. Thanks for the picture, Vivek Smile

. Post lunch, it was time to head to the hotel and catch some very much needed rest as I hadn't slept the previous night.

Finally, 3 flights, 14 hours of travel through 2 airports, I reached my destination. Stay tuned for my return flight experience on the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the SIN-MAA sector.

Return trip - Singapore to Chennai on the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner

End of the Singapore Airshow, end of a day of spotting at Changi, it was time to say goodbye to this wonderful city and head back home with a whole lot of pictures (close to 60GB!!) that would take me on the memory lane on any day. And the return journey was something I was looking forward in the whole trip (after the Sri Lankan A330-300 trip) as it would be my first flight on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Being a 0900 departure, I insisted on a 0600 hrs wake up call at the hotel. I had requested for a cab drop at the airport at 0630 hrs. The cabbie was right on time, and we started our drive to the airport at 0638. Never I thought I would reach the airport in 15 minutes, and I was at Terminal 2 departures areas at 0700. En route, I quickly opened Flightradar24.com to see the registration of the flight that will fly me to Chennai. For a split second, my heart skipped a beat in joy and happiness. I saw VT-ANU (the only Dreamliner in the world to be painted in Star Alliance Livery) and almost jumped in joy as it would be my flight. Then I quickly checked if it was the one operating as AI 342 from Mumbai. To my agony, it wasn't. It was the DEL-SIN run, and that flight would operate back to DEL. Damn! Missed opportunity to fly the Star Alliance Liveried plane. Scrambled through the FR24 screen to see that it will be VT-ANP operating my flight to MAA. Then I realised, I may have a chance to click a picture of the Star Alliance liveried aircraft at the gate, if I can make it on time after shopping.

At the terminal

Once in Terminal 2, I was told the check-in counters for Air India 347 was at Bay 6 and I proceeded to the check-in counter. It was totally empty and I got my boarding pass in less than 5 minutes. Then I moved towards immigration and on to the duty free shopping area. Since I had not done any shopping during my stay, picked up couple of souvenirs and chocolates and made my way to gate E20.

As I approached the gate, I was welcomed by the sight of the Air India Star Alliance liveried aircraft parked next gate. As I made my way through the final security towards the boarding gates area, the Star Alliance liveried aircraft pushed back for its departure to Delhi. Immediately I requested permission from the gate staff to click a picture (which was accepted) and started clicking pictures. This was my first time seeing the special liveried plane and what a feeling!

Flight Details

Airline - Air India
Equipment - Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner
Registration - VT-ANP
Flight Number - AI 347
Seat Number - 39J (selected seat)/38J (actually seated on to get a full 3 seater)
Seq # - 0056
STD - 0900
ATD - 0900
STA - 1025
ATA - 1010
Flying Time - 03h30min
Rating - 7/10 (3.5 stars)

At 0830LT, boarding commenced. Realised that the loads were not that good (only 45-50%) and boarding was complete in 15 minutes. The welcome was not a so friendly one from a old cabin crew member. Made my way to my seat 39J (last seat on the 787). The cabin crew were mostly old women and men and they were doing their business in their own style - slow and steady! Pushback commenced at 0900 and the two GEnx-1B's sprung into action immediately. We started the taxi towards runway 02C and commenced the departure roll at 0913 LT. The cabin crew had a nice time chatting at the rear of the plane and their voices could literally be heard towards the last rows of the aircraft.

We made the gradual climb and reached an altitude of FL400 and ground speed of 500 knots. Breakfast service commenced at 0930 and the meal tray consisted of Sambar Idly, Uthappa, and Kichadi accompanied by a huge Croissant and a box of salad. I quickly completed my breakfast so that I could catch some much needed sleep (given that I was dead tired after spotting at the airshow and the next day at Changi).

Post breakfast service, the window shades were automatically dimmed to the fullest to give a complete night mood effect in the cabin and the mood lighting took effect. I took full use of the 3 available seats and took a nice nap for the rest of the 2.5 hours.

When I opened my eyes, we were already nearing the coastline of MAA and were preparing for landing on Runway 25. We gracefully made the approach and touched down on Runway 25 (bearing a heading of 251 degrees and a speed at 144 knots) at 1010 LT (IST). Finally, docked at the gates at 1015 LT.

As I disembarked, I again tried my knack at getting an opportunity to visit the flight deck of the 787. I was given the go-ahead and I went ahead to the business class to see the captain sitting there. Introduced myself to the captain and he was happy to have a chat. Then he gave me the opportunity to click a picture of the cockpit and I was extremely happy. After doing the photography, I had a chat with the Captain and First Officer, and learnt that they were getting ready to do the return flight back to Singapore, after which they had a day long layover.

https://flic.kr/p/E9qPLK

Then I bid adieu to the crew and the Dreamliner aircraft and made my way to the International arrivals to complete the immigration formalities. Then picked up my bags and was out of the terminal by 1100 LT.

The Air India experience was good, but nothing too great about it, except that I got the opportunity to visit the flight deck and get some pictures. Other than that, I pretty much slept through the flight, so there is not much I can comment about the experience. I will give it a 7/10 rating.

Final leg of the journey - Chennai to Coimbatore on Jet Airways ATR 72-500

I had about 6 hours to kill at the airport before my next flight back home. Since I wasn't feeling too well, I preferred to take an AC Dormitory (INR 700/-) at the airport and catch some sleep. Pretty much slept between 1200LT and 1600 LT.

Woke up, freshened up and made my way to the domestic departures at 1610 for my 1710 flight. Check-in was quick; so was the security check. I was at the departure gate G13 by 1630.

Flight Details

Airline - Jet Airways
Equipment - ATR 72-500
Registration - VT-JCU
Flight Number - 9W 2349
Seat Number - 16F
Seq # - 0021
STD - 1710
ATD - 1710
STA - 1830
ATA - 1810
Flying Time - 01h 00min
Rating - 7/10 (3.5 stars)

Boarding commenced at 1640 and I boarded the first bus to the aircraft. Incidentally, I came to know that a good friend of mine was operating as the First officer on that flight so I was already looking forward to it.

Boarding completed at 1655, and we pushed back at 1657. Made our way towards 07 and were made to hold at holding point for a couple of arrivals and a departure. We entered the runway at 1707 and made a eastbound departure at 1708.

Again, being very tired and health not keeping me too good, I preferred to sleep through the flight. Snack service commenced at 1730 and I munched the Panneer Sandwich and Chocolate brownie as fast as I could, so that I could catch 30 minutes of sleep.

My friend first officer came on the PA system to give us a detailed report about our flight, which was a nice gesture Smile

Came to know he was in control and we were cruising at 16000 feet, & would be arriving at Coimbatore by 1810.

Descent commenced at around 1745 and we vectored our way to Runway 23 and made a silk smooth touchdown at 1806. Made a quick roll-out and docked at the remote bay at 1810.

Went in to the cockpit to meet my friend and get a picture of the cockpit of the ATR 72-500. Job done and it was time to say bye to my friend and a thanks for the opportunity. Bussed my way to the terminal, picked my bags and off to my home sweet home on a taxi.

Once again, nothing great about my Jet Airways experience, except the fact that I enjoyed being on a flight operated by my friend (for the first time).

This concludes my flying experience to/fro Singapore for the Singapore Airshow 2016. Stay tuned for my next write-up on the Singapore Airshow experience with a lot of pictures from the event.
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Regards,
Sriram Hariharan

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

When a well-known excellent photographer also writes equally excellent trip reports, do we complain?
Thank you sir, for an excellent trip report. The pictures bear your signature (the strobe on the fin top, the propeller whir faint circle, angles, framing, wide-fields of view, ). I am guessing that the show-stoppers will appear soon on A.net and JP, for our viewing pleasure!
In point form:
- Excellent take on the planning for the trip, the detours, and the final optimisation...Rs.8K saving...wow! I wish I could do my planning like that.
- 9W AT7-5 CJB-MAA: the bread looks unappetisingly yellowed. How was the taste?
- MAA night international departures, and that too from the old part of the terminal. Not something I would look forward to, either!
- My usual question: power-ports. On the UL A333, are they there, and if so, where? On the UL A320?
- CMB-SIN: the UA catering looks nice Smile

- It is always nice to have the plane one is on, clicked by a fellow avgeek!
- Where did you stay in Singapore? Apart from Vivek, did you get to meet other spotters/avgeeks?
- The AI SIN-MAA meal looks nice Smile

- MAA-CJB: `A good friend...operating as the First Officer' Hmm.. Smile

Sir, you have teased us with two points: about the UL A343 experience, and the Singapore air-show. Do we not look forward to those?
Thank you once again for a lovely trip report!
Cheers, Sumantra.

jbalonso777 · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2016 6:07 am Post subject:

Hey Sriram thanks for sharing this TR!

This is actually the first TR that has a very comprehensive overview of SriLankan Airlines' new A330-300 in Y. Thanks so much!
As I have said, I have seen UL become a wonderful airline after their OW induction. Heartening to see! Awesome meal on the MAA-CMB route!

The UL A320 is a fun ride. I'm surprised they still use it for the CMB-SIN run Confused

The AI run looked like a bleh to me...but I guess sleeping it through helps! Surely AI have had better days on this route!

Nice fun ATR flights too!

Sumantra sir, being the (ex-)resident Sri Lankan and the current SriLankan Airlines fanboy, I can confirm all seats on UL's A333s have power outlets, however, not on the IFE equipped A320s.

Regards
Jishnu
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http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777

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

ameya · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2016 1:59 pm Post subject:

Super TR Sriram,

Glad to read the whole experience Smile

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www.networkthoughts.com

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

- better routing and 8000 cheaper than Silk Air nice Cool

- The UL 333 looks amazing
- so does the 787 wing hehehehe.
- thanks for a great TR, any chance you can share some airshow or spotting pics?
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eP007

jbalonso777 · Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2016 8:10 pm Post subject: