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Jaydeep · Member Joined: 02 Mar 2015 Posts: 37 Location: Gurgaon

Now let me put a disclaimer here. This is more of an incidence than a proper TR. It happened at the pre-dawn hours of our independence day. I was travelling to my hometown on the long weekend, on AI 349 – the flight coming from PVG, and continuing to BOM at 03.15 hours. The sole reason for choosing this particular flight at such a weird time was to try out the new and flagship (if we can say so) product on AI – the B787 Dream)liner. The flight would reach BOM at 05.25, and under normal scenario I would have left for Nasik by an immediate bus. But this time one of my good friends was leaving for the US on same night, and so I was to stay in arrivals hall till around 09.00 before he would turn up to meet me.

Now that the context setting is done, lets come to the actual day of travel Razz

. Since it was a domestic leg on an international flight, it would depart from the international section. Not having experienced it, I wanted to be on a safer side. Since it was anyways going to be a sleepless night, I left home at around 23.45 and reached the airport within next 20 minutes. The check-in was smooth, though the counters were a bit crowded. I proceeded to the security with my cabin luggage & the boarding pass. But having no experience, I forgot to take the immigration clearance stamp. The security personnel scanned me and then realized that there was no stamp on my boarding pass. I got out of the security, went back to the stamping counters, got the same stamp & got cleared of the security second time. BUT, 2 checks were not going to be enough for me that night…

Feeling a bit hungry, I proceeded to the food court, exploring whatever that came in between, excited about the journey. It was 01.15 by the time I was done & started walking towards the gate. And just before I reached the gate, I realized that my boarding pass was not with me. Yes, I had lost it… where? I did not know, and it seemed just impossible to find it out at the huge T3. Still I thought of giving it a try… went all the way back to the food court, looking all around, tracing every inch I remembered to have walked on, but it was in vain. Asked a few people working at food court, again no luck. Anxious & confused – I then contacted the AI ground staff at one of the gates. The guy there told me to check with the information center. I ran back there, to get a big NO, though the lady there took my contact number and told me that she would inform in case anybody gets my pass. Some relief… Till 2.10 or so, I did not get it. I again contacted the information center, again to get a no. Too anxious now, I contacted another AI ground staff I found, and this time the guy told me that a duplicate boarding pass will be issued at the gate itself, after the staff arrives. It was a great relief. To be doubly sure, I contacted the AI call center as well, explained my situation, and the lady on call assured me that a duplicate pass will be issued at gate. Well, I could do nothing but to wait at the gate. The staff arrived at the gate at 2.30, and they started the boarding right away. I went to a person there, told him what had happened, and he asked me to wait until his manager arrives. The same person who told me that a duplicate pass will be issued at gate was also present there. The manager came at 2.45, I asked him for a duplicate boarding pass, and the answer I got was shocking: He simply said that I will not be allowed to board the flight, and advised me to get out & buy a new ticket on the next flight. On the checked in luggage – his response was that it would be removed from the flight. Well, I was helpless. After some argument & a lot of requests, he finally agreed to issue me a boarding pass. It was 2.55 by then and the boarding will be closing in next 10 minutes. And then there was a system glitch, the pass won’t be printed at the gate. Some guy went running to the counters, got my pass in next 5 minutes. Then it was my turn to run back to security, get my bag scanned again – yes, the third time on same night, for same flight, and get the security stamp. Luckily the guy had got the immigration staff already. Finally running all around, I was the last one to enter the flight at 3.10 or so. In next 10 minutes, we pushed back, and I was asleep. Too tired, I refused the meal as well.

The point here now is, yes, it was my carelessness, agreed. But why the manager behaved in such a manner? If the process was already there, issuing me the pass at my first request (may be with a warning, or even a fine) would have saved a lot of efforts for himself, the ground staff and me. And after all that, there was a risk of getting the flight delayed. What do I think of this today? – It was some kind of fun, a thrill at that time, a new learning & a new experience. What would have been the behavior of staff had it been a private carrier, say 9W? Well I don’t know. What I know is, I will never want to lose my boarding pass again, ever Very Happy

About the flight: I liked the product even with that tired mind & body, but I would say AI 101 on 777-300 ER was better, may be for 3-3-3 config. May be because I simply could not experience this one fully… :-/

All the thoughts, suggestions, experiences – welcome as always Wink

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

Jaydeep, thank you for sharing this little piece with us!

sabya99 · Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2015 9:14 pm Post subject:

Jaydeep, you are right. AI 101 on a B777-300 is really comfortable provided desi folks don’t mess up with the toilets. I don’t know about B787 , but in very long distance routes like JFK-DEL you need a large spacious aircraft for comfortable flight.
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Sabya99

harshwcam3 · Member Joined: 18 Oct 2012 Posts: 114

This incident raises the question as to why cellphone boarding passes not accepted in Indian airports. I'm pretty sure most of us have a smartphone these days and in the event of loss of the boarding pass, a copy of it would always be present on the phone saving all the tension and running around.

Jaydeep · Member Joined: 02 Mar 2015 Posts: 37 Location: Gurgaon

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

Jaydeep · Member Joined: 02 Mar 2015 Posts: 37 Location: Gurgaon