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

Sabyasachi, the current crying need for the NSCBIA is terminal space (and better terminals), aero-bridges are a secondary question. Of course, most modernised terminals will have at least a few aero-bridges for inclement weather. However, aero-bridges also take up a good amount of space. Note that Delhi's IGIA T1-D and T1-C do not have any aero-bridges for lack of suitable space (the earlier T1-B and T1-A also did not, the earlier T2 had a few bus gates as well), ditto for Mumbai's CSIA's T1-B. It is space which primarily dictates the need for aero-bridges. The time taken/efficiency of using aero-bridges versus busing, vis-a-vis the charge levied for using an aero-bridge: is a parameter for an airport, though not that important. CCU does not have any lack of space for suitable modalities, air-side. IGIA T1 and CSIA T1-B have this problem, but buses are used very efficiently at both places.
Cheers, Sumantra.

sabya99 · Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2012 7:03 pm Post subject:

Aerobridges could load /unload passengers in 1/3 the time of a ramp loading. As a result capacity of an airport in a given space is increased several fold. So initial capital expenditure is worth the money. The terminals of Del or Bom you have mentioned are not the primary terminal and possibly earmarked for demolition in near future. Bottom line is Kolkata should have a international class terminal years ago. Very Happy

_________________
Sabya99

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

It is not that simple, Sabyasachi! The time has to be taken modulo the flexibility, space utilisation (aero-bridges take up more space on the ramp), and the cost structure (what if airlines do not want to take up aero-bridges? LCCs often do not, 9W is refusing to do so. What happens to the revenue?). T-1B at BOM and T1-C and T1-D at DEL handle a huge amount of traffic, and do not seem to be earmarked for demolition anytime soon. My point is: a few aero-bridges are fine for CCU, but the crying need is for terminal space! The current structures are bursting at their seams.
Cheers, Sumantra.

sabya99 · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 1:12 am Post subject:

jbalonso777 · Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 12:33 pm Post subject:

Hello everyone..

So we came back from the trip, and another inevitable happened: a cold.
The rains in Colombo, heat in Mumbai and Kolkata, and the chill here,
caused my system to go for a six. But then again, I went on with this TR,
updating it with the CCU-IXB sector flight.

WEB/TELE CHECK IN
Tele check in followed, which was...a nightmare.
First I gave Dad's PNR. Because this was a flight only 50 minutes long,
Mum and Dad didn't mind sitting in reality..which are the normal seats,
other than the emergency exits and bulk head. Over the not-so-clear
mobile line, I asked the agent if I could get seat 25A. He said something,
and after 'Hello's!' and 'Can you hear me's?!', seat 25F was selected. And
then because 9W651 was changed to 9W762, I was stopped from web
check in. Ah come on! As you read (way before), on the CCU-IXB sector,
he agent did a web check in for me and mum, but here, I was transferred
to the reservations department to 'validate the booking.' Once there, I was
transferred to the 'JetPrivilege' department, because this was a
redemption ticket. After a final change, I was really fed up. She also
sounded rude, but the job was done, only validation of the booking. Good
old web check in worked as usual, and there I saw, seat 25A,B,C were
empty! Seriously! Why did the person put Dad in 25F?! Anyways, I sticked
to my target, seat 25A and B it was. Not a good start. We went for dinner,
where I had possibly the best tandoori chicken in my entire life.

TO THE AIRPORT!
Next morning, I woke to the smell of burning plastic and a slow fan with
crackling sounds. Yup, it was sort of on fire. But hey! I woke up and
escaped, unhurt. Too bad that dream ended much too soon. Little did I
know, this would cause a turn over the course of the day. My head was no
doubt, aching. After a heavy breakfast (assuming that 9W served only
sandwiches, wrong as usual), we left for the airport. A dusty and polluted
infected drive (including getting as close as 2.5km to Bangladesh), we
reached the Bagdogra Customs Airport. We got our bags, and said
goodbye to Mum's uncle, and headed in, my first departure from an Air
Force Base airport.

**MORE BAD BOY PICTURES HERE!**

Sorry about the quality of the above pictures, and the pictures that follow..its through my phone.

PRE-BOARDING STUFF & PISSING OFF SECURITY!
We entered, where our tickets and identification were checked twice, in
the span of 3 meters. There were the check in counters of SG, AI, 9W, IT,
G8 and KB (DrukAir) on one side, the baggage screening on the other.
There were long lines already, as there were flights to DEL and GAU (SG),
DEL And CCU (9W), And DEL again (AI). So it took a while..

9W and KB check in..

Sneaky!
Then me and Dad read through the list of prohibited items in cabin
baggage. Oh God there were too many mistakes! Meanwhile, our turn
came. As usual, bags took a while to come out of the screening. But when
it did, the friendly agent said: "Whose bag is this?" After Mum gestured,
"Mam there is a bottle in there, how is it packed?" 'Its neatly packed, it
won't leak.' mum said. "Well mam, just in case, please ask the check in
agent to put a fragile tag. Enjoy your flight!"

Then check in followed, which was quick. I asked if 25F could be changed
to 25C, but the seat was taken..already. Well, separation then. Bags got
the priority tags, and once again, we were wished a pleasant flight by the
agent. Interesting to note than everyone wore white shirts, instead of the
usual 9W coats over it...

So we went up, where security wasn't on yet. We decided to have
something in the restaurant. It was emphasized everywhere that
photography would not be tolerated. I took a Coke (yes, Coke. Pepsi was
over.) while Mum and Dad had some tea. Many pax had AI boarding
passes. While sipping, I heard a loud whoosh. Exactly the same while I
heard A6-EMP arrive from Singapore in Colombo. But small airport and
small aircraft meant same level of sound, same level of awesomeness.

But, my target was dashed. It wasn't a winglet plane, the exact reason
why I took seat 25A. VT-JNJ broke HARD and exited the runway at
the first taxiway itself. Then, we noticed a flaw in the whole Jet Airways
timing system. Boarding time was 1220 hours, while the scheduled arrival
time of the incoming aircraft was 1225 hours. Oh yeah Razz

I was hoping this was aircraft to Delhi, but an announcement proved that
November Juliet was indeed my aircraft for the day. Security was
announced, and then we wiggled around the twisty entrance to the area.
This is where, all hell broke lose.

I waited for my turn. Like I usually do, I looked down at the yellow line,
which read 'Please Wait'. My bag was being mishandled, following which I
had a rage build up in me (as usual!). I calmly asked the guy to put my
Ferrari down (my bag is a Ferrari bag, hence its name Razz

). I got checked,
as I saw Dad's bag and my bag put away separately. The metal detectors
rang as it detected the metal lace holders. He didn't ask me to remove my
shoes like in BOM, but I wanted to know what was up with my bag.

'Boss, mera bag hai.' No reply..
'Sir, that is my bag..' still no reply..
'MY BAG IS THERE..' nope, nothing..
'Boss, bag.' 'Boss, bag.' 'Boss, bag.' 'Boss, bag.' 'Boss, bag.' 'Boss, bag.' 'Boss, bag.' Nothing happened.
'Ah, kiska bag hai ye?' the guy asked. I made a WTF face at him.
'Mera chacha ki hai.' is what I wanted to reply. But no, I didn't. Dad was checked for his camera and lens in the bag.

Me? Well, I'm just so special! They asked to go to the further most area of
the security check to hand check my bag. I showed the camera, and the
lens. But no! There was a stapler in there! Angrily, I removed everything I
had. Books, cameras, phone, iPod, boarding passes, chocolates, useless
plastic bags etc. I dropped them as I removed them. 'Son, there isn't any
point in showing anger. Its only going to get worse. STOP RIGHT NOW!
ENOUGH!' Dad kept telling me, that, I didn't listen. Why would I? I gave
them the empty back to search for the stapler. Nope, not found. Problem,
airport security? It was my key chain..a unique one, which caused the
glitch. Cooled down, both parties satisfied, we headed for boarding, where
a long queue had formed. We waited, as the line moved. I saw the
boarding procedure for IT ATR aircraft, too bad they don't need it
anymore. Our turn to get ticked by the agent arrived..

'Laughter! Laughter! All I see and hear is laughter!'

Yup, Metallica's Master of Puppets was playing, as Dad and the agent had
a light moment. Little did I know, this was going to change my day. Dad
showed me his boarding pass. Seat 25F had been stricken off, and 2F was
written instead.
My mind took a while to process.
And suddenly, I ERUPTED WITH JOY! Seat 2F meant Premiere Class!
I asked Dad: 'Can I?! Can I?! Can I?! Can I?!' He replied, 'Of course!'
YESSS!
Like a little boy I jumped! I started walking down, really quickly! Dad
said..'Hey hey! Wait! Take my boarding pass at least!'
I covered my face and eyes, like I had snatched a race victory in Formula One on the last lap. I then settled down, and walked to the front door,
while Mum and Dad headed back. I quickly went up the stairs. This was
the second time I was actually excited about boarding a plane in this trip,
the first one being while boarding JFC.
I got up the stairs, where, sadly, no one was there to greet me Sad

But as I took the King's Throne, one FA came with many glasses,
containing lemon juice, coconut water, and water. I went for the lemon
juice..

As I sipped, quickly, the cold face towel arrived.

Cabin started to fill up, as an old couple (transiting to BOM) took 1A and
1C, while a business man took 1F.

YEAH!!!!

Ah, the leg rest, the leg room and the leg itself!

Pillows. Comfy pillows!

Seats 2A, 2C and 2D were taken by a family, as the menu cards arrived.

Abstract!

Orders were taken, as I buckled up for my 4th flight in business class, the first one, with Jet Airways.

FLIGHT DETAILS:
Jet Airways 9W652
Bagdogra-Kolkata
26th October 2012
25A Economy, moved to 2F Premiere
VT-JNJ, Boeing 737-700
100% loads
1203 hours start up
1318 hours touchdown
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777

jbalonso777 · Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 1:49 pm Post subject:

DEPARTURE
Announcements came, as the crew welcomed us on the flight. Once again,
it was made clear that photography was absolutely prohibited. A few
seconds later, I heard the sounds of a fighter jet. But then, it got weirder
after a while, and then I saw, an Indian Air Force Ilyushin freighter arrive.
A few helicopters (both Air Force and private) hovered around. What a pity
that pictures could not be taken! The last J class seat was taken by a Jet
Airways employee (1D seat). At 1303 hours, 3 minutes after schedule, JNJ
was fired up for its flight back to CCU as 9W652. We kept waiting there.
The reason was clear. After another whoosh, VT-SGC, a B739ER
'Fenugreek' of SpiceJet arrived. And then, we started our short taxi. But
then, once again, we had to hold short. VT-JBC, former Disney jet B73H of
Jet Airways arrived and went up to the end of the runway. Being a brother
aircraft, the pilots of JBC made sure a quick taxi (a really quick one!) put
her out of the runway, so that we could move into our position. After doing
the 180 degree turn, the captain applied a little power and we rolled down
the runway, slowly. A few seconds later, full power was applied, the
engines looked like it started rotating the other way round, we took off
after a lengthy take off roll, heading back for Kolkata.

Once we were away, I took out the camera, for a quick few shots..

Quickly gaining..

INFLIGHT
Once the seat belt signs were off, the 9W employee entered the cockpit
while I quickly headed for the washroom, not only for getting the waste
H20 out, but to see what was different.

Only these two were the additions, nothing else..

Just like on VT-EPI earlier this year, I got myself locked in Razz

But I found my way out anyways. The trolleys were out, getting our food ready.
I took my seat..

The tables were then dressed for the meal service. Being a short flight, I wasn't expecting a proper course meal. But then again, Business Class.

I reclined back, to see the view..

One by one, the trays were given out to the passengers for their meals.

Recline position..

Winglet

They look small, just like Pratt & Whitney JT8Ds Razz

This is possibly the most uncomfortable picture I have taken, ahh it pained! Razz

I wanted to take a picture of the bank angle, instead the age of the B738 is emphasized Razz

I waited for my food, by taking pictures of the age Razz

There she finally arrives! (Option 1 in the menu card Smile

)

The assortment of breads arrived. Western bread looked cold and
something which I could buy from a local road side stall. Papad I had eaten too frequently, so then paratha it was.

Overall, it was just an Economy Quality meal, served on plates. But I don't
think this would be a fair enough judgement, a 50 minute flight only!

Old old everywhere Razz

Lets savour the sight of no middle seat Smile

Small cabin..
Trays were collected, as I then experienced business class, only for a
short while.

Open..

Half open half close..

But it wont close.
It took me nearly 1/3rd of the flight to figure out how to put it back in.
Yep, I was sweating Razz

I thought I made some damage for the airline in
my first J class flight with them already! But after a long time, I gave up,
the friendly FA also took a while to figure it out, but in the end, it was all
done Razz

Humm

Rubber!

ARRIVAL
Descent started. The 7 respected people in the aircraft got another cold
face towel.

It was 2 days after the Durga Puja visarjan. The pollution layer of fire
works were still hovering over the city. It was hazy. This made focusing
very difficult. But then quickly and steadily, we reached towards Kolkata.

Slats down!

Boundaries of CCU Airport.

1418 hours, 18 minutes late, touch down.

They really are high! I wonder if a B747 can make it without touching!

When do you ever fly? Smile

TATA plane is now here..

Empty...

One IndiGo

Another IndiGo!

What will happen? Nobody knows..

CCU is ATR heaven! QuickJet, Deccan 360, Kingfisher (although they don't fly), 9W, 9W-K, Alliance Air, Air India Regional!

Doors were opened as the stairs got attached. It was a loud thud, as I also
felt the fuselage move. And then, we were allowed to exit, ending my
Premiere experience with Jet Airways.
Then, the mandatory aircraft picture..

The confusion is now sorted: Jet Airways and JetKonnect.

ESB! Why aren't you at your dedicated AI aerobridge gate?

Yeah what are you looking at?

And away we go, back to the terminal.

IndiGo sisters.

Few years ago, she got in Dad from AUH to BOM.

As you can see, it isn't too busy. Also not the F1 signage!

Once I got in to the terminal, I noticed that CCU Airport hadn't recorded
the change in 9Ws flight. They kept showing 9W2481 in the baggage claim
hall. Sin for the ones who didn't know, but because I knew, I didn't have
any problems. I also noticed that Belt 1 was small, which meant, for ATR
or CRJ flights. Our bags arrived quickly, and in 20 minutes after getting off
JNJ, we exited the terminal, beginning round 2 of our stay in Kolkata.
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777

jbalonso777 · Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 2:10 pm Post subject:

No doubt I was in the wrong city for F1. NOBODY CARED! Well it was another horrible race anyways, that German won, again. Evil or Very Mad

But there wasn't anything too special in the four days of staying here, so not too many pictures as well. The usual buying stuff, meeting people and eating food in their homes followed.

It made all the difference Smile

Behind the F1 special magazine..

Puja is over, everything is taken down.

And now, a few views of Kolkata, from the top..

Lakshmi Puja..

Work in progress Very Happy

WEB/TELE CHECK IN
And that day itself, I did the web check in for me and Mum, tele check in
for Dad. Oh yes, for once, it was seamless Smile

I took 25F for 9W844 on the CCU-MAA flight and 36A for 9W252, the MAA-
CMB flight. Yup, the second last row!
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777

jbalonso777 · Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 3:50 pm Post subject:

BACK HOME WE GO
Next morning, going through the traffic jams, we headed for the airport.
Dad's friend was off to BOM that very morning, on 6E324, the flight which
I took. So we went together. I was following Hurricane Sandy very closely
throughout.

PRE-BOARDING STUFF
We reached the airport about 1hr20min before departure time, but the lines were too long..

Baggage screening..

Check in..

And the rivals!

Baggage screening was okay, but visibly, IndiGo were doing a better job.
Check in, well, other than one person, the whole process was fast. The
friendly Bengali speaking lady did the through check in for us. Security
also took forever. One person, speaking to himself most likely, kept
arguing about the fact that sandwiches were being screened in security
before the bags. And just like the usual Indian mentality, he jumped the
line! Taking my spot! I didn't want to enter into an arguement because out
of the 4 previous flights in this trip, there were 3 incidents that occurred. I
shut up, let that idiot go, as he kept complaining about the sandwiches.
But then, Mum was the one who was caught up. Apparently, a Swiss knife.
All this time, for so many years, it was in there, and now they find it. Oh
wow! Mad

BOARDING
So that took about 10 minutes. Boarding was underway, as VT-JGP and
VT-JBL arrived.
From Gate 2 we left, as Dad's friend left from 2A, the 2 usual gates. I then
saw the news, as the storm both in US and India were being reported. I
felt awesome! We were going to fly straight into a storm! Oh yes! We then
entered a full bus. VT-SCM taxied into its usual AI gate, and I swear, I
saw a person holding a silver camera behind the wing inside the aircraft.
Must check on youtube! But then, I saw the aircraft around. A small low
aircraft taxied. I guess even our bus was higher than that! It was a
Cessna Grand Caravan, VT-VAT, as it ran away towards the runway.
Looking at the aircraft aircraft, it was obvious which aircraft it would be. 2
had just arrived, one was at the aerobridge (yes, 9W at the aerobridge),
and one had the special Van Hausen colours, VT-JGV. Yes, it was indeed
that one.

Our bus was there, with another one, we kept standing there.

The blankets, pillows, news papers, etc, were being taken out. The
blankets? Dragged along the tarmac! Luckily they were going for a wash,
but that was disgusting! But still, we kept waiting, as the passengers from
the other bus disembarked, while one person put his head beneath the
cockpit Razz

VT-JLE. When I flew on it, she had the cheap JL livery. Now? JetKonnect, problem solved!

VT-JBL

Then we got off. I went for the back door, while Mum and Dad took the
time consuming front door.

Sneak in a few!

Golf Victor!

I entered. Again, NO ONE to welcome us. Once again, PTVs were there.
But the Row 37 PTVs (which mean, the PTVs on the last row of seats),
were crying. Yes, there isn't a row 38 on these aircraft, but the tray table
was not there, and the TV frame was removed. I tried to take a picture,
but the passengers filled the metal tube quickly. I got to my seat. A middle
aged lady was in my seat. I asked her to move. She said that she wouldn't
unless the lady in 24F moved. The lady in my seat was allocated 24F,
while the lady in her seat had 24A. Why can't people understand these
basic things?! Once she moved away, my seat was empty, and then I sat.

Sibling right next to us..

Two extremely talkative sisters took the seats beside me. They kept on
going blah blah blah blah blah till take off (not complaining, just an
observation!). They didn't know I was a bengali, maybe because of my
long hair made me look Sri Lankan. But when they made fun of me while I
took pictures, I said in bengali, 'Sisters. Its allowed. There aren't any
restrictions.' That's it. Communication with co passengers started and
stopped right there. They did their own stuff, I clicked pictures.

IFE box. Sin for the B and E seated passengers!

FLIGHT DETAILS:
Jet Airways 9W844
Kolkata-Chennai (continued to TRV)
30th October 2012
25F Economy
VT-JGV Boeing 737-800W 'Van Heusen' colous
90%+ loads
1046 hours startup
1312 hours touch down

DEPARTURE
At 1046, doors were closed. The manual safety demo followed, as the FA
took row 25 for the demo. WHY?!
Anyways, engines were started..

And we waited for a minute or 2.
Then, the Captain applied a lot of power, as we quickly taxied towards the
active.

We then held short, waited for an aircraft to take off, and then for her to
land..

Another wait for a few more seconds, and then, we took off into the sunny
skies of Kolkata..

A long left turn followed. Of course, we were heading south, and took off
north which lasted for at least 2 minutes. We flew over the Hooghly River,
and I noticed the the 2 Howrah Bridges right below. Because it was right
below, it was difficult for me to take pictures.

Proof of age Razz

The sea was no where to be seen. I was wondering, what was going on..

Only rivers, no seas..

And then, a bank to right followed. Yup, I was relived. It was the sea
indeed!

Along the coast!

The food service began, from my row. I was the first to be served! 'Sir,
would your refreshment me chicken or vegetarian?' 'Non veg please!' I
replied. That question, I knew, was familiar. I then realised, he was one of
the FA on the CCU-IXB flight! Name was the same (so was the face! Razz

),
but yeah, it was the same person!

Looks sad, taste was okay. Could have been better..much much better.

We kept flying along the the coast and over the coast, so the sea would
disappear and then come back into sight. I then took a cup of tea..

Rivers everywhere!

And the coast again!

The trays were then collected. As the trays were being collected, the
sisters sitting beside me started eating their food. Oh yeah, and when they
were being served, one of them asked if it was free or not. There we go,
the Jet Airways and JetKonnect mishaps continue! Then the crew kept
walking down the cabin, checking on everyone. Lights were turned off,
despite all windows being open..

And a few hills!

Dark cabin.

Slowly, the clouds were coming in. These were the first signs (maybe) of
Cyclone Neelam.

Many ships around? A port? A city? Must be Vizag!

She never worked..

Clouds have increased!

And then we dropped. The crew made landing preparations by checking
everyone's seat, and then the crew to be seated for landing
announcement came. A few minutes later, the English captain came over
the PA, stating that descent would start in a few minutes and touch down
would be in 20 minutes. Then he mentioned that passengers to
Trivandrum have to be seated, and the turn around would be done as
quickly as possible. Unsurprisingly, he mentioned a bumpy approach into
Chennai.

Descent starts, and it got darker!

Chennai, we are coming in!

1312 hours, a sort of hard landing in Chennai, in the rains!

Oh, the spray!

WOULD YOU GET LOST?!?!
Although she is cargo, she is everywhere!

After exiting the runway..

we waited. All passengers alighted. The crew frantically asked everyone to
sit down (which indeed they did). After a wait of 2 minutes on the taxi
way, the captain came over the PA..
'Your captain from the flight deck here..what's happening is that there is a
Emirates Boeing 747 right in front of us, as it awaits the arrival of a Air
India airbus, so that it can cross over to the runway. It would be a while
before be start our taxi, so all folks please be seated. Folks flying to
Trivandrum, we will try and make this turn over as soon as possible, and
for the folks getting off here, thank you for choosing to fly Jet Airways...oh
here comes the Air India airbus, we will be on our way shortly!'
Good guy Captain! (Emphasis on the 'folks' Razz

)

We then taxied at the same speed as the EK B747.

In the heavy rain, we reached the domestic bay. AI A321 followed us,
while the EK aircraft taxied into the international terminal.

VT-JNG..

And a SpiceJet plane Razz

If only that was IGV Very Happy

The engines were cut out, as everyone once again alighted..

When will you open?

Once again, I reunited with Mum and Dad, as the EK B747 blasted its way
out of Chennai, splashing all the water on the runway!

Mum fixed this for 9W on the CMB-BOM flight Razz

The crew then thanked us, and as usual, we were the last 3 to get off..and yes it was pouring!

Focused in the wrong place God Dammit! But then again, it captured the
awesome details of the door..

And then, I saw something familiar...VT-JGS! Dad was, likewise, surprised
to see her hang around here in Chennai!

One day, I will fly on her!

The reason for our delay. She came in from DEL.

No baggage to collect, we went to the Airport Managers office.

They were up to some tricks and flicks, but once again, we got our room.
We had to pay a bit extra for the third person (me Mad

). But then, we got
our room, and we rested.
Well, only Mum and Dad rested. I met a friend, who was with me in
Mumbai, now in Chennai. Luckily, his school was closed due to the cyclone
warning. Its amazing how 3 hours passed talking about incidents which
occurred just 2 years ago, the awesomeness of class 8th! We talked and
talked, in the cold Golden Chariot Restaurant, where a few rats stayed. Smile

_________________
http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777

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

To re-use Sabyasachi's words, another installment of superb photo-journalism! I loved the food pictures, especially the luchi getting `browned'. Lucky you, with the J upgrade! My parents once got an upgrade on Air India, on a 321. Nice South-North landing pictures on the main runway...right, Sabyasachi?
Cheers, Sumantra.

jbalonso777 · Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:47 pm Post subject:

PRE-BOARDING & BOARDING
As I said goodbye to him, we noticed the IndiGo departure to Mumbai.
'Shall we try and get in?' we joked! Wow we surely do miss Mumbai, a lot!

So at 1730 hours, we went to the International terminal. Everything was
quick. Bought a few things from duty free, and headed for a Gate 4
departure (aerobridge) for my final flight of 2012. While waiting inside the
wet aerobridge, I realised there was no way to find out the registration.

I looked from the door, the windows were different. I peeped inside by
slightly jumping the line and once again, BLUE LIGHTS! Another flight on
the Sky Interior! But my main concern was the registration. While entering
through the door, I noticed many silver plated writings. One of them said:
VT-JFC! Oh God! Not again! Well, at least it wasn't JBM, JBP, JBT or JGA!
But anyways, I didn't really care. I decided to get whatever I didn't get on
9W619, all the details (small ones) in the aircraft. The first half of the
fuselage was pretty full, while the rear was empty. Except for a wheel
chair passenger on row 35 and me in row 36, there wasn't any one. I
quickly got into work, finishing my unfinished stuff, most importantly, the
window shape.

The oval shape Smile

Nothing too different there..

A general look..
The TV screens kept dropping down and went back up..

Maybe testing the video..if it works Razz

I noticed the seat pocket. Like its been all throughout, no air sickness
bags. But the JetWings Domestic was there, safety card and headphones.
There were numerous tests with the recorded announcement systems.
there were 3 announcements for safety video will be played and 1 for the
disinfectant (spraying for the disinfectant followed). The first was in
English, a foreign lady doing so, second in Hindi, the usual person who
does it and there was a third! In Sinhala! Would you believe it!
Announcements in Sinhala onboard Jet Airways! I think this makes it clear
that VT-JFC has a long term future for flights in and out of Sri Lanka.
Awesome for me, if (yes IF, I may switch to SriLankan) I choose Jet
Airways next time, its highly likely I'll get the Sky Interior plane.

Extended tray table..

Normal tray table..you don't find these on Jet Airways 737s often!

View out of the window. Winglet is HUGE!

Number of passengers boarding were less. I then heard a large thud. I
realised, the rear door was shut.

Surely its shut!
The FA then closed a few over head bins. There was no doubt this would
be a flight with less than 40% of loads! Drastic! I'm glad they did not
cancel and combine this flight!

The belts kept in X, what I always talk about..
Because of the light loads, I hopped onto the other side, and found an
Airbus and a Boeing, both painted red.

SERIOUSLY! NO JET AIRWAYS! THAT IS BAD!

I then saw a KLM Boeing 747-400F take off. It brought back a vision. A
few days after 9/11, I was sitting in my mother's lap on an Indian Airlines
J class seat in a A320, en-route to Kuala Lumpur. The flight was from BLR,
but had a stop over in MAA. I then asked Mum if we had left BLR or not.
She said, 'Yes, we did. We are hopping at Chennai.' I then saw a Boeing
747 take off then as well, from the same runway, 11 years ago. I think it
was the same bridge we were docked in as well! Wow these things happen
too frequently!

FLIGHT DEATAILS:
Jet Airways 9W252
Chennai-Colombo
30th October 2012
36A/B/C Economy
VT-JFC, Boeing 737-800W 'Sky Interior'
>35% loads (!!!)
1844 hours pushback
2011 hours touchdown
The captain came over the PA, giving us info (a lot of info!) about the
flight. He just had to finish some paper work before departure, boarding and cargo loading were done. We would taxi for 5 minutes, take off east
wards and then head south-south westerly, climb up to 40,000 feet, take a
slightly longer route to avoid Neelam, which would mean a slightly longer
flight time of 1hr10min, and turbulence for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, I
listened to a few songs by Adele, on the 9W IFE.

DEPARTURE
At 1844 hours, pushback began.
The CFM56s were slowly brought into life (almost no sound!). But what
really wrecked that was the safety demo. The volume was too loud and
then too low, and then too loud again. They need to fix this!

As we waited for another Jet Airways 737 to take off, I felt the fuselage
move. Maybe because of the jet blast, but that weird feeling was there.
Then, the moment I waited for: no, not the take off, cabin lights being
turned off. Oh wow! Looked amazing inside! I wonder how cool would it
look outside?!

Back in the day, it was only on wide bodies. But now, here you are!
(Note the light load!)

Still holding..

Winglet..

And then, the Boeing style take off followed, which is: POWERFUL! We then
took off into the dark night skies, over the brightly lit Chennai below.

Notice something different? YES! TV's are down!

Winglet in the dark..

INFLIGHT
As the seatbelt signs were turned off, the lights came back on. But only J
class had the Blue lights. Gaah Mad

Equality: All lights the same Smile

Only one trolley was rolled up front, the drinks. My fears came true:
despite full meals on the IXB flights, we were going to be served
sandwiches, again! Certainly, the most disappointing thing in the whole
trip. (And of course, getting JFC, again)

With less passengers onboard, I decided to get creative...
And this is what I did:

Hell yeah! HAHA!

Some stupid comedy serial. I just watched it, like some idiot.

Notice something different? They don't have the Citi Bank ads!

Then me and the wheel chair assisted person got our meals..

I took the chicken..well, at least it was hot, so it was edible. 9W253 was a nightmare come true! But still, disappointing food! BAD BAD BAD!

They had both, Coke and Pepsi, went for the former..

Out of nowhere, the moon popped out!

Something more favourable playing.
But I stuck to Channel 6. Channel 6 has some nice rock songs, I noticed
Money for Nothing by Dire Straits, Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple
and Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones. Best channel ever!

Out of all passengers possible, a random Sri Lankan person asked me to
take a picture of his (with his cell phone) in the cabin. And then, he waited
there. God only knows why he didn't move out from there, but yeah, he
stopped me from taking pictures of the cabin. But when he did go, descent
started. So not too many pictures..

Over head panels, again. Same as the 787..

Mustache man is looking at you!

Savour the sight..again Smile

ARRIVAL
Headphones were collected as all the FAs did the pre-arrival checks. 2012
was coming to an end for me. I then went through the moments of all my
flights this year.....

Captain once again came over the PA, telling us we were number 1 in
landing sequence. I stay in the wrong city! Mad

Mumbai would have been
higher number in landing sequence! But anyways, we bumped through the
clouds as we inched closer to Colombo, as my 2012 drew towards a close.

I then realised, they actually glow Razz

Another first happened for me in this trip, we landed over Negombo
Lagoon, which is runway 22. A smooth landing followed at 2011 hours, as
we quickly exited the runway. As the flaps rolled in, the crew gave their
thank you announcement, and the service questioner online thingi. We
then taxied towards Gate 8, as the engines were cut out. 2012 drew to a
close for me.

An Air Arabia A320 was parked at the gate. But she was pushed back, and
departed, hence, leaving the poor brand new JFC all alone..

Got a bad pic of her? No problem! Take it from the rear window!

Ah come on!

Park up, engine cut off, its over mate.

Still not a good pic Sad

Simply, AWESOME!

Its time. I have to go!

Then, I turned my head, towards the cabin. I saw everyone take their
bags. And then, I turned my head to the Foxtrot side, and Oh boy! JFC
wasn't alone! It was a big boy, from that airline whose slogan is 'Hello
Tomorrow!'

MLE and DXB as EK653..

Is this the end? Yes, yes it is Crying or Very sad

The very seat which got me memories of 2007! Oh yeah, thank you!

But then, I sat on 30F, to get the view outside, which means, another picture of EMU.

If only she was EMP, then it would have been my first aircraft of 2012 and my last aircraft of 2012 in one single frame..
pity.

Spik and span!

In the open position..

I took a sneak peek at the cockpit, as the crew thanked us for flying with them. Immigration was quick..

And so were the duty free and baggage claim. Although, in baggage claim,
we saw, all bags were wet, none of them had priority or fragile tagging!

Another minus point for Jet Airways here! We came back home after an hour. I slept at 9 45 at night, and woke up, the next day, at 10 30 in the morning.
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777

abhijith16 · Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 6:18 pm Post subject:

My GOD!

That's the longest and the most brilliantly written TR I have ever read yet!!

AAAHHHH, YOU FLEW VT-JGS THE DEVIL??? It brings me back harsh memories of DOH-BOM flight which I took back in March, the seat was so dirty, my IFE audio wasn't working, A/C was a joke and that's when I realised cost cuts went too far! My illusion of 9W - THE BEST! was shattered into pieces by the cost cuts and those surly crew!

You also flew VT-JNJ, which I remember flying to IXE with! But why Premiere?? Lucky ass, I had been saving all my JP miles to fly Premiere between Doha and Mumbai again in July 2013, and you beat me to it! Gah!

Kolkata is a really beautiful city during Durga Puja. As I live in the Gulf, I find it rare to see such colourful sights, We don't fly very often, so I get to see my home only once or twice a year! The food doesn't seem to disappoint either

Ah, The 9W/9W-K confusion still exists, and miserable Jet does nothing to get rid of it, instead bring in shitty sandwiches and pilfered blankets! YAY Crazy Jet!

The SkyInterior aircraft is JUST BEAUTIFUL! Marvellous creation from Boeing! Triple Thumbs up! If you do ever get VT-JBW/JBX, do post pictures of the cabin, as they are the two aircraft that feature SkyInteriors and PTVs!!

All in all, a wonderful TR! I will post one soon about IX, the carrier least flown amongst us all! Wait till the 2nd week of December!
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sabya99 · Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 8:10 pm Post subject:

Yes, this is the longest and most vivid trip report of this forum . We all enjoyed the good job of Jishnu.
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Sabya99

jbalonso777 · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 10:15 pm Post subject:

jbalonso777 · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 6:47 pm Post subject:

I think I'm being a prick here by jumping into the lead in TRs. Well, that is what a few of you would think anyways.
Other than a few people, I doubt if my TRs have made a mark among the top people in this community. Newer people have definitely done better. I think I know where I have to rectify my problems; the content is too much. I will be cutting down there, no worries!
Speaking of which, I will not post my conclusion of this year, I still think its quite pointless anyways. But I need to share my main thing, instead of posting things not many of you would like.

So here goes then..
2012 and 2011 have been fantastic years for me (ugh, there he goes again, boasting around) okay okay! I'll get to my point!
Call it retirement, sabbatical or hiding, I'm taking that way. I didn't have an option, other than to step down. Its back to school; where they and Jet Airways have one thing in common, both have NO idea on what they are doing. School has taken some hideous route which is potentially damaging my future plans. I need to find ways to get out of it, hence, this is one of the steps.
I won't be taking too much of your precious time here, all I can say is a big THANK YOU for reading my posts and following them. I'm sure most of you have skimmed through it, because of these being hideously long. Also, for those people (you know who you are!!), thank you for your continuos support and time given, it encouraged me to keep posting TRs.
Oh before I forget (yes I know its getting long, sorry!), there isn't much you have missed out from 2010, other than a flight on S2's now extinct CRJ and a trip to HKG on 9W's A332.
Back to it, all the best to everyone on this forum! May God bless everyone of you! People on FB, yeah, I will be there, who ever I've added.
Thank you again, and good bye.

PS- There may be 1 or 2 more posts in the older TRs, as I will slowly be uploading the videos. I hope it wouldn't bother any one of you if you see the older TRs come back on top. Thanks!

Kindest regards,
Jishnu, aka, jbalonso777
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http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777

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

Nimish · Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 5:04 pm Post subject:

jbalonso777 · Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2012 8:44 pm Post subject:

Hi everyone, sorry to re-ignite the fire.

The count down has begun..yes, 2013 for sure, but for my hibernation as well.
As of your votes, videos at night, pictures in the day. Here I am bringing them to you:

9W255 take off from CMB, over Negombo lagoon, and you don't want to miss the sound! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbAAgRZURs4

Landing at Mumbai: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RotGWNgE_Og

9W252 start up at Chennai (note the different speaker variations, like I mentioned): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSWm4a0_HpI

Take off from Chennai (with a glimpse of Sky Interior in the end): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttf4TbHlUj8

And of course, the landing in Colombo, over the Negombo Lagoon (a first for me!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyUgJ05jQ7A

Like I mentioned, I had unfinished business to complete after 9W619; I felt I couldn't bring out the Sky Interior properly, so here are a few more pictures of the washroom on 9W252.
Well, toilet (like the commode) was exactly the same as a usual B737NG, here are a few different things..

Wash Basin..

Garbage disposal..

Another one...
Weirdly, doors still had ashtrays, God knows when will this ever get rectified.

Your home for Classic Rock music Smile

Another cabin picture, just before landing...

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

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

Nice pictures and videos! I like the `spot the 10 differences' ones, you have an eye for detail. The videos are wonderful, too. It is nice to see that 9W announces the name of the first officer too, something AI does not do. I do not know why!
Cheers, Sumantra.

jbalonso777 · Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 11:19 am Post subject:

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

Jisnhu, given an opportunity, I would love to try out a SkyInteriored 738: SG/9W. I am also trying out an AI 788 trip...the first opportunity was a disappointment, on a recent IXM trip. AI 439 got a 321, whereas AI 803 got a 788. Second, I am looking forward to your post - possibly more than one, given the hints you have dropped over your posts. Third, the Mooo...of the GE90-115? AI's 77Ls have them, but I guess you have flown the EK ones.
Cheers, Sumantra.

jbalonso777 · Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:18 pm Post subject:

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

Sorry, and thanks for the correction!