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rakesh959 · Member Joined: 28 Aug 2012 Posts: 58 Location: Chennai

Admins/Mods:Not sure if I can post this because its over a year since I flew this flight.Going thru my archives,I dug up this TR.Hope its ok to post it here!

P.S:Long review without pics again.I promise the pics to be on board from my next TR!

This is about my trip from chennai-cochin-chennai in Indigo in January last year.Wanted to post this since long but was not able to do so because of many reasons.Anyways,cutting short the cr*p,I was planning for a trip since long to cochin.There were some options but the cheapest and best in terms of timing was Indigo.Booked tickets just 3days before the trip.The itinerary was as follows:

Chennai-Cochin 12Jan'14 6E298 06:20-07:30 A320
Cochin-Chennai 13Jan'14 6E297 21:40-22:50 A320

On the day of the journey,set out from my home at about 0440hrs and reached the airport by about 0500hrs.There was a line to get into the airport.Got my ticket verified with my id proof and proceeded for baggage scanning.Then headed to the indigo check in counters which had very long lines.Indigo has many early morning flights during this early hours to mumbai,kolkata,delhi,cochin,hyderabad,vishakapatnam all within a gap of an four.SO it was chaos at the counters.But their staff were quite efficient and the line was moving short.My turn came and I presented my M-Ticket to the courteous lady at the counter.She was quick in checking in my bag and assigning me my pre-selected seat(27F) and I had my boarding pass in my hand in no time.She told me the flight was on time and would board from a lower level gate.

Proceeded straight to security,which also had very long lines.Managed to clear it in about 10minutes.By now the clock ticked past 0530Hrs.My dad too was traveling but on an official visit.He had already cleared security and we found a place to sit and I was watching the tarmac activities.The tarmac was witnessing a flurry of activities at this time.An air india flight was almost closing for a flight to port blair.At the adjacent gate,An indigo flight to vishakapatnam was boarding.Headed to the restroom and headed downstairs to my gate.Already a q had formed in front of my gate.The lower level of the terminal was quite cramped.

Anyways,Boarding was called at 0545hrs.The indigo staff again were very efficient and quick.It was a bus gate and we were bussed to the aircraft which was parked at the remote stand of the airport which located near the cargo bays.The bus ride took a good 10mins.Noticed two Indigo A/c there but I was disappointed that both did not have a winglet.I desperately wanted to get a new aircraft with sharklets.However,We were not allowed to disembark from the bus because the aircraft was not ready.After the doors of the bus opened,Headed for the rear door with my dad,Both of us had seats on the rear part of the plane.

Flight Details:
Chennai(MAA)-Cochin(COK) 6E-298
Dep(Sch):0620 Dep(Act)(Pushback):0612
Arr(Sch):0730 Arr(Act):07:15
Aircraft:Airbus A320
A/c Reg:VT-IEI

We were welcomed on board by a nice fa.Headed straight to my seat and we were in our seats by 0603hrs.The Buses arrived one behind the other and boarding was complete by 0608hrs.We had about 98%load that day.The Indigo ground team deserves special appreciation.They boarded a fully loaded plane parked at a remote stand in just about 10mins,which was really great!The captain came on the pa,rather he was standing at the front of the cabin and welcomed us onboard.He was very eccentric in his announcement,one of the best I have ever heard on a flight.He welcomed us on board in both hindi and english giving all details about the flight.This guy did surely love his job!He gave us a flying time of about an hour and we would be pushing back in about 2minutes and the distance to Kochi was about 500kms.He also introduced the first officer and the lead cabin attendant too.Soon,the flurry of announcements as on all indigo flights began.The leading lady(Gini) made the welcome announcement.Captain Vinayak Sharma from Delhi and First officer Thyagu Kamaraj from Chennai would fly us to Cochin.The cabin crew were from chennai.The crew hurriedly went through the safety demo and the cabin checks.

Anyways,we pushed back at 0603hrs for a 0620departure.The engines were brought to life and We taxied towards rwy07 but wait!We turned on taxiway intersection C and lined up on the runway25-07.We were about quarter the distance past the start of runway25.This was a first for me!The captain applied power to the engines and we were airborne in about 20secs.We lifted off at exactly 0615hrs. We were heading towards the west and we just slightly turned left and were on course for cochin.The seatbelt signs went off at about 0622hrs.The cabin crew announced they would be starting the buy on board service shortly.

As the trolley rolled down the aisle,I and my dad took some cashews and some juice as nothing else looked much appetizing.The cashews were good.Soon,I looked out of the window and the magnificent western ghats came into view.Later,The captain came on the pa and announced we were about 140kms from cochin airport and we would land in about 20mins and we would commence descent shortly.He thanked us for flying with indigo again.And again he did announce in 2 languages(Hindi and English)The rest of the flight was uneventful.Soon,the nose dipped down a bit which signaled the commencement of our descent into cochin.I was expecting that we would land on rwy27 from the southeast.

I did not have any idea about our approach as there were low lying clouds that day and i couldn't figure out which rwy we would be landing on.Soon,the crew to be seated for landing announcement came and we were banking towards the left quite sharply.The sun was on the other side,so i could figure out we would be landing on rwy09.The spoilers were in action to slow us down and were soon on final approach.The lovely countryside of kerala came into view and the captain made a feather touch landing on cochin's rwy09 at exactly 0715hrs.We soon vacated the runway and in no time were at the stand.

Met the captain in the front and thanked him for a great flight and a marvellous landing.He reciprocated my appreciation with a smile and thanked me of flying indigo and asked me to feel free to pose any questions to him.Being an aviation geek,I had a short conversation with him but it was cut short because the ground staff were in a hurry because they were using air india ground services there.Bid bye to the courteous crew and a short ride to the terminal and our bags were already there.That ended a great flight with Indigo.

End Remarks:
Indigo is one of the best airline in India.They offer what they promise.As their main aim is to provide good quality service at low rates and maintain their flights on time.From the ground staff at chennai to the pilots,all of them were committed to maintain their on time performance.Coming to the cabin crew,They went about the service with utmost professionalism but all of them except the lead cabin attendant lacked the warmth most indian airlines have in them.The cabin attendants weren't interested in answering the call buttons.That is not what we expect from a good airline.But that was the sole negative point on this flight.Guess the cabin attendants were in their initial days at work and may learn soon.Coming to the aircraft,It was spotless.he restrooms were maintained well too.The legroom was on par with competition.Overall,Indigo is one of the best in the industry and I would love to fly them again.

Ratings:
Aircraft:5/5
On time performance:5/5
Crew:4.5/5
Overall:4.85/5

Cochin-Chennai:

After a short stay at cochin I was back to the airport at around 19:30hrs for a 21:35dep.Headed to the domestic departures,handed my m-ticket and identity proof to the friendly cisf guy.Headed straight to the indigo counters as i had no check in bags.They were literally empty.I handed my ticket and was asked for my identity proof.The agent was quick and again he assigned me pre-selected seat in no time.Had a short chat with him about the delay.He said the flight was on time but I had already received a sms stating the flight was delayed by 20mins.And when I asked about the loads he told me jokingly don't worry sir you'll have a lot of space on the plane today.Loads are very light!Headed through for security and I was in the hold area by 19:45hrs!

Having nothing to do,started tracking my flight on flightradar24.I was again hoping it would be an A320 with sharklets but I found the bird for me today was gonna be VT-IES.Had my dinner and was relaxing around.The spice jet flight to chennai had started boarding.By now an off duty pilot of indigo came and sat next to me.Being an aviation freak I couldn't resist speaking to him.He was also very friendly and we were chatting about many things.I had seen him on my onward flight and he told he had come to visit his hometown as he was based in chennai.He told me it would the same captain who had flown us on the onward flight would fly us back but the first officer would be a different one.By now,Spicejet's hyderabad flight scheduled leave after us also started boarding.I knew this particular flight is delayed almost everyday.The pilot told me this flight starts from delhi and has a stop at mumbai so delays are quite inevitable given the peak hours at BOM.

The incoming flight landed at 21:30hrs just 5mins before our scheduled departure time.It parked right in front of us by21:33hrs.Saw many people deplaning.Almost full loads on that sector!Soon boarding was announced.The pilot and I were the first to step into the tarmac.Since the aircraft was parked right in front of us,we had to walk to it.Cleaning was still in progress so the agent there allowed the pilot to go through but stopped me.

He let me in once the cleaning was done.I went inside and saw the captain and waved at him and he too recognized me and waved back.The off duty pilot was inside the cockpit.I went to my seat and settled down there.Boarding ws completed by 21:44hrs!The off duty pilot came out of the cockpit and he invited me to sit in the second row.We had only around 60people on the 180seater plane!I sat beside him and the captain came on the pa and apologized for the delay and gave a flying time of an hour.As expected,Captain Vinayak Sharma and First officer Juzer Batliwala from Mumbai would fly us to chennai.

Flight Details:
Cochin-Chennai 6E-297
Dep(Sch):21:35 Dep(Act)(Pushback):21:48
Arr(Sch):22:50 Arr(Act):22:55
Aircraft:Airbus A320
A/c Reg:VT-IEI

We pushed back at about 21:48hrs.I really have to say it again.The Indigo ground crew again did a tremendous job in turning around an A320 in about 15mins.Though the loads were very less,they deserve appreciation.The cabin crew hurriedly went through the safety demo just as the they finished it,we were already on runway09 waiting for the cabin clearance.Soon power was applied to the two IAE V2500 engines and we lifted off under 15secs because of the light load.We were airborne by 22:52hrs.We banked slightly to the left and we were on course for chennai.

I was busy chatting with the pilot.The seatbelt sign went off by 22:00hrs.The crew started their service.I didn't buy anything and the service was over very soon.The lead cabin attendant too joined us in a short chat.We were talking about Indigo,The indian aviation industry and many things.Soon,The captain announced descent and we were making our approach into chennai.Soon,we were on final approach.The winds did trouble us a bit also being a light plane,The touchdown was quite rough.But that was understandable.We had touched down exactly at 22:50hrs.We turned off the taxiway and headed to a remote stand on the international apron.The doors were opened and the passengers were off the plane quickly.I had a quick chat with the captain again.He told me they were battling crosswind on the final approach and the light plane made matters worse!I could hear the atc call our aircraft too.I bid bye to all of them and ran to the coach waiting for me!As I had no check in baggage,I was out in no time.Again,a great flight with Indigo,India's coolest Airline!

End Remarks:
The flight was delayed but the way they made up for the time was commendable.As I said earlier,Indigo's whole team right from the loaders,ground crew to the pilots are committed to maintaing time.Regarding the crew,They were good.They went about their job with professionalism and were better than the onward journey crew.The aircraft again was sparkling clean. Indigo is an airline who do what they promise.Low fares does't mean low quality!A good product from them.But with the competition getting intense it remains to be seen how they react to it!

Ratings:
Aircraft:5/5
On time performance:5/5
Crew:5/5
Overall:5/5

Apologies once again for the lack of pictures!

Comments and suggestions as always welcome!

Cheers!
Rakesh.

jbalonso777 · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 6:28 pm Post subject:

Heya Rakesh, another great TR from you!
Lucky you with the exact same pilot for both flights, and a very enthusiastic one at the same time! Its always nice to know about pilots who give a very detailed announcement, that too in separate languages - awesome! The return flight seems to be equally awesome - full attention from the whole crew and the returning pilot. That surely would've put a wide smile on your face, hehe!

Unfortunate that you didn't get the shark let. That's why I always say: Fly Vistara or AirAsia India Wink

Looking forward to more from you! Very Happy

Regards
Jish
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ameya · Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 10:52 am Post subject:

Thanks Rakesh. Always nice to read a TR, no matter how old it is!

Many a times, this leads to knowing how the rotations were and the changes in terminal and operations since then.
With the lines for 6E flights, did they have those Q busters around ?
If you look for a winglet on A320, you will be disappointed at all times, you have to look for a sharklet on A320 Razz

For the return leg, looks like 6E managed to pushback within the stipulated 15 min window, so the flight would not have been considered as a delay in records.
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sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

Thanks for another nice TR, Rakesh! A TR is a TR: please do not worry if it is old or new. If older TRs were not permitted, I would have been banned from this forum a long time back.
My luck with both Boeing Sky Interiors on B737s, and sharklets on A320s, has just been too bad: in all my travels on Jet and its spicy variant; and Go, and its Indi-prefixed competitor as well. And yes, I haven't made it to Kochi by air, as well: I really want to see the terminal at Nedumbassery! Thus far, I have seen 3 of Kerala's 5 airports (TRV, CCJ...and CJB, not COK or...IXM) Razz

It was great that you got the same nice captain on board both your legs.
Indigo's efficiency comes across on-the-face in most aspects, which is very impressive. There is a frantic hurry from the time the plane stops at its stand, to the time it starts moving around. The buzz has to be seen to be believed. If it helps them maintain their OTP better than any other airline in India, then why not? One also sees extremely well-kept planes: spic and span. Cheers, Sumantra.

sri_bom · Member Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 2365 Location: Singapore

Great TR and thanks for posting it in such detail. Look forward to more reports.

Sri_Bom

rakesh959 · Member Joined: 28 Aug 2012 Posts: 58 Location: Chennai

Spiderguy252 · Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 1:42 pm Post subject:

Not an issue with the age of the TR at all, thanks for posting. In fact, I will shortly be posting a Boeing 757 ride (also from COK to MAA) shortly - stay tuned for it!

Just a query on the two SG departures to MAA and HYD - were either of the two Q400s?

ameya · Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 1:55 pm Post subject:

Q busters are those hand held devices which their staff carries and issues boarding cards for people in Q - mostly those who have hand baggage only or just 1 bag to deposit
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sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

Spiderguy252 · Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 2:49 pm Post subject:

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

rakesh959 · Member Joined: 28 Aug 2012 Posts: 58 Location: Chennai

Ameya Sir!
I don't remember seeing those q busters on this particular trip but I have seen them at BLR and HYD during other flights!

Varun!Thanks!Those two SG departures to HYD and MAA were both Q400s.And I do eagerly look forward to that 757 TR of yours!

Cheers!
Rakesh.

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

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

rakesh959 · Member Joined: 28 Aug 2012 Posts: 58 Location: Chennai