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Jetting to Delhi and back.

 
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sukritmunjal
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Joined: 23 Jan 2013
Posts: 178
Location: FMO

PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 5:58 pm    Post subject: Jetting to Delhi and back. Reply with quote

So when a very good friend of me got engaged to another friend in August last year, it meant that a couple of flights were in the offing. Pestered my friend repeatedly to tell me the dates so I can book the flights at the earliest.

Booking the Tickets:

It was September when I was looking at different combinations of Outbound and Inbound flights to find out the cheapest available combo. Around that time Via.com showed return fares on BLR-DEL sector at Rs. 7139 on Kingfisher (It was flying at that time).

Booked the following itinerary:
IT-214 Bangalore, 09:55 AM, Fri 08 Feb Delhi, 12:35 PM, Fri 08 Feb
IT-205 Delhi, 05:25 PM, Sun 10 Feb Bangalore, 08:05 PM, Sun 10 Feb

Now, Green Day is one of my favourite bands and “Wake me up when September Ends” is among the most listened to song on my playlist, but I never wanted to be woken up when September ended and October began as Kingfisher did.

Waited for a few days before I realised that when banks are owed 7000 crore by Kingfisher, my 7K is peanuts. Customer Support at via.com informed me that I’ll get my refund once they receive funds from Kingfisher (Haven’t received it till date).

In the meantime, Air India had started Dreamliner on BLR-DEL sector. So without further ado, I booked the following tickets.

BLR-DEL AI505 8th Feb
DEL-BLR S24631 10th Feb

Sometime in Mid-November I was just perusing AI’s winter schedule when I saw that AI505 has a different aircraft allotted to fly that route. Since the Dreamliner was the only reason I was willing to pay 10k for a return ticket when I could have flown on any of the LCCs for around 8.5K. Cancelled the tickets and finally booked on 9W.

BLR-DEL 9W7136 8th Feb
DEL-BLR 9W811 10th Feb

As November turned into December, AI corrected their mistake in their schedule and the Dreamliner was back flying the route. But by then, the ticket prices had skyrocketed to 11K and with my 7K still stuck with Kingfisher, I decided that Dreamliner would have to wait. I would be lying if I say that a part of me wasn’t happy when the Dreamliner was finally grounded. Although, that meant that I have to wait for my first wide-body flight.


Reaching the Airport and Checking- In:
Took an auto to Mekhri circle and then waited for the Vayu Vajra bus. The bus was packed with people travelling to the Aero India. The journey to the airport commenced at snail’s pace and continued so till Yelhanka Air Force Station. Reached the airport at 10:20am. Thanks to Aero India, the runways were closed from 10 am till 12 noon, and that meant BIAL was deserted. Apart from the airline and airport staff, there were hardly 100 people there. A quick check of ticket and photo-id by the CISF staff and I was inside the airport. All checked-in baggage at BIAL now has to be x-rayed before one proceeds to the airline counters. This again was done quickly, after the CISF staff there noted my name and journey details.

Moved to almost empty Jet Airways counter and asked for a window seat in the emergency exit row on the right side as I did not want the sun to be in my face throughout the journey. The lady behind the counter informed me that she has a window-seat in the emergency-exit row but that is a non-reclining seat. I told her that I don’t care about a couple of degrees of recline as long as I can stretch my legs. She printed my boarding pass and assigned me seat 20F.

Security check-in was over quickly. It took more time to take the laptop out of the bag and then put it back in than it took to stand in line for the security check. Went directly to Lavazza and bought a coffee.

The non-operational runway meant that there were hardly any aircrafts there. Spotted a Spicejet 738 and a Spicejet DHC-8 402Q and an Indigo A320. Unfortunately, all three aircrafts were standing too far for me to check their registrations. With nothing to do but wait till noon, when the runway would be operational again I turned on my laptop and checked FR24. Saw that VT-JLE was doing IXC-DEL-BLR leg. Ameya had informed me that Rotation for this flight is DEL-BLR-TRV-BLR-DEL-IXC-DEL-BLR. However, since last few days I had noted that the rotation was more like DEL-IXC-DEL-BLR-DEL-IXC-DEL-BLR.

As the clock reached 12, the airport was suddenly more active, with a spate of arrivals and departures. VT-IWA arrived from Delhi and docked at gate 12 in preparation for the return leg. VT-JLE flying in from Delhi docked at the aerobridge at gate 9(my departure gate) at 1220. An Oman Air Boeing 737 A4O-BS arrived at 12:30 almost four hours later than its scheduled arrival time.

Boarding began at 1245, even though people had formed a queue as soon as the aircraft had docked at the gate. I was among the last few people to board the plane. All the J-class seats were occupied by the time I boarded the aircraft and there were about four vacant seats in Y. Reached my seat and the first thing I notice was that contrary to what the lady at the counter had informed me, this was indeed a reclining seat. The aircraft showed its age and my window was extremely dirty. Spotted the Indigo's "Washing Machine" aircraft VT-IFB.

As soon as I took my seat a FA started explaining how to operate the emergency-exit door. Push-back began at 1300 hrs and then we taxied to Runway 27. The aircraft began its take-off roll at ten-minutes past 1. Soon after take-off the aircraft banked left and started its journey northwards.

My Plane

2013-02-08 12.25.25 by m_sukrit, on Flickr


2013-02-08 12.25.16 by m_sukrit, on Flickr

VT-IWA


2013-02-08 12.17.07 by m_sukrit, on Flickr


DSC01058 by m_sukrit, on Flickr

Oman Air 4 hours behind Schedule


DSC01059 by m_sukrit, on Flickr

The Washing Machine Plane VT-IFB

DSC01056 by m_sukrit, on Flickr

VT-JLJ

DSC01055 by m_sukrit, on Flickr


DSC01054 by m_sukrit, on Flickr


In-Flight
As soon as the seat-belt sign was switched off, I took out my laptop and started watching an episode of Air Crash Investigations. This is something I have always wanted to do. I still remember the look on the face on the passenger sitting next to me when he realised what’s his In-Flight Entertainment is. Soon the Buy-on –Board foofd service started. I asked for a Non-veg roll and It was over (It always happen to me). Bought a Schezwan Panner Roll (People in Sichuan province would be turning in their graves) and a coffee. The Roll tasted good but was ice-cold. The coffee pack had a Nescafe sachet, a sugar sachet and a sachet of milk powder. As soon as the food service was done, we hit turbulence and the seat-belt sign was turned on again and it stayed on till we landed in Delhi.


DSC01061 by m_sukrit, on Flickr


DSC01062 by m_sukrit, on Flickr

The Leg-space

DSC01067 by m_sukrit, on Flickr

The sign was on for almost 70% of the flight

DSC01069 by m_sukrit, on Flickr

The almost full Y-class

DSC01070 by m_sukrit, on Flickr

Descent and Landing:
At around 315pm Captain Sunil Bansal announced that we are beginning our descent into Delhi. During the descent I spotted Lotus Temple, Humayun’s Tomb and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Tried taking some pics but thanks to the aforementioned dirty windows and slightly hazy Delhi afternoon my efforts were unsuccessful. We touched down at 330pm and taxied behind an Air India’s VT-PPW. I don’t remember which gate we docked at. To my right there was a VT-SJJ in Jetlite livery and a VT-JNJ in Konnect livery. Around 45 pax in Y and 1 in J stayed on board for the DEL-IXC leg. Spotted VT-SIZ from the aerobridge and went to the baggage claim belt 5. Did not have to wait long for my luggage before I moved out into a pleasant Delhi afternoon.

VT-PPW

DSC01073 by m_sukrit, on Flickr

SJJ and JNJ

DSC01078 by m_sukrit, on Flickr

Will they be ever used again?

DSC01080 by m_sukrit, on Flickr

Will post the TR for the return leg soon. Please provide Feedback so I can improve my TRs in future.

Cheers
Sukrit


Last edited by sukritmunjal on Mon Feb 11, 2013 8:12 pm; edited 2 times in total
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jbalonso777
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Joined: 05 Jul 2012
Posts: 1501
Location: Never, never land

PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 6:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi sir, nice TR!
First of all, the pictures.
Rutvij sir had given me a fantastic explanation, which you can find here:
rutvij wrote:

From your Flickr Account, DO NOT paste/embed the Flickr Lightbox Link directly. It wont work. You need a Link that ends with .jpg. That is the actual Image. You are pasting the Lightbox link here.

Here is what you should do:
1. Click on the Magnifier on the Top Right Corner of the Flickr Image. When you hover over the Magnifier, you will get a small display > View in Lightbox. Click on it and navigate to Lightbox.
2. Once you've arrived in the Lightbox, which is basically your image and Black border around it, go to 'VIEW ALL SIZES' again on the Top Right Corner.
3. Here you can choose a particular size for the Image to be embedded. Right Click on the Image, Copy Image Location & Embed that link here in the wrap around [img]ImageLink[/img] Tags.

For eg:
Your Image No. 1 - Mumbai Indians Match Goodies
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbalsonso777/7534826422/in/photostream

Use the Magnifier and navigate to Lightbox.
Now the link on the browser will be this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbalsonso777/7534826422/in/photostream/lightbox/

Now go to 'View All Sizes', Select a particular size and Right Click on Image for the Link.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/7534826422_1a4eb583b0_b.jpg

^ Note this Link has a .JPG extension, which confirms this is the Right Link.

Hope that helps.


Anyways, a good first part. I am interested to see the return flight ASAP!
-Via.com is a surprisingly good website!
-My favourite from Green Day is Kill the DJ. Just saying Razz
-I flew on VT-JLE when it was a hybrid: 9W colours with the disgusting 'Jetlite' stickers on the fuselage. And that was on Jetlite, all economy. Here: http://airlinersindia.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?t=12457 Smile
-I want to be cheeky once as well! Playing a game (full volume) where it keeps saying 'The bomb has been planted' Razz
-I have never got what I wanted on Jet Airways Konnect and Jetlite (never been on JetKonnect, though.) Its quite sad.

Like I said, eagerly waiting for Part 2! Very Happy

Rgds
Jish
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Nimish
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Joined: 16 Dec 2006
Posts: 9757
Location: Bangalore, India

PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 7:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jishnu/ Sukrit - actually it's much easier now via the "Share" link on the main page.



Nice TR Sukrit - definitely will help if you can edit it to embed the pictures inline. A shame that you had to lose money on account of IT - I hope that chap goes behind bars in time!
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ameya
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Joined: 09 May 2007
Posts: 3671
Location: Pune,Maharashtra

PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 10:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great TR !

Did look into the rotation change. Due to Aero India the BLR-TRV-BLR leg was disconnected and operated just once a day instead of current double daily Smile
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sumantra
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Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 4685
Location: New Delhi

PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 11:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lovely structured trip report, Sukrit, with some neat pictures. Sorry to hear about the IT ticket part, many of us simply did not expect this to happen one day. I liked your `IFB' christening. 6E clearly do not wash their dirty linen in public, unlike some other airlines Razz
Thank you for sharing these memories with us!
Cheers, Sumantra.
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ameya
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Posts: 3671
Location: Pune,Maharashtra

PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 11:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I like the S2 coffee. Its very nice for that kind of mix + hot water stuff
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Nimish
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Location: Bangalore, India

PostPosted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 2:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lovely TR - and with the pictures inline now - much easier to read and follow. Shame that the windows were so dirty - I often end up using a paper napkin and cleaning them so I can see better outside!
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sumantra
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Location: New Delhi

PostPosted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 6:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nimish wrote:
I often end up using a paper napkin and cleaning them so I can see better outside!
This is very thoughtful of you-to carry a paper napkin with you. In my case, I use a newspaper if I can find one, or my hanky also suffices at times Smile
Cheers, Sumantra.
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sukritmunjal
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Joined: 23 Jan 2013
Posts: 178
Location: FMO

PostPosted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 7:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nimish wrote:
Lovely TR - and with the pictures inline now - much easier to read and follow. Shame that the windows were so dirty - I often end up using a paper napkin and cleaning them so I can see better outside!


My efforts resulted in the window becoming dirtier than it ws earlier. Confused
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sri_bom
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Joined: 22 Dec 2006
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 1:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for posting the TR.

Even thought I am an aviation geek I will be still nervous if someone next to me watche's an Air Accident Episode Smile

In similar context The movie "RainMan" is either not shown on IFE or is edited on airlines as there is line where Dustin Hoffman insists if he is to fly he will only do so on Quantas as that carrier has no fatal accidents.

Sri_Bom
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sumantra
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 1:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sukritmunjal wrote:
My efforts resulted in the window becoming dirtier than it ws earlier. Confused
Ha ha! I have experienced this often. Newspapers and handkerchiefs do relatively well here: rough surfaces with larger surface area.
Cheers, Sumantra.
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sukritmunjal
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Joined: 23 Jan 2013
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 11:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

sri_bom wrote:
Thanks for posting the TR.

Even thought I am an aviation geek I will be still nervous if someone next to me watche's an Air Accident Episode Smile

In similar context The movie "RainMan" is either not shown on IFE or is edited on airlines as there is line where Dustin Hoffman insists if he is to fly he will only do so on Quantas as that carrier has no fatal accidents.

Sri_Bom


Qantas is the only airline which showed RainMan in it's IFE.
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sukritmunjal
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 1:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is the Part 2 of the TR. Sorry for the delay, but being away from work on 7th and 8th meant that I was totally swamped with work the entire last week.

OLCI
Had set a reminder in my mobile to ensure I do not forget checking-in online, as I expected to reach the airport a bit late the next evening (500 Bonus JP Miles don’t hurt either).Quickly logged-in and blocked seat 17-F (Emergency Exit again). Not having access to a printer meant that I’ll end up wasting some time in the check-in queue the next day, but at least I’ll have the seat of my choice.

eaching the airport & Checking-in
After a heavy lunch with a couple of friends at Khan Market, I boarded the metro till NDLS before switching lines and boarding the Reliance Airport Express. Reached airport around 5 and joined one of the check-in queue. I have this knack of joining the wrong queue almost every time I fly, and this time it wasn’t any different. A group travelling SIN-DEL-BLR was ahead of me and they had issues with their baggage allowance since their DEL-BLR leg was on a different PNR.

After waiting for around 15-20 minutes in the line, during which one of the person from the group apologized to me for the inconvenience, I finally reached the counter and collected the boarding-pass. Why can’t Jet have more than a couple of check-in counters functional? I could see around 3-4 JetKids just chatting away doing nothing near the Supervisor’s counter.
After the security check, I had to quickly rush to Gate 37B as it was already 5-35 and boarding was about to begin.

Boarding

Boarding commenced as soon as I reached the gate. VT-JBC was the bird being used for this flight, which wasn’t a surprise since the same bird had been flying this particular flight quite frequently for over a month. Took my seat and noted that all the seats had PTVs. A FA named Puneet quickly explained how to open the emergency exit. I am amazed how effortlessly all the Fas vomit out these instructions. If only I could have done so in my school/college examinations.

[img]
DSC01115 by m_sukrit, on Flickr[/img]

[img]
DSC01118 by m_sukrit, on Flickr[/img]

[img]
DSC01119 by m_sukrit, on Flickr[/img]

Push-back and Flight

Push-back began on time and the wheels did not stop rolling from the time we began taxiing till we were air-borne. The Pilots did not even stop to line up on the runway.

I was hoping for PTVs to be activated, but was disappointed. J Section had drop down screens which showed the route, speed and altitude.
There was an announcement by the Captain (don’t remember his name) stating that we would be flying over Bhopal and Hyderabad and were expected to be at the gates in BLR at five minutes to nine. I do remember the FOs name, maybe because I saw her and she was pretty. Wink

Soon the snack-service started and Puneet asked me if I would prefer a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian snack. Opted for a non-vegetarian one. It had a fruit bowl which contained three pieces of Papaya and two pieces of watermelon. Lifted the aluminium foil to find a potato and peanut cutlet and a chicken snack which was a very thin pizza base topped with about an inch-thick layer of creamy chicken minced, topped with cheese and grilled. Vegetarian snack was potato cutlet and a veg-puff. As I was bringing the last spoonful of the rich chicken mince towards my mouth we hit a really bad patch of turbulence causing me to drop it on my shirt. The seat belt sign was turned on , which meant that the hot-beverage service would be delayed.

The seat-belt sign was turned off about 5 minutes later and the Fas promptly started the beverage service. As soon as the trays were cleared they started distributing bags of Britannia Thinz. I expected a dessert 

A full stomach and hardly any sleep in the last couple of days meant I was soon dozing off. I was woken-up by the pilot’s announcement that we’ve begun our descent into BLR.

[img]
DSC01120 by m_sukrit, on Flickr[/img]

On Ground

After a fairly smooth landing, we taxied towards the gates and I saw the 9W buses parked waiting for us. Saw the Go Air’s sharkletted “Round” Plane VT-GOL parked next to us.

[img]
DSC01123 by m_sukrit, on Flickr[/img]
[img]
DSC01124 by m_sukrit, on Flickr[/img]

Gates were disarmed and disembarking began. I checked my watch and it was five minutes to nine. By the time I disembarked the first bus was packed like a can of sardines. Got into the next bus and we commenced our short journey to the terminal. Spotted VT-JLE, the bird which I flew on my outbound leg. Today, it had arrived on a S2 flight from CCU.

Entered the terminal, collected my bags from belt number to and quickly ran towards the BIAS platforms.

Cheers
Sukrit

P.S – Unable to embed pics now. Will do it soon[img][/img]
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