Community
Wiki Posts
Search

Post COVID flying

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jul 1, 2020, 2:59 am
  #31  
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold, Marriott & SPG Plat, Hilton Gold, ShangriLa Jade, Enterprise Plat, Taj Gold
Posts: 3,340
Originally Posted by Keyser
i'm in no mood to travel in august....i've requested both arbitrators twice for the dates to be shifted to november but for some reason they seem to be sticking with the august dates
Some good news for you - EU has banned Indian citizens from traveling to the region...
PiperAtGatesofDawn is online now  
Old Jul 1, 2020, 3:38 am
  #32  
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,168
Essential travel is always allowed... how lawyer stuff is essential is debatable

My father turns 80 in October... I'm mildly positive I will be able to visit him then.
oliver2002 is offline  
Old Jul 1, 2020, 8:48 am
  #33  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, IHG Plat, HH Gold, Trident Plat, DL Diamond, AI Maharajah
Posts: 29,678
Originally Posted by PiperAtGatesofDawn
Some good news for you - EU has banned Indian citizens from traveling to the region...
i sent an email this morning to the arbitrator stating that travel is still not allowed between india & the eu....he just replied saying that they are going to revise the list every 2 weeks so he will wait till the very last minute before rescheduling the date....given my luck they will probably allow travel before my travel date which will make it very hard for me to get the hearing postponed....
Keyser is online now  
Old Jul 1, 2020, 8:53 am
  #34  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, IHG Plat, HH Gold, Trident Plat, DL Diamond, AI Maharajah
Posts: 29,678
Originally Posted by oliver2002
Essential travel is always allowed... how lawyer stuff is essential is debatable
i don't think its essential at all....i have managed to get over a dozen arbitration hearings postponed since march this year....anything that was scheduled to take place between march - october has been moved to dates after november....these 2 mentioned above are the only ones that are causing a problem....even the clients are ok with changed dates but the arbitrators are being difficult....
Keyser is online now  
Old Jul 2, 2020, 7:22 am
  #35  
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,168
Arbitrators have to make a living too
oliver2002 is offline  
Old Jul 2, 2020, 9:24 am
  #36  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, IHG Plat, HH Gold, Trident Plat, DL Diamond, AI Maharajah
Posts: 29,678
Originally Posted by oliver2002
Arbitrators have to make a living too
i guess so....
Keyser is online now  
Old Jul 2, 2020, 9:41 pm
  #37  
Used to be ' simz '
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Kolkata, India
Programs: Does it matter..??? It doesn't matter to them
Posts: 1,129
Originally Posted by Keyser
keep us posted on your experience....

don't think i'll be doing any domestic travel for the next few months....i have a trip to amsterdam & another one to new york in august....i doubt i'll be able to wriggle out or postpone either one of them....if international travel is open by then, & more importantly if those countries are accepting indian travelers, then i'll be making both trips....i doubt i'll be anywhere near a plane before that....
Standard experience like 3 weeks ago.. baggage sprayed on the way it, show Arogya setu app, show boarding pass (NOT TICKET, boarding pass, even if it's on the phone in PDF), enter airport.

Check in - social distancing maintained for the most part. No lines, as I was running late. No physical hard copy boarding pass at all. PDF on phone is enough. No baggage tag given to passenger. SMS received on the phone.

Security - social distancing maintained to some degree.. after a point, it's just not possible, as people will be people.. no social distancing rules on the other side while collecting luggage.. corona doesn't impact you after security, apparently... No pat down anymore, thank god.. no stamping of boarding pass, or even checking of boarding pass at the security.. just goes to show how futile it was in the first place..

Lounge - this is where is gets interesting.. CCU lounge is closed. Instead the vendor (TFS i think) has tied up with CCD to provide coffee and prepackaged takeaway meals for anyone with a lounge voucher/credit card etc. However, our dear friends at VISTARA, has terminated their contract.. so whether u r gold/plat or flying business, no lounge access voucher for you.

Flight - Vistara has a "middle seat passengers have to wear a PPE kit policy".. rest of the passengers just have to wear mask and visor only. No food or any service. Only water (as prescribed by govt.). No eating personal food either. Just sit, relax, read or watch tv. No different in Premium Economy or Business either..

Deboarding - by rows.. crew calls out rows that can head out.. for the sake of Social Distancing..

Did i miss anything ?
Flyfromscratch is offline  
Old Jul 2, 2020, 11:57 pm
  #38  
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold, Marriott & SPG Plat, Hilton Gold, ShangriLa Jade, Enterprise Plat, Taj Gold
Posts: 3,340
Hopefully these better processes and crowd behaviour will continue past Covid whenever that is.
PiperAtGatesofDawn is online now  
Old Jul 3, 2020, 1:37 am
  #39  
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,168
Well, India being India I doubt anything will change in crowd behaviour.
That said I sincerely hope they keep the completely digital boarding pass and stop the stamping nonsense at security.

PS: yes the lounge in CCU domestic is (currently) operated by TfS: https://www.travelfoodservices.com/our-presence
oliver2002 is offline  
Old Jul 3, 2020, 1:54 am
  #40  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, IHG Plat, HH Gold, Trident Plat, DL Diamond, AI Maharajah
Posts: 29,678
boarding & exiting by rows is something i hope will continue & become the norm....although i can see indians forgetting about this as soon as the pandemic is over....

even i am in favour of discontinuing hard copy boarding passes & baggage tags....there really is no need for them anymore....
Keyser is online now  
Old Jul 3, 2020, 2:36 am
  #41  
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold, Marriott & SPG Plat, Hilton Gold, ShangriLa Jade, Enterprise Plat, Taj Gold
Posts: 3,340
I'd like the baggage tags... I don't see how airlines could keep track of bags especially when connecting, delayed, lost etc. without the tags.
PiperAtGatesofDawn is online now  
Old Jul 3, 2020, 8:40 am
  #42  
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,168
The bags will surely be physically tagged, but the baggage receipt can be electronic, just like the boarding pass. On Lufthansa and Delta the luggage receipts are electronic in the app the moment the bag is accepted at the checkin desk and you can track the bags as it is loaded/unloaded. The infrastructure to do this is also available to IbAs...
oliver2002 is offline  
Old Jul 3, 2020, 11:10 am
  #43  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, IHG Plat, HH Gold, Trident Plat, DL Diamond, AI Maharajah
Posts: 29,678
Originally Posted by PiperAtGatesofDawn
I'd like the baggage tags... I don't see how airlines could keep track of bags especially when connecting, delayed, lost etc. without the tags.
i have not used baggage tag receipts on all my usa domestic travel for the last 3-4 years....the bags are physically tagged but i don't take a physical receipt....i just use the airline app....this would be very easy to implement in india as well....
Keyser is online now  
Old Jul 3, 2020, 12:55 pm
  #44  
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold, Marriott & SPG Plat, Hilton Gold, ShangriLa Jade, Enterprise Plat, Taj Gold
Posts: 3,340
What you're talking about is technically very possible but less so practically.

With most of the larger US airlines (and other carriers too I'm sure) you can track your bags through their app. Including whether the bags were loaded on your flight or not etc. But they still give you the physical tags. The physical tag is important because you are not expected to have the app of every airline you travel on on your phone. I have traveled loads with DL & AA but I couldn't bother loading their apps on the phone or every other airline I fly on. Plus INT travel with no roaming type of scenarios etc. Physical tags for pax are still very welcome in my books.
PiperAtGatesofDawn is online now  
Old Jul 4, 2020, 9:53 am
  #45  
Used to be ' simz '
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Kolkata, India
Programs: Does it matter..??? It doesn't matter to them
Posts: 1,129
another travel done today.. let me list down the airports and airlines and the idiosyncratic processes:

1. Delhi Airport - Have a new body scanner on just one of the security gate. If you are unfortunate enough to be on that line, you will be forced to open your shoes. I simply changed my lane and moved on.
2. Physical boarding pass printing is mandatory. Security still sees your physical boarding pass.

Air India (travelling from Delhi):
1. Sends you a link on your phone for some form, that you have to fill up. Basically for tracking your destination address.
2. Now you need to fill the same detail in hard copy at the gate. So same information is shared twice. No idea why.
3. Boarding pass has to be printed at the kiosk. Luggage tag, not so much.

Vistara (Del Airport)
1. No form as such. But while online checking in, destination details were captured.
2. Luggage tag also needs to be printed at the kiosk and you need to attach it to your luggage on your own and take the small tag with u on your own. Airlines staff are not going to do a thing.

Vistara (CCU airport):
1. Luggage tag will be printed and affixed by the airline staff.

CCU airport - no physical boarding pass required. PDF on phone will also do.
Keyser likes this.
Flyfromscratch is offline  


Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.