Kingfisher Airlines in Y BOM-DEL (Pics + Vids)
Mar 10, 2007, 3:01 am
#1
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Join Date: Jan 2006
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Kingfisher Airlines in Y BOM-DEL (Pics + Vids)
Over a month long trip to India, Sri Lanka and Maldives, i had the opportunity to fly SQ, UL, 9W and IT. I was actually most looking forward to flying IT as it was my first time on this carrier and had heard plenty of great things about them, and so whilst i didn't take pics on any of the other flights, i decided to do a complete trip report on the IT experience. Comments and questions welcome...
Pre-Flight Briefing
I was actually in India to attend a couple of family weddings, and on this day we were headed to Delhi to attend a cocktail reception of a cousin. 'We' on this occasion included my wife, my parents, my brothers and their families and my extended family of 17 odd uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews etc etc...
I had been left to book the tickets for everyone - approximately one month before the actual flight. For such a large group i got in touch with my BOM-based agent (who is a god send in terms of his connections with various people in the airlines that fly out of BOM) and told him my criteria which was basically; 1) Must be on Kingfisher 2) Must be a flight with a Lunch or Dinner service.
About a day later he came back to me and said he had held seats on IT305 on the 24th of Feb 2006. In total we booked 26 Y tickets at RS.3950 each (incl. taxes). Jet, Deccan, Spicejet and Indigo were all roughly the same price after including taxes. I had considered asking him to get Kingfisher First seats for myself and my wife, but after a stern telling off from my wife ('..we should all travel together and everyone will think you're elitist blah blah...') i decided against it. And so the journey begins....
IT305
BOM-DEL
24th Feb 2007
Scheduled Departure: 1125
Actual Departure: 1113
Scheduled Arrival: 1325
Actual Arrival: 1340
Load: Y:90% F:50%
Seat: 28A
Check-In & Boarding
I had already checked in the day before on-line and secured my preferred window seat at the back of the plane - I was sequence no. 001. Whenever i fly Y i always prefer sitting right at the back - most of the time on the second to last row. When i first started traveling a lot (then almost exclusively in Y), my dad, ever the pragmatist, told me to always get seats at the back as statistically the chances of you surviving a crash are better at the back!!
IT uses the Indian Airlines terminal in BOM which reminds me of well.....your typical Indian airport. It was interesting to note that there was a plaque on the wall stating that the terminal was opened in 1992. I wonder what other terminals were opened around that time - it would be interesting to compare. By contrast, the terminal that 9W and the other private carriers use is positively luxurious and modern compared to this one.
Entry is only available for those holding tickets...
The Kingfisher check-in desks AFTER our group had checked in...
IT also offer it's first class passengers a kerbside valet although with such few first passengers, they were all standing idly around even though they saw twenty of us trundle past them wit tonnes of luggage. Some help would have been nice.
After checking-in, we all proceeded through security at our own pace. I bought a wireless access card from a booth (as per the sales lady, there is wireless access through out the entire terminal) for Rs.250 for 3 hours. I should have known better as the signal was barely attainable from most places except from right outside the booth where it was the strongest. I suspect they only have set up one antennae right inside the booth!
After checking my mail, i went ahead through security. I was told before leaving for India that the no-liquids in carry-on rule had been introduced for all domestic flights and for all flights departing from India. However, not once was i asked to remove liquids, and not once was my carry-on inspected. I was carrying plenty of liquid! It may be a stupid rule, but if you have it in place, enforce it!
Waiting area prior to security....
Originally our flight was to board using a jetway (forgot which gate number) however, as soon as we cleared security a sign was posted indicating that our gate had been changed to a bus gate - Gate 10. I was happy as i enjoy bus gates, but everyone else didn't like the idea of lugging their hand luggage along for the ride.
Aircraft occupying our original gate.....not to be ours....
Our a/c arriving from somewhere taxiing to a remote stand....
After a short wait at Gate 10, boarding was announced. Two busses were available - a luxury bus for First passengers and a standard one for the rest of us.
Gate 10
Approaching our aircraft...
We boarded through the front and passed the comfortable looking first seats.
Kingfisher First....
Passengers boarding the aircraft...
Seat pitch was pretty comfortable. The leather headrests were also quite nice.
In-Flight Experience
Boarding was completed very quickly and soon enough doors were secured and the safety video was played on our seat back screens. This is the first safety video i've seen which was animated and live action together (sort of like Roger Rabbit! - as my niece said!).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZAyVh6FrfE
Watch the safety video here...
We soon began our taxi to the runway which was quite short. During the taxi, we were handed a small amenity pack which consisted of headphones, some sweets, a pen, some calorie-free sweetener!, and a IT timetable. We were also offered a bottle of Kingfisher Mineral Water.
BOM Tower
Fedex MD11 at the Cargo Terminal
Passing the International Terminal - AI 767
Egyptair A330
No. 4 for departure...
IT305 hold short for Virgin A340 on finals....
We were soon on the active runway and began our pretty short take off roll..
Passing some derelict AI 747 classics....are they used for parts or something?
Service soon started with three crew members serving the almost full Y cabin. First of all, every staff member i saw was immaculately groomed and some looked like models! I heard a rumor that VM hand picks all his cabin crew - imagine how many lawsuits he'd have to face if he did that in the US!! Infact, i also saw a Kingfisher Airlines swimsuit calendar which they had also just launched featuring some actual cabin crew and professional models which was shot in St. Tropez.
Service started with the menu card being passed out. Today's meal featured a starter of chickpeas in tamarind sauce, a choice between chicken korma and rice or paneer with spinach and rice followed by a dessert of 'Kheer' which is like an Indian rice pudding of sorts.
Drinks were then served. They didn't come round with a drink trolley but instead filled trays of assorted drinks and walked through the cabin. OJ, Apple Juice, Water, and Coke were on the trays - however as they got to the back only OJ was available. I asked for a coke which was bought promptly from the galley behind me.
Around 15 mins. after the drink service, the meal service began from the back to the front of the aircraft. I asked for the chicken. Tea was also offered together with the tray, but i asked the stewardess to refill my coke, to which she asked the galley attendant to take care of. The refill was offered almost immediately.
Chicken Korma with Rice
The food itself was of a pretty good quality except for the Indian bread which was very dry and brittle. I could have had seconds actually....
The inflight entertainment system on IT consists of several channels of short programs and several audio channels. I think the programming is suitable and adequate for the relatively short-haul flights that IT currently operates.
Pretty soon we were making our descent into a smoggy Delhi. We were slightly delayed due to ATC restrictions, but were on the ground soon enough.
Before securing the cabin, the following video was played throughout the aircraft. Normally, these announcements are made by the crew, but in this case, no one made these announcements, relying instead on the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKimx9PpHQ8
Pre-Landing Safety Video
On finals into DEL...
Arrival Experience
After a smooth landing, we were faced with a looooong taxi through to our stand, which was to be a bus gate again. We passed the international apron, GA area, and the domestic apron before reaching our stand. The good thing is that i did manage to get some great pictures from the taxi and the bus ride!
A good line-up on the domestic apron featuring most of the domestic operators.
Leaving the aircraft. As there were only a handful of First passengers, two Toyota Cars were sent for them instead of a bus.
Holding for an Indigo flight which had also just arrived from BOM and JAI.
Passing which i suppose is the General Aviation area, a mish mash of fixed wing and helicopters all pushed into a pretty small area...
Passing an IAF Border Security Force Aircraft on the way to the Arrivals terminal...Anyone know what aircraft type?
Once inside the terminal, it took approximately another 25 minutes before our luggage started to appear. Soon we were on our way to our fleet of cars waiting outside!
Conclusion
Overall IT certainly beats IC and AI hands-down, although i think that 9W and IT are on par with each other in terms of service. Personally i think the 9W crews are a bit more professional whilst the IT crew are a bit more glamorous. Although in the future i would still prefer flying IT on the main routes due to their inflight entertainment (not all 9W a/c feature entertainment).
Overall a very comfortable short flight at a good price!
I hope that IT does join one of the alliances or at least work out some partnerships with other airlines - UA would be great!
- so that we can earn some miles!
One final question for those familiar with Delhi. I was told that there is an Air Force museum featuring several aircraft located within the airport perimeter. Is this true and is it open to the public? I will be visiting DEL again probably at the end of March and would like to go have a look if possible!
Thanks for reading, hope it was interesting, and look forward to your comments!
Pre-Flight Briefing
I was actually in India to attend a couple of family weddings, and on this day we were headed to Delhi to attend a cocktail reception of a cousin. 'We' on this occasion included my wife, my parents, my brothers and their families and my extended family of 17 odd uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews etc etc...
I had been left to book the tickets for everyone - approximately one month before the actual flight. For such a large group i got in touch with my BOM-based agent (who is a god send in terms of his connections with various people in the airlines that fly out of BOM) and told him my criteria which was basically; 1) Must be on Kingfisher 2) Must be a flight with a Lunch or Dinner service.
About a day later he came back to me and said he had held seats on IT305 on the 24th of Feb 2006. In total we booked 26 Y tickets at RS.3950 each (incl. taxes). Jet, Deccan, Spicejet and Indigo were all roughly the same price after including taxes. I had considered asking him to get Kingfisher First seats for myself and my wife, but after a stern telling off from my wife ('..we should all travel together and everyone will think you're elitist blah blah...') i decided against it. And so the journey begins....
IT305
BOM-DEL
24th Feb 2007
Scheduled Departure: 1125
Actual Departure: 1113
Scheduled Arrival: 1325
Actual Arrival: 1340
Load: Y:90% F:50%
Seat: 28A
Check-In & Boarding
I had already checked in the day before on-line and secured my preferred window seat at the back of the plane - I was sequence no. 001. Whenever i fly Y i always prefer sitting right at the back - most of the time on the second to last row. When i first started traveling a lot (then almost exclusively in Y), my dad, ever the pragmatist, told me to always get seats at the back as statistically the chances of you surviving a crash are better at the back!!
IT uses the Indian Airlines terminal in BOM which reminds me of well.....your typical Indian airport. It was interesting to note that there was a plaque on the wall stating that the terminal was opened in 1992. I wonder what other terminals were opened around that time - it would be interesting to compare. By contrast, the terminal that 9W and the other private carriers use is positively luxurious and modern compared to this one.
Entry is only available for those holding tickets...
The Kingfisher check-in desks AFTER our group had checked in...
IT also offer it's first class passengers a kerbside valet although with such few first passengers, they were all standing idly around even though they saw twenty of us trundle past them wit tonnes of luggage. Some help would have been nice.
After checking-in, we all proceeded through security at our own pace. I bought a wireless access card from a booth (as per the sales lady, there is wireless access through out the entire terminal) for Rs.250 for 3 hours. I should have known better as the signal was barely attainable from most places except from right outside the booth where it was the strongest. I suspect they only have set up one antennae right inside the booth!
After checking my mail, i went ahead through security. I was told before leaving for India that the no-liquids in carry-on rule had been introduced for all domestic flights and for all flights departing from India. However, not once was i asked to remove liquids, and not once was my carry-on inspected. I was carrying plenty of liquid! It may be a stupid rule, but if you have it in place, enforce it!
Waiting area prior to security....
Originally our flight was to board using a jetway (forgot which gate number) however, as soon as we cleared security a sign was posted indicating that our gate had been changed to a bus gate - Gate 10. I was happy as i enjoy bus gates, but everyone else didn't like the idea of lugging their hand luggage along for the ride.
Aircraft occupying our original gate.....not to be ours....
Our a/c arriving from somewhere taxiing to a remote stand....
After a short wait at Gate 10, boarding was announced. Two busses were available - a luxury bus for First passengers and a standard one for the rest of us.
Gate 10
Approaching our aircraft...
We boarded through the front and passed the comfortable looking first seats.
Kingfisher First....
Passengers boarding the aircraft...
Seat pitch was pretty comfortable. The leather headrests were also quite nice.
In-Flight Experience
Boarding was completed very quickly and soon enough doors were secured and the safety video was played on our seat back screens. This is the first safety video i've seen which was animated and live action together (sort of like Roger Rabbit! - as my niece said!).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZAyVh6FrfE
Watch the safety video here...
We soon began our taxi to the runway which was quite short. During the taxi, we were handed a small amenity pack which consisted of headphones, some sweets, a pen, some calorie-free sweetener!, and a IT timetable. We were also offered a bottle of Kingfisher Mineral Water.
BOM Tower
Fedex MD11 at the Cargo Terminal
Passing the International Terminal - AI 767
Egyptair A330
No. 4 for departure...
IT305 hold short for Virgin A340 on finals....
We were soon on the active runway and began our pretty short take off roll..
Passing some derelict AI 747 classics....are they used for parts or something?
Service soon started with three crew members serving the almost full Y cabin. First of all, every staff member i saw was immaculately groomed and some looked like models! I heard a rumor that VM hand picks all his cabin crew - imagine how many lawsuits he'd have to face if he did that in the US!! Infact, i also saw a Kingfisher Airlines swimsuit calendar which they had also just launched featuring some actual cabin crew and professional models which was shot in St. Tropez.
Service started with the menu card being passed out. Today's meal featured a starter of chickpeas in tamarind sauce, a choice between chicken korma and rice or paneer with spinach and rice followed by a dessert of 'Kheer' which is like an Indian rice pudding of sorts.
Drinks were then served. They didn't come round with a drink trolley but instead filled trays of assorted drinks and walked through the cabin. OJ, Apple Juice, Water, and Coke were on the trays - however as they got to the back only OJ was available. I asked for a coke which was bought promptly from the galley behind me.
Around 15 mins. after the drink service, the meal service began from the back to the front of the aircraft. I asked for the chicken. Tea was also offered together with the tray, but i asked the stewardess to refill my coke, to which she asked the galley attendant to take care of. The refill was offered almost immediately.
Chicken Korma with Rice
The food itself was of a pretty good quality except for the Indian bread which was very dry and brittle. I could have had seconds actually....
The inflight entertainment system on IT consists of several channels of short programs and several audio channels. I think the programming is suitable and adequate for the relatively short-haul flights that IT currently operates.
Pretty soon we were making our descent into a smoggy Delhi. We were slightly delayed due to ATC restrictions, but were on the ground soon enough.
Before securing the cabin, the following video was played throughout the aircraft. Normally, these announcements are made by the crew, but in this case, no one made these announcements, relying instead on the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKimx9PpHQ8
Pre-Landing Safety Video
On finals into DEL...
Arrival Experience
After a smooth landing, we were faced with a looooong taxi through to our stand, which was to be a bus gate again. We passed the international apron, GA area, and the domestic apron before reaching our stand. The good thing is that i did manage to get some great pictures from the taxi and the bus ride!
A good line-up on the domestic apron featuring most of the domestic operators.
Leaving the aircraft. As there were only a handful of First passengers, two Toyota Cars were sent for them instead of a bus.
Holding for an Indigo flight which had also just arrived from BOM and JAI.
Passing which i suppose is the General Aviation area, a mish mash of fixed wing and helicopters all pushed into a pretty small area...
Passing an IAF Border Security Force Aircraft on the way to the Arrivals terminal...Anyone know what aircraft type?
Once inside the terminal, it took approximately another 25 minutes before our luggage started to appear. Soon we were on our way to our fleet of cars waiting outside!
Conclusion
Overall IT certainly beats IC and AI hands-down, although i think that 9W and IT are on par with each other in terms of service. Personally i think the 9W crews are a bit more professional whilst the IT crew are a bit more glamorous. Although in the future i would still prefer flying IT on the main routes due to their inflight entertainment (not all 9W a/c feature entertainment).
Overall a very comfortable short flight at a good price!
I hope that IT does join one of the alliances or at least work out some partnerships with other airlines - UA would be great!
- so that we can earn some miles! One final question for those familiar with Delhi. I was told that there is an Air Force museum featuring several aircraft located within the airport perimeter. Is this true and is it open to the public? I will be visiting DEL again probably at the end of March and would like to go have a look if possible!
Thanks for reading, hope it was interesting, and look forward to your comments!
Mar 12, 2007, 1:50 pm
#2
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 92
Noce report ... thanks. Will try IT next time I am india ... especially since they are "glamorous" as you say
As for the museum, you are probably talking about this one ...
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Mu...lam/index.html
Not sure if it is open to public.
As for the museum, you are probably talking about this one ...
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Mu...lam/index.html
Not sure if it is open to public.
Apr 2, 2007, 12:45 pm
#5
Join Date: Oct 2003
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Posts: 6,704
Apr 2, 2007, 3:18 pm
#7
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: West of CLE
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Posts: 5,378
Whets My Appetite for Travel in the Sub-continent
I was surprised at how cheap the ticket was--according to xe.com, 3950 rupees equals $91.66. Looks like a quality travel experience.
Aug 27, 2007, 1:52 pm
#9
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Stamford, CT
Posts: 68
Which too is coming to an end Nov 15th 07. Now wishing AA does tie up with Kingfisher to replace Sahara !
Aug 27, 2007, 2:40 pm
#10
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Netherlands
Programs: BA | A3 | AFKL | Hertz | SPG | Avis
Posts: 748
good report, didn't see it earlier
looks like a Hawker Siddeley HS.748, nice classic prop aircraft ^
(edit)
actually, the type is apparently called Avro HS.748. this is an interesting article about the HS.748 in India.
(edit)
actually, the type is apparently called Avro HS.748. this is an interesting article about the HS.748 in India.
Sep 20, 2007, 6:34 pm
#11
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When Kingfisher lists a meal as a snack...is that different from a lunch or dinner? Are snacks also hot meals?
