http://desicritics.org/ Superior South Asian bloggers on Culture, Media, Politics, Sport, Business, and Technology. en Copyright 2006 by the authors Mon, 30 Apr 2007 11:16:42 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss BC custom software http://desicritics.org/2007/04/30/000238.php#comment-172053 I travel international once a month, and Bombay International airport is absolutely lovely. There is no waiting at immigration, bags come soon, there is a free shuttle to domestic, there are prepaid taxis, everything works. The domestic airport is really swanky now. 172053@desicritics.org Mon, 30 Apr 2007 11:16:42 EDT http://desicritics.org/2007/04/30/000238.php#comment-171929 Delhi,Mumbai and Bangalore Airports are strictly better off than they were 3-5 years ago. At the pace of improvement, it is only a matter of time before it meets your service standards. 171929@desicritics.org Mon, 30 Apr 2007 03:31:53 EDT http://desicritics.org/2007/04/30/000238.php#comment-171928 #2, I completely agree, but I would think more in terms of planning is the problem. And more and more, depending on government agencies for planning is the problem. I am all in favour of private airlines coming in fast so that cost of transportation becomes cheaper, rather than the ridiculous levels it was before. But, the agency responsible for airport planning is a govt agency, and hence not very proactive in planning. #3, I read your comments earlier in a post, and I completely empathize. This lack of courtesy is getting to be a severe problem. If you are faced with a pregnant lady / old person or other person who is obviously in need of a seat, how can a person continue to sit there without a concern ? Although, I still see people standing and offerig their seat when necessary, just that it does not happen enough. 171928@desicritics.org Mon, 30 Apr 2007 03:30:27 EDT http://desicritics.org/2007/04/30/000238.php#comment-171910 delhi domestic terminal is a mess. on top of all the things you mentioned (it took us 15 minutes for the cab we were in to just find one small space to stop us off while whole families were chatting away outside their cars) the terminal itself is chaos. There are not enough seats to handle the crowds, and there are very few refreshments on sale. Our 2 hour wait there was unbearable. As I had noted in a separate post here, the people behaved badly, refusing to let a mother trying to feed her infant sit down. I also had to struggle for a seat, and I am six months pregnant. People were indifferent and at times cold, as evidenced by one man who actually ran to get an empty seat while i was clearly walking toward it. He then refused to look at me as he nicely sat there while I continued to stand, back aching. 171910@desicritics.org Mon, 30 Apr 2007 02:25:11 EDT http://desicritics.org/2007/04/30/000238.php#comment-171908 Ashish, I travel on and off inside and out of India and so I can easily sense what you are trying to convey. Mumbai and B'lore airports are the ones I use the most. Mumbai is a step better than B'lore as you have different terminals for domestic and international flights. Come to B'lore, its a mess during peak hours as it caters to both international and domestic flights from the same place. Well things are improving on a fast pace and the new international airport is under construction and the speed of progress is impressive. It is more than 40-45% complete [not sure of the exact figures but its in that range] and would be up and running in operational mode soon. You know what is causing all this problem. Lack of planning and foresight. I am no great strategist have completed 4 years of work life by now, after my graduation in Engineering. But can you tell me if I am wrong in these 2 points of my reasoning. 1. Indian aviation ministry gives clearance to a new private domestic airline service or a new foreign player's entry to Indian skies almost every 6 months in the last 2 years. While giving this clearance, don't they think about the infrastructre capabilities we have ? Fine we should not miss this opportunity of growth that we are seeing in India today but what have you done to make up for the improvement in infrastructre. Does the pace of it match the pace of growth which we are witnessing. If 'NO', then there is a big big mistake in the way we did our planning, isn't it ? 2. The entire government machinery is still living with a mindset of 19th century, trying hard to follow the processes of the 20th century and are running ahead to win the race in the 21st century. 171908@desicritics.org Mon, 30 Apr 2007 02:23:02 EDT http://desicritics.org/2007/04/30/000238.php#comment-171888 There should be a separate entry for quick drops and people should not be allowed to loiter around. The cops need to be more proactive as most Indians respond only to the fear of the law. Its not just the airports, there are Desis jumping the lines, breaking traffic laws and doing general stupid things and when you pull them up one gets the same dimwitted argument- Its a free country and I can do whatever I want! As if democracy gives them the right to behave like animals! 171888@desicritics.org Mon, 30 Apr 2007 00:54:38 EDT