Air India Flight 471 (Airbus A319-100) - Delhi to Udaipur in Y

[shikhargpt]

Background:

Also an extremely overdue trip report - I flew on 25 November last year for this flight, and I've been busy (and eventually forgot) about the TR. So at the time of this flight, I've been in India for 10 days, having come in on AI 381 (Boeing 788). I'd been really excited for the Udaipur trip, but my first 10 days were spent visiting relatives near and around Delhi/Lucknow. Finally it was time to unwind proper.

The trip was spurred on by the TV show "Maharana Pratap" on SET Asia, which I'm quite a big fan of. It depicts 15th/16th century Rajasthan, through the life of the legendary king Pratap Singh and his war against the Mughal Empire. Naturally, I simply had to go and check out the palaces and cities for myself. So off I went.

But there was a hitch. The cheapest carrier, SpiceJet was in trouble and Jet Airways/Konnect was super expensive (not to mention had terrible timings). Trains were looked at as an option, but reservations were all gone. Air India again.

This time I honestly didn't feel good about booking the flight. While I was expecting AI 381 to be a very good experience (international flight, new aircraft, recent *Alliance entry etc.), I was more hesitant over a domestic flight on Air India, more so with their spotty maintenance records. Nevertheless, it was my only option.

Flight Details

Flight Number: AI/AIC 471
Departure Airport: Indira Gandhi International, Delhi (DEL, VIDP)
Scheduled Time of Departure: 1600
Arrival Airport: Maharana Pratap Airport, Udaipur (UDA, VAUD)
Schedule Time of Arrival: 1710
Cabin Class: Y

Air India had good timings for both the departure and arrival. I could leave my aunt's house in Noida (2.5 hours drive) at noon, giving me ample time to have lunch. I would also be in the hotel by 1800 giving me enough time to utilise the night to start some of the touring.

I got to the airport by 1500 and set about exploring the domestic side of Terminal 3. Making my way to the giant windows at the apron area, I saw a peculiar sight.



Parked at the gate was VT-EPH, an Airbus A320. But it wasn't just any A320 - it had a double-bogey main gear. I was extremely confused. Since when did an A320 have double-bogied main gears?



Quick research on Wikipedia showed that Indian Airlines had ordered its first 31 A320-200s with double-bogie main landing gear for airfields with poor runway condition which a single-bogie main gear could not manage. But it seems that those fears proved to be unfounded, considering how GoAir and IndiGo use the A320 to all those destinations too.





The domestic side wasn't too busy at this hour, with many families visible. I went up to see the dining options, but I didn't feel like eating more. Plus the boarding was going to open soon.

I made my way to the waiting area, where boarding had already commenced. Unfortunately, the location on the pier was such that I couldn't snap any pictures except see the aircraft registration. There was my aircraft for today.

Aircraft Information

Registration: VT-SCR
Aircraft: Airbus A319-100
Engines: 2x CFMI CFM56-5B6/3
Config: C8, Y114
Delivered: 30 July 2009



An A319 is a small aircraft, and the dense layout on the Air India flights did not help. The cabin was a standard 3-3 as is for the A320 family, but seat pitch was limited and weren't as comfortable as those on the Boeing 787. However, they were far more comfortable than the slimlines on the IndiGo aircraft. The cabin looked good as always.



The first thing I noted after sitting down was the crack in the plastic cover for the PTV around the left screw. Not a very good first impression.



The PTV was a small 7 inch one, but it wasn't turned on throughout the flight. That wasn't an issue, though. One rarely uses them on such short flights.



The legroom on the A319 was quite adequate, on par with SilkAir's A319/20 offerings as well.



Even on Tuesday, the aircraft was completely full, including C class.



Before long we pushed back, and I noticed that the window was extremely dirty. The aircraft probably hadn't been cleaned for months. As we taxied, the main flight steward came on the PA for the safety announcement, and hilarity ensued.

His voice quavered like there was no tomorrow, he kept on tripping up on his words and even forgot the script for long periods of time, leaving us with nothing but the hum of the engines. By the end of his announcement, the whole cabin was in tears. Perhaps he wasn't too experienced, but the level of nervousness that could be heard was unprecedented.



As we taxied onto the active, I saw this Dassault Falcon 900EX owned by CT Aviation LLC parked at the remote stand.

Continued in the next post (Part 2 of 3)

[shikhargpt]

Part 2 of 3



Next to N789ZZ was an unpainted A320. I curiously scratched my head until I noticed the registration. VT-TTC! Oh, so this was Vistara's second A320 which I didn't know had been delivered. But what came next was even better.



VT-TTB in all her glory herself! At the time of the flight, Vistara hadn't commenced revenue operations, so I was feeling really lucky to see their first two A320s in the flesh parked at IGIA. Have some more pictures of her.





We made our way onto the active and proceeded with a rolling takeoff. Looks like operations at IGIA weren't too busy that afternoon.



Delhi looked much cleaner today, but perhaps it was because we were close to the airport area.



The sky was a beautiful blue (also, you've no idea how many clone stamps I had to use to hide the dirt in the window), but honestly, the window was covered in scratches and dirt.



We had a small refreshment service of butter biscuits and a choice between coffee and tea.



I went for the coffee, but it was the instant kind and had more water than substance. But I didn't need much for such a short flight anyway.



The sky became bluer as we left Delhi, and it was really nice to see. Only wished there were more clouds to add to the beauty.





Descent started quickly afterwards, and we flew over quite a few lakes on final approach.

We landed quite hard, though taxi and parking at the stand was a 30s affair after turning off the runway.

Continued in the next post (Part 3 of 3)

[shikhargpt]

Part 3 of 3



Maharana Pratap airport only has one terminal building, with no cargo operations. Two aerobridges are available, and we naturally used one of them.



After disembarkation, it was barely a 100m walk until we descended using an escalator to the baggage collection area.





While waiting, I decided to take a few pictures and I estimate the floor area of the terminal is not more than 5000 square meters. I was especially impressed by the efficiency and cleanliness of the airport - a first in India for me.



The non-airside area is limited to this, and is perfectly adequate for the traffic that flows through here.



There were only two flights after us due to arrive, and that after 3 more hours, though the display board was curiously showing a completely incorrect timing for my flight.



Outside, there is a simple pick up and drop off point.



The architecture of the terminal building is also quite nice from the outside and exudes a modern vibe.



A fountain piece and a statue of Maharana Pratap and his horse Chetak (not pictured) are also situated in the parking area.

Conclusion

Flying domestic on Air India wasn't half as bad as I had expected to be. For a short haul trip on a small A319 (5 years old only though), it could have been much worse. The seats were comfortable, albeit you saw the characteristic poor service from the FAs.

There was no question about the food - it was too short a flight for that - but I cannot say that this was any worse than flying from SIN to KUL on MH (as I did in 2010 in a 734). Plus, there's no immigration to be stuck in!

All in all, if needed, I'd be glad to fly Air India on the domestic routes, although if SpiceJet wasn't in trouble, I would have flown with them. Not bad at all AI, looks like things are taking a turn for the better!

That ends my second trip report. Do look out for my next TR where I travel back to Singapore from Delhi on AI 380 (on VT-ANL, a 787-8)!

[SQflyergirl]

The sky was a beautiful blue (also, you've no idea how many clone stamps I had to use to hide the dirt in the window), but honestly, the window was covered in scratches and dirt.

That's hilarious Thanks for the report though ! Am enjoying it

[shikhargpt]

That's hilarious Thanks for the report though ! Am enjoying it

At least someone found some fun in it! And thank you.

[SQueeze]

AI is the only airline with PTV on domestic runs in India. Not even Vistara has it. It should have the potential to set itself apart from the competitors by turning it on.
I have flown their domestic in Y too. I thought leg room was good and food was great. Better than Jet airways.

Anyway, you took stunning photos as usual.
You must post more. Really look forward to it. So easy on the eyes.

Hoping to see some Udaipur pics though.
I thought I would be inspired to go this weekend.
I am in Delhi btw right know posting this reply. Still unsure where I should go this weekend - perhaps Jaipur. Chandigarh on Monday.

[shikhargpt]

AI is the only airline with PTV on domestic runs in India. Not even Vistara has it. It should have the potential to set itself apart from the competitors by turning it on.
I have flown their domestic in Y too. I thought leg room was good and food was great. Better than Jet airways.

Anyway, you took stunning photos as usual.
You must post more. Really look forward to it. So easy on the eyes.

Hoping to see some Udaipur pics though.
I thought I would be inspired to go this weekend.
I am in Delhi btw right know posting this reply. Still unsure where I should go this weekend - perhaps Jaipur. Chandigarh on Monday.

I agree. They have the chance to set themselves apart by switching on the IFE system, though I'm not sure how much it would be used in such short flights like this.

Thank you for the compliments yet again! And since you asked so nicely, here are some pictures from Udaipur.

---



After leaving the airport, I made my way to a taxi and we agreed on a fare to the hotel, Boheda Palace. I had booked this hotel based on Tripadvisor reports, and I can say it is the biggest mistake I've ever made with regards to travel.

Their rooms, while decently sized, had no clothes rack, no hangers, no safe, and the bathroom had no soap holders, no screen between the toilet and shower and no toilet paper! There had been zero mention of this on Tripadvisor, so we decided to ask the hotel manager what was going on. Apparently, all that I have listed above were considered luxury necessities and to enjoy them we had to book a Deluxe room. Bull. Shit.

The hotel manager was completely unapologetic about this obfuscation that was going on, and also took great issues while checking us in. He demanded to see my family's Indian passports and find out the place of residence in India. But we had left our passports back in Delhi - why carry them domestically and risk losing them, right? It took a long while, but he was finally placated by looking at my father's and my Singapore NRIC.

1/10 would recommend the hotel.



All that posturing and arguing had wasted some valuable time, so we could only leave the hotel proper at around 7 PM. First off, we went to visit a temple, and outside I saw this sage sitting in front of a mural of an ancient king, giving blessings to the crowd around him. Love the contrast.



After that, we rushed to Bagore ki Haveli, where a folk dance routine was going to be shown, and I have to say it was really brilliant. It covered all the Rajasthani customs from ancient times, and gave us an insight into the lives of the ancient Rajasthani women (and even royalty). Here are more pictures of the routine.











The dance routine at Bagore ki Haveli was certainly brilliant, and I loved every minute of it. I wish other states and cities duplicate this as well, for it is incredibly interesting to learn about their ancient customs.



The next day, we went to the Sahelion ki Bari, which was really nothing more than a garden where ancient princesses used to spend their time, though it was really quite beautiful.



And then came probably the best part of the trip - the City Palace of Udaipur. This was where Rana Udai Singh II (father of Maharana Pratap) had shifted the seat of power from Chittor after devastating attacks by the Mughal Empire.



You really have to see it to understand the sense of awe this induces in you. This is a real, 15th century palace, and it still looks so good.



Next to the palace is Lake Pichola, in the middle of which there is a hotel. Taj Lake Palace, formerly the Jagniwas, was built between 1743- 1746 under the direction of the Maharana Jagat Singh II (62nd successor to the royal dynasty of Mewar) of Udaipur, Rajasthan as a royal summer palace, but now has been converted to a really expensive hotel. US$500 per night - YIKES!

Also of interest, is that large parts of the 007 hit "Octopussy" was shot here.

[shikhargpt]

There was a sizeable entry fee (Rs. 200 if I recall correctly) per person, but it was honestly worth every rupee. The palace looked as stunning from the inside as it did from the outside.



This was where some parts of a Bollywood film were shot, with this feature as the background.



We also got to tour the rooms inside, and these were the vessels in which food was cooked back then.



After that we entered the part of the palace that had been converted to a museum, and standing proud in the middle was a statue of Chetak, the legendary horse.



We also saw this chariot made out of real gold that was used by the kings back then.



Within about an hour, the tour was over, and we were left to roam as we pleased in the palace grounds.





As we left the palace, I took this picture of Lake Pichola as it glittered under the sun.



After lunch, we went on a ferry ride around Lake Pichola where we could see the whole of the City Palace in its full grandeur.

That's all for Udaipur, but I also visited Mount Abu. Do you want to see pictures from there as well? I'll probably post them tomorrow, as I'm going to sleep right now. I do hope you visit Udaipur - there's a reason it is called the Venice of the East!

[yflyer]

Beautiful pictures of Udaipur, shikhargpt! Agree with SQueeze that you take great photos.

[shikhargpt]

Beautiful pictures of Udaipur, shikhargpt! Agree with SQueeze that you take great photos.

Thank you!