A changing India in J and Y: BLR-DEL-GOI-BOM

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Part 3:

Flight: 9W 427
Aircraft: 737-900ER
Registration: VT-JBY
Cabin: Premiere
Seat: 1F
Load: 4/8



The next day (a very short stay indeed), I was back at the airport to catch a flight to Mumbai. It was rather quiet in the departure hall. This was around Christmas and I believe people were flying in rather than flying out.






Baggage was pre-screened prior to checking-in. And I queued up at the Premiere counter a short while later.




At first, it was a short line even at Economy.

But the queue didn't move for a good 20 minutes due to computer issues, and the line built up.



After an irritating 20+ minutes, I was finally up the escalator to the departure section.



On top, you either turn right or left. Right is immigration. Yes, Goa is an international airport, mainly to the Gulf but they also serve a lot of charters from Europe. Tonight is quite interesting with a departure to Almaty (Scat), and Helsinki (Finnair). I wouldn't get to see the AY metal but would come across Scat which is a charter using a Sunday Airlines metal. Pity I didn't manage to get any pics of this rarity. It was too dark.

I turned left and it was a longish hall to security.



And then up another escalator to the departure lounge.



I was earlier given a lounge voucher. But it seems to be more of a restaurant than a lounge. It doesn't look cozy inside so I skipped it.



Looking around to the international side. It's an exact symmetry. Even the 'lounge' is of the same name but positioned symmetrically on the left side. The only difference is the presence of duty free.



I spent half an hour here before boarding was called and I proceeded to the gate. It was not a remote gate this time, and I walked 2 sets of ramps to get to the plane. Curiously, this is a 3-storey terminal and not the usual 2.

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For the next 2 days, I would be exploring this Little Portugal which has quite a different flavour than the rest of India.

Some pictures of Goa....



In many parts, the landscape does look a little like Southeast Asia although somewhat a bit drier.







But once in awhile, you will stumble across charming baroque churches in between coconut trees.







Some glimpses of the Portuguese-era old city centre, which quite reminds me of Havana, Cuba.





I am not a beach person so I didn't soak in the beach scene. But people generally come here for the beaches. This is taken at the Vivanta by Taj, North Goa. It's quite a built-up beach scene which is not my cup of tea at all.

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Shortly at cruising altitude, meal service began. The meal menu is cute. It has the usual selection of sandwiches, and a few Indian selection which I was drawn to. I had pre-purchased my meal. The FA had a list and she asked me if I had prepurchased my meal and that I could select anything from the menu.



I picked the dal chawal, and the jaljeera drink. The packaging is cute.



The dal dish is instant dal mixed with rice. The FA poured hot water in it and straight away put it on my table with lid closed. And voila, after 8 minutes, this is what I had. Taste was good enough for me. Definitely better than standard sandwiches.



The service was a bit slow and it was awhile before my table was cleared and I could finally relax.

I didn't take any more pics as it was just all clouds that morning. Until...we were on approach to Goa ....



We landed on time at 120pm in the afternoon.



Disembarkation was at a remote bay although the terminal building does have a limited number of jet bridges.



A short while later, I was out of the terminal building. It looks quite nice in this photo but the actual place is quite badly done. It's a building that was put up together too fast. I don't think it's older than 5 years old but it's already looking more like 20.

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And then I settled down on my seat which was by the wing.



Leg room was enormously good. In fact, on the way to my seat, I thought all the standard seats have very good pitches compared to what I have seen on Jetstar and the likes. I thought it's more like Easyjet rather than Jetstar Asia.



The plane seems to be very new. The seats are the thin types, but it doesn't feel as thin as I expected. It feels really good. This is 1000 times better than Jetstar's super stiff seats for sure. Then I reclined my seat, and wow, it is a pretty good recline. This is definitely 10,000 times better than Jetstar.



In flight magazine is called "Hello". Its contents are all advertisements, sale catalogue, and meals for pay. They know how to make money for sure.



Impressive frequency between DEL and BOM.



And also another impressive frequency to HYD.



Shortly after, an FA briefed both rows of emergency exit row passengers on what to do in case of emergency.



They asked me first if I would be willing to cooperate. And I was tempted to say no but decided to just let her do her job.

Exactly at 1050am, 100% on time, everybody had settled down, door was closed, and we were ready for departure.



Looking out, the fog had slightly lifted but one still couldn't see the terminal building clearly.

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Part 2

Flight: 6E 329
Aircraft: A320
Registration: -
Cabin: Economy
Seat: 13A
Load: 100%

After a couple of days in Delhi and Gurgaon for work, it was time to leave for Goa (for work and not holiday )

6E is the dominant carrier on the DEL-GOI route with 4x daily flights and convenient timings. The alternatives are AI which was full and most flights would route through BOM, Spicejet which is in trouble recently, and GoAir which doesn't have the frequency for business travelers. So 6E was a good choice for me in this particular case.

I am also keen to check 6E out because I only hear good things about them. I am also keen to compare it to the usual LCCs that I usually fly: Jetstar, Tiger, Air Asia, and Lionair. I don't like Jetstar for its horrible stiff preclined chairs and Lionair for its super tight pitch even for short guys like me. I like Tiger and Air Asia best for seat comfort but their prices are almost certainly higher than Jetstar which has its pricebeat guarantee.

Anyway ....

I reached DEL Terminal 1D in a foggy and cold morning in late December. This was the week before Christmas and the terminal was pretty crowded and was already buzzing. Terminal 1D is the former domestic terminal. I had actually been here before but I couldn't recall at all. All that I recalled of DEL is Terminal 3 (new) and the old dark dingy international terminal. To my pleasant surprise, Terminal 1D is the former domestic terminal which I had long ago visited in its renovated incarnation.



After the usual mandatory document check, I stepped into the terminal building. The space is quite nice. The building structures are quite slender and the roof appears light and airy. The timber tone of the ceiling is soothing. But it is also quite busy and the decor is quite basic and with too many advertisements which makes it appear more like a bus station rather than an airport terminal.



I proceeded to IndiGo's common check-in queue which was a long line but fortunately it moved fast.



Across is IndiGo's web check-in counters which were just as busy. I didn't use web check-in this time because I had pre-reserved my seats anyway and I had baggage to check in.



"Good morning, Sir, you are going to Goa today? "

"Yes, that's right. I have also pre-reserved my seat which is 12A but I know it's non-reclining, can I change it to 13 window please? "

Row 13 was not available when I purchased the ticket. I am not sure if it was blocked or what but after some typing, she reverted back to me:

"I have changed your seat to 13A, can I also check the credit card used for the booking? "

I thought this kind of verification is no longer the norm these days, but fine, I had it with me anyway.

After a few minutes,and past a quick security queue, I was soon in the waiting lounge which was very crowded.



I didn't have much time left so I proceeded to my gate. All gates at Terminal 1D are bus gates so it's a long escalator ride down.



By the time, I reached my gate, boarding had already started. And I hopped on straight to the bus.



A couple of minutes later, I reached the airplane at the remote bay.



There are no stairs to climb. We would be using a ramp to go up, which is good for those who have trolley bags.



Both doors were open for embarkation. I like the brand name IndiGo which I think is cool but I think they have one of the most boring liveries in the world.



One last look before entering.

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Dinner was served an hour into the flight. In my previous reports, I had remarked that food presentation was AI's weakness. Dal was served in cheap foil, transparent plastics covered appetizers and desserts, etc. To my pleasant surprise, the presentation has since been improved. At least they remove plastic covers in the galley now. The dal was still served in foil but this is less an issue to me than the plastic covers. The portion seems to be bigger too. The taste was not bad, although it's nothing compared to SQ's great Indian food. Since this was a domestic flight, no alcohol was offered and I am not sure if it would be available had I asked.



After the meal service, I decided to go to the economy section, and oops, what a dense layout a 3-3-3 is. I wouldn't want to be here on any flights >2 hours. It's a pity that this is the new standard in long haul Y.



See the young sweet FA on the aisle looking back towards me. She was pushing a cart. One minute after this, I was back in the business cabin, and she popped over.

"Sir, were you looking for the toilet? for you, you can use the one in the front or there is also one here just behind your seat. Let me know if you need anything else."

Oh, how nice. She had initiative. If this had been an average airline, a busy FA would not bother to pop over to a different section trying to help me. Again another well done to AI. I am continuously surprised and pleasantly so by all the positive changes.

Then I really needed to use the toilet. And it's very clean.





I still had an hour to rest before landing. Good that I brought my own pillow. AI's pillow is not very useful.



Just before landing, another round of hot/cold towels were offered.



And then an animated video showing how to go through the arrival and transfer process at DEL was shown using a fully modeled terminal building. This will be massively useful for first time foreigners. It will definitely dispel some of the anxiety of first timers.



We landed on time, in the dark, and in the fog, so no pictures of the external as I couldn't see a thing.



One last look at AI's long haul J seat with its tiny useless pillow. But other than the pillow, I think this is a decent airline which I think will only get better in times to come, especially when the grumpy seniors have gone to their retirement.

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Ah, AI 787, we finally meet again. It's a beautiful plane, and is my favorite looks-wise. I don't really like that ring at the nose though.



Everybody entered through Door 2, and greeted by a rather expressionless FA.

"You may turn to the left after the galley, Mr SQueeze"

Ah .... Back on AI's 787 after a few months. It seemed a bit more worn out than its newer brother VT-ANP which I took from SIN in August. But it's still in good condition. Some of SQ's A380s, as I discovered recently are in even worse condition.

I settled onto my seat, and just relaxed to the tune of an ambient spa music. The IFE screens were showing changing images of nature: forests, oceans, and mountains. I felt like I was in a spa. I just closed my eyes and relaxed. I didn't notice this spa-like ambience on my SIN-DEL flight a few months earlier. I thought someone got it right in AI again. I am hopeful for this airline. I think it's changing for the better.



Legroom is great.



A pillow is provided but it is too thin. They need to change this especially if it's for the long haul.



IFE control and headset.



Inflight magazine. From the name, I believe AI is catering mainly to the local market. Non-Indians won't understand what shubh yatra means. I guess it's 'Bon voyage' ?



Very soon, 2 male FAs came round. They belong to the younger generation of AI crew and they were warmer and more pleasant than the grandmotherly seniors who also soon appeared with their expected grumpiness. They offered to take my jacket away - nice and proactive enough.

I was addressed by name and drinks were offered.

"Good evening, Mr Squeeze, would you like to have some drinks, we have water, orange juice, and mixed juice here."

"Sure, thank you, let me have the mixed juice, please"

The addressing by name was not something I observed in my previous AI flights. This airline has definitely moved for the better. I am not particular about it but it sets apart the cream of the crop. Well done, AI. I am impressed by the positive changes so far.

Not too long after, they came round again, this time with 2 sets of towels: warm and cold.
"Towels, Mr SQueeze? We have warm and cold ...."

Wow, we have a choice here. I always prefer the cold ones (Jet Airways) rather than the warm ones (SQ), so that's what I picked - cold. I appreciate the gesture of giving passengers the choice but I am not a fan of their towels, there was a rather strange offputting smell to it.




Soon the towels and empty glasses were removed in preparation for departure, which was on-time.

Then the safety demonstration. This is an ultra-modern aircraft, but demonstration was done the old-fashioned way.



And we soon left the gate for the runway. On the way, we passed by an IndiGo at a remote stand.



The IFE was functioning gate to gate.



And we were soon airborne in the easterly direction and then north.

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And then I explored the lounge. This is a bar serving non-alcoholic drinks and coffee and tea. But the coffee machine had run out of beans and only discharged brown water . this shouldn't have been allowed to happen.



There are a few sitting corners, all with very attractive design. This area has a nice stone frieze at the background wall which gives is a nice local touch.



More seating areas with these very strange alien-looking chairs. I tried it but it is not the most comfortable.



Looking across to Plaza Premium Lounge, the older lounge.



There is also a bar serving alcohols but I didn't feel like drinking. So I am not sure if it would be free or not.

There is a buffet area with open kitchen and much much better food selection than in Plaza Premium lounge. More hot food options for sure.



The dining area. The buffet counter is quite a distance from my seat so I set up another a base here to have dinner. I was then quite hungry.



Food was a bit on the salty side though.



Not long after dinner, I had to start making a move as my gate would be the furthest from the lounge - 15A.

As is usually the case here in BLR, queuing is a messy affair, as seen for this IndiGo flight to Trivandrum.



But surprisingly, my Air India queue was very organized. It was long, but the line was clear and everybody was patiently waiting in line.



Since I was in executive class, and there is usually no executive lane for AI domestic, I requested the gate keeper if I could jump the queue and it was ok.

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It's gender-segregated in India. This is a nice signage for Males. Here
in India, being a male-dominated country, most travelers are males, especially on the domestic runs. There are 4 or 5 of these.



Another nice signage for Females. There is only one.



Security was smooth and I was past it in minutes. And I found myself in a very pleasant waiting area. It's beautifully finished with timber tones, natural stones, soft lighting, and green planters.



There are lots of F&B spaces as well.



There is ample seating for dining.



There is also a pleasantly laid out souvenir shop.



The waiting area is a bit tight though. It tends to get very chaotic when it is boarding time. There isn't enough depth in the building for good orderly queues.



I went to the entrance to the Plaza Premium lounge which I thought I knew and to my dismay, I discovered that the entrance had been moved.



So I had to do a little exploring and I soon found myself under this signage. Hmm, there are two lounges now - left and right. I know Plaza Premium, but had never been to Above the Ground. I checked my lounge pass but it didn't say which lounge I could use. So ok, let's try the new one.



To my pleasant discovery, it is better than Plaza Premium on the other side. It's brighter and fresher.



My first pick for my base was this nice sleek leather chair.

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Background:

As I recently discovered, after this year's election and Modi's rise to power, business has been ramping up and while it is not as busy as in the boom years of the late 2000s, I soon find myself travelling back and forth to serve new projects quite frequently.

I had earlier compiled a report comparing my experiences flying in India which can be re-visited here.

It is interesting to note that things are changing, both airports and airlines, and they are changing for the better. I am kept very impressed by my most recent experiences.

For this trip, I will be comparing my experiences on 3 of India's airlines. I flew with AI and 9W before both domestically and internationally but 6E is new to me. I am quite excited about 6E to check out what is this private carrier about and what makes it most feared by its competitors. Bangalore and Mumbai airports have also changed so I will also be reviewing the new lounges.

This will be a 4-part report in the same thread:

Part 1: BLR-DEL on AI's 787 in J class
Part 2: DEL-GOI on 6E's 320 in Y class
Part 3: GOI-BOM on 9W's 739 in J class
Part 4: mainly the new BOM, and SQ in J class


Part 1

Flight: AI 404
Aircraft: 787-800
Registration: VT-ANG
Cabin: Executive
Seat: 3J
Load: 17/18

As I explained in my earlier trip reports on India, the BLR-DEL sector is under served in the evenings for business travelers. The options are 9W at 1845h (too early) and at 2245h (too late), or AI at 2015h which is then effectively the only convenient timing for a full productive day at work and without reaching DEL too late. I am a regular on this flight and up to recently, it was usually served by fully-packed A321s.

Recently, I was super excited because I noticed that AI 404 is now served by 787s. And I believe this is good for AI. It offers the only convenient timing for BLR-DEL's business travelers and it has good onward connections to intercontinental flights at the DEL end. This route has been needing a widebody service and someone in AI is thinking rationally and is getting this right. As proven, the flight was 100% full in both economy and executive except for 1.

And so ... I arrived in the evening 1.5 hours before the flight after a 1.5 hours trek in peak hour traffic from the office. It was already dark and BLR was beautifully lit. I like the design of its new extension.



Very lofty volume of the new wing and it's very clean and well-maintained.





Spicejet crew just arrived. Poor them with an uncertain future now (or at least at the time, 2 weeks ago, it was uncertain).



As in all Indian airports, the departure hall is completely secure with only passengers allowed to enter. Everyone is checked against the ID and the ticket.



Because meeters and greeters are not allowed in, there is quite a range of F&B provision outside. In the case of BLR, this is pleasant due to its mild weather and I wouldn't mind sitting out here having coffee for an hour.



Once inside, I proceeded to AI counter which is in the older part of the building and in which major renovation works are still taking place (behind the hoarding).

The flight is going to be full !



Lucky me, there was barely any queue for executive class passengers.



I got to the check-in desk within minutes, and was greeted very courteously by the check-in agent. A bouquet of real flowers was on the desk - a nice touch.



Check-in experience was courteous, professional, and speedy. He was explaining to me in detail how to get to the lounge. He seemed dedicated enough to make sure I wouldn't get lost. I thanked him and said I knew how to get there as I had been there before. Boarding pass in hand, and hand luggage tags attached to my carry-ons, I proceeded to the gate.

The building was a little dusty overall although the construction was not visible. There was noise too. I hope this is only to lead to a better experience in the near future.



The extension part is nice with its high volume, bright spaces, and cheerful colours.

IndiGo is here. I think Jet too.



The gates are one level up from the check-in hall. First, we have to go through security.