Skyward Fire

Last Tuesday, I boarded Air India flight number AI 0746 from Dubai to Delhi and flight number AI 9409 from Delhi to Patna. I boarded in the second flight at Delhi Domestic Airport Terminal 1A after checking in a VIP Brown Soft Carry Bag (XH 481152) of weight 12 kgs, on counter number 19 at the same terminal. I arrived at Patna Airport at 8:20 AM in the morning only to find out that my luggage wasn’t there. As baffling as the immediate experience was, I reported the issue to the Arrival Baggage In-charge at the Patna Airport. Instead of filing a report immediately, I was told my luggage would probably come in the next flight inbound from Delhi at 2:00 PM, but I heard no such news from that particular Air India personnel. I was asked again by the same official to wait for the evening inbound flight, but my bag didn’t even come then.

According to general flying rules and regulations, the Airlines responsible is supposed to file a report and give a copy of the same regarding missing luggage to the passenger as soon as it is  realized that the bag is missing. But Air India, Patna did no such thing. Next day I went to the Airport again, and my report was finally filed after my request. Initially, I was told that my baggage would be stuck at customs at the Delhi International Airport. I had to explain them multiple times that I personally picked up the luggage T3 and carried it with me in the bus to Delhi Domestic Airport Terminal 1A to check it in for my next flight. If anyone disagrees, they can happily check the security cameras around check-in counter 19 at terminal 1A which would show me checking in a brown bag between 5:00 AM and 7:30 AM on the 18th of August, 2010.

The Air India people have contacted every single airport either by phone or by their internal messaging system, and all airports have reported a negative reply on the availability of my luggage at their locations. So the only possible scenario is the fact that whoever was handling my luggage at the Delhi Domestic Airport after it was checked in, or whoever was handling my luggage at the Patna Airport before it was brought to the baggage pickup trolley at the arrival lounge flicked it for themselves. I was the first passenger to arrive at the Patna Airport Arrival Baggage Trolley so there’s hardly any chance of any of the fellow passengers flicking it since I was looking for my bag right from the beginning till everyone had picked up their own bags.

The bags contents value at around Rs. 33573, or 2530 AED, or 700 USD, and every thing that was inside the bag is listed here. I don’t know how much will I be compensated by Air India, but that bag had my college certificates, my summer job employment certificate, all of my clothes, apparel and accessories, and plenty of other essentials I could have needed on a daily basis. I had absolutely no clothes to wear, since I am completely based in Dubai now. As unfortunate as this whole incident has been, I wish the Delhi Airport and/or Air India and or Airport Authority would hire people who’re not thieves. But as unfortunate it is, I don’t think that is ever going to happen.

On the 26^th of July, I was travelling from Patna to Dubai connecting in Mumbai on Kingfisher Airlines flight no IT 3571 and IT 43. A metal piece hitting the engine during take-off in Patna started an unforeseen chain of events, which led to the flight being grounded at the Ranchi Airport for over 7-8 hours. It’s kind of difficult to understand why the pilots headed by Commander Meera Pandey chose to continue flying despite being informed by Patna ATC of the incident. But anyways, Kingfisher is known for treating its flyers in a classy way, but the fact upheld itself in those 7-8 hours. The ground staff had no idea what was going to happen next and even if they did, they made sure we were kept confused until a late night flight arrived to take us to Mumbai eventually.

In situations like this one, it is the airline’s responsibility to accommodate everyone who’s being delayed in hotels, provide them with meals for as long as they are going to be there on the ground, make sure everyone who has mixed a flight after connecting is onboard the next flight to their destination and everything has to remain calm. But the Ranchi Airport staff had a bad day. Every flight has some moron passengers of course; who think verbal and physical abuse is actually going to resolve something. Some of these morons scuffled with the ground staff, and overhyped their stories when telling the media about it who were there on the scene.

It was wrong on their part, but it was also wrong on Kingfisher’s part to make us wait from 3:30 PM to 1:00 AM at the airport itself, that too, with only one meal being served at around 10 PM. I was really helped by Mr. Avinash who got in touch with Kingfisher’s Mumbai ground staff and ensured I was on the next first flight out to Dubai, because I just had to get there before noon of the 27^th of July. And so I did. I reached Mumbai around 3 AM in the morning and approached the Mumbai Kingfisher ground staff with my issue. The Guest Services Officer and specially the guy at the Kingfisher kiosk on the domestic airport were really helpful. The latter personally went to the Jet Airways kiosk to get me a Flight Interruption Manifest after making numerous calls and put me on a flight that got me to Dubai by 10:00 AM. And a lovely Kingfisher ground staff lady was waiting for me at the CSI Airport to make sure my FIM-to-Boarding Pass conversion process was as smooth as possible. So, thank you, all of you. And of course, the IT 3571 flight crew who were with us this painfully long journey and one of the flight attendants being my cousin added a little surprise value too.

A whole lot of my fellow passengers promised themselves to never fly Kingfisher again, but I am not one amongst them. Those people I mentioned from Kingfisher helped me out the best they could in a very adverse of situations in commercial flying, and I appreciate you guys for what you did. I will be seeing you again.

Today, I complete my 6 exact months here in UAE. And truly so it has been an adventure, one of it’s kind. Things unfurled in ways I did not expect them to, but it had truly been a journey full of shock and awe, good and bad.

Honestly speaking, despite all the bad press that Dubai usually gets, I love it here. And there’s scores of reasons why. We’re all people, none of us are perfect. But the media has a thing for inflated bad publicity and that’s what Dubai has always got, specially from Western media. But I shall speak unbiased, unprejudiced. I’m no fan of monarchy, and a lot of things that UAE advocates. But I love Dubai. Every place, every person, every entity has it’s own flaws, and we’re all flawed in our special ways. But that is what makes it even more fun.

I’ve had the pleasure of roaming around the city plenty of times, but it has never seemed enough. This one time not along ago in the first week of February, I was with my girlfriend there. Every single new trip is an experience of it’s own. Here’s to exactly what makes Dubai so special (with quite a few contributions from my friends on Twitter).

• Contrary to what the RTA has to say and everyone else’s traffic vows, owning your own car is more convenient in every single way that public transport. Cabs are expensive, and buses will confuse you. Metros are a good initiative but they’re not widespread right now. Eventually, may be. But the city will be difficult for you to measure if you don’t have you own car
• Karak chai. Two words. That’s it. There are a lot of places in Dubai, and in the other Emirates where you’ll find the most refreshing karak ever
• The Shawarma, preferably at Beirut Restaurant & Grill or Wildpeeta
• Leaving your car unlocked and not worrying about not finding it the next day except in Deira & Bur Dubai
• You can go to the beaches what ever time of the year you wish to (just don’t get too kinky)
• The map of the city changes every week. If you think what is where, you have no idea what you’re getting yourselves into
• You can roam around Bastakiya even when its the middle of the summer and walk into the galleries and cafes
• You can wear flip-flops and sandals all year round. Though I don’t prefer this one since a lot of premier places have dress-codes that only allow closed formal wear, plus, all the outdoorsy elements wont do your feet any good
• The locals are really nice and pleasant people
• Carrot Cake at Lime Tree Cafe, Jumeirah
• Thanks to Burj Khalifa, you can climb the highest man-made structure ever built
• You don’t have to speak neither Arabic nor English to live here
• Nothing beats the 8:00 PM view from Burj Al Arab while you slip in some good wine at Skyview Bar
• The banks will increase your credit limit just when you’re thinking of buying that fancy new flat-screen
• It is easier to get a new credit card than it is to get your bank account statement
• The sea food at Saffron, Atlantis The Palm
• Fly Dubai!
• You can reach most of the worlds destinations within 5 to 7 hours. Europe, Africa and most of Asia. Where ever you may need to go
• Thai food at Lemongrass, Lamcy Plaza
• There is no fixed time for having sheesha. 3 AM, 6 AM, 2 PM ..
• Cops will stop you just to check out your ‘cool ride’