The day started with a hopeful wish - hope Air India does not screw us again. And it ended with a determined pledge - never again will we fly with them. In between was just a humble lesson in losing and finding our sanity.
After a great start to our break with Bali, our spirits were high and we were looking forward to our Euro trip. We left for the airport fairly on time, and completed the formalities with enough time to spare. We were going to miss Singapore kopi dearly in the next few months, so we stopped at Killiney to whet our kopi-desire. When we reached the boarding gate, it was a relief to see the incoming Air India flight already there. We smiled, little knowing that would be the last one for the day.
Boarding for Frankfurt started, and everyone got seated quickly for takeoff. And then we waited for the ATC clearance. And waited. And waited some more. After an hour past the original departure time, we finally took off. We were to have a fairly short transit (an hour and half) at Delhi, but had been assured by Air India customer service executives before booking the tickets that it was an Air India connection, and we had nothing to worry about. That was the first in a series of lies we were to hear from them. Still, the delay got us concerned and we approached the cabin crew about our situation. They assured us that our situation was quite normal and that the connecting flight would wait for us. In fact, just before landing, they even got back to us with a confirmation from the ground staff that the aircraft was indeed waiting for us. That was the second lie, and said with the conviction and calm of trained liars.
Upon arrival, we realized we weren't the only ones in this situation. There were several others going to Frankfurt, a few to London and Paris, and one to Chicago. All brought together by Air India to witness their flight management finesse and i-care-a-damn-about-you attitude first hand. We were taken to the international transfers area, where the team lead gathered us and said "Your flight has left. I'm going to put you on the next one, same time tomorrow". No one saw it coming, and it was evident from our faces. Several were going home after a long time, with loved ones waiting eagerly, and could just not believe the utterly apathetic attitude of the ground staff. Our angry queries were just met by "This is not new, it happens to everyone. We can't do anything about it" responses. As infuriating as it was, we tried to keep calm and looked for the best and quickest way out. At no point did it ever feel that anyone really cared about our plight - the ground staff were busy chatting among themselves even as weary travelers waited to hear from them. To make matters worse, as we were in the transit area, there was no easy internet connectivity, no phone facility, no food or drinks around, and it was very difficult to make alternate plans without knowing the options. It was very evident that the Air India staff just wanted to take the easy way out - the most emblematic of this attitude was their "manager" who, with a phone constantly to his ears, had a typical loudmouthed bureaucratic that we've come to detest, and sadly only found in India.
After a lot of pushing and a few choice words, we finally got ourselves on a late evening Delhi - Abu Dhabi - Frankfurt connection. What was a direct flight turned into a one-stop journey. Or did it? None of the staff bothered to point out that the flight path actually included a halt at Bahrain enroute to Abu Dhabi. Neither did our boarding passes give us any hint. It only became evident when we boarded the plane, and the announcement stated Bahrain as the next destination. This conveniently ignored fact caused a fellow passenger to get up in arms, and caused another half hour delay in the process. Security had to be brought in, and even though the passenger may have overreacted, he was not in the wrong. We were equally appalled, but just didn't have the energy to put up another fight. And so we held on to our sanity. The Air India personnel seemed to be enjoying this whole debacle - after putting us through this, they alloted the worst possible seats on the airplane to our fellow passengers.
After an hour halt in Bahrain, we took off for Abu Dhabi, to continue on a Etihad connection. This was probably the best thing to happen after all the madness. The Etihad customer service was very helpful; in fact, once they heard our plight, they offered an excellent meal voucher and internet access to keep us occupied while we waited for our flight. Of course, Air India wasn't done with us though. While we had dinner, Etihad personnel approached us stating that Air India never really confirmed our tickets on the Etihad connection, and they would try their best to accommodate us. Luckily, they did have just enough seats to get us all on the same flight. We had come to expect this, and though we had some nervous moments, this did not really surprise us anymore. I've had bad experiences with United airlines and some others before, but this is really the worst of them all. It is really shameful that our premier national airline is such a pathetic mess, and our tax money is just getting flushed down the drain (and probably lining somebody's pockets).
If you've had the patience to read through this, here's the simple conclusion - if you value your safety and sanity, do not ever take an Air India flight. They do not deserve to fly.
My best find in Paris would have to be this cute bookstore aptly titled "Shakespeare and company". Bookstores fascinate me most times, but this one in particular delighted me. Books I had never seen before on display, books in not only in French but also in English were a huge draw. But it wasn't just about the books, it was the warmth you felt inside, the excitement of titles and authors, the way the bookstore looked, the sayings outside, the really old lady browsing so engrossed, the way the books were arranged, it felt so welcoming. I picked up an Ernest Hemingway book on his life in Paris, the bookstore was part of the cover, and Hemingway mentions this bookstore in one of his chapters which I got to know only now, that I'm reading the book. The book is called "Paris est une fete", in French, and its English title is "A moveable feast". Few days in Paris and I can understand why Hemingway would have called Paris a moveable feast - the city is a celebration, full of life in the form of art, music, food, wine, books, language, and love and it stayed with him wherever he went in the world.
