The ‘joy’ of Indian airports

Something I most definitely will not miss about India is its airports (or for that matter, all public transportation hubs). But the airports have their own special charm, most notably the overwhelming body odor you encounter at every turn. I won’t even begin to speculate why there seems to be an aversion to deodorant among Indian air travelers, but I swear, at times it’s so strong it’s like a slap in the face. My worst experiences have been at the baggage carousels after long flights.

In all my flying to and around India, I’ve had a chance to sample a few different airlines. Indian Air was the smelliest, but that flight was also the longest, from Thailand.

Kingfisher was the freshest, though they failed to live up to their motto, “Fly the good times.” You can imagine my disappointment when I found out that not only would they not be serving Kingfisher beer (same parent company), but apparently alcohol is banned from all domestic flights in India. Pah.

Sahara Air, which I flew today, lands in the middle of the stink-o-meter, but at least made me laugh with their motto, “Emotionally yours.” Because when I’m checking in for my flight, I don’t want the experience to be efficient or expeditious or even merely effective -– I want it to be emotional.

One plus that all Indian airlines seem to have in common is the meals. Even on a couple-hour flight between normal meal times (say, 3-5pm), they serve a hot meal. I wish U.S.-based airlines would get back on that bandwagon, instead of literally laughing in your face if you merely inquire if a meal will be served.

Comments

[Motorhome Hire Adelaide]

Wow, that is fantastic! I’m impressed and tempted to hop on a plane.

That must have been amazing. I had an amazing trip to Rome 2 years ago and spent easily half a day in the Vatican. I only wish I had known about this before…