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Date of Journey : 04– 08- 2009, Flight No : MK0747, Route : Chennai – Mauritius
Duration of Flight : 5 hours 30 minutes , Passengers :Venugopal Gopukumar, Airline Company : Air Mauritius

My relationship with Air Mauritius dates back to 2005 when I first flew in an Airbus 340 from Mumbai to Mauritius.

On August 4, 2009, I reached Chennai International Airport at 0500 hours, 3 hours before ETD of 0800 hours. Every thing, the check in, the immigration, the actual security check, etc., was smooth. I made myself comfortable in the economy section somewhere over the strongest part, perhaps over the wings, of this Boeing 767. I don’t remember what exactly the airplane was called. But, I definitely remember another plane that was named after my place in Mauritius; it is called the City of Curepipe.

The flight was packed as usual as it is a weekly one-off flight to Mauritius from Chennai and Bangalore. There was some kind of a disinfectant sprayed through the length and breadth of the airplane, not a real pungent one, but something like a room freshener. We took off at around 08:15 hours after a 15-minute delay owing to the mad morning rush at the Chennai Airport. The cabin crew, known for their politeness and prompt service, were very proficient in English and French/Creole.

We were at cruising altitude of 37,000 feet in 15 minutes. We had breakfast served. By the time I finished my breakfast, we were somewhere over Maldives and heading in a south western direction. I decided to watch a movie on my personal TV screen. I watched the Pink Panther 2. The in-flight entertainment is really great on Air Mauritius airplanes. They have a variety of magazines on Mauritius. One can easily get a lot of info before setting foot on Mauritian soil about the landscape, the beaches, the people, the culture, etc.

' the landing was very smooth, albeit the sky was a bit turbulent owing to the thick cover of clouds over Mauritius that day... ' 2 hours into the flight, I felt like catching up on my sleep. When I woke up after an hour, we were approaching our destination - Mauritius. The landing was very smooth, albeit the sky was a bit turbulent owing to the thick cover of clouds over Mauritius that day and the constant drizzle throughout the last 20 odd minutes of the flight.

When one compares Air Mauritius to other carriers I would give it a thumb up and a score of 9 on a scale of 0 to 10, with just one point off for not operating from a metropolitan city like Cochin. The in-flight service, entertainment, etc., was good value for money, like the country itself.

Over all Impression:
Check in - Cool, Welcome - Good
Seating - Good Food - Good
Landing - Soft, Check out - Smooth

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