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Date of Journey : 25– 12- 2008, Flight No : IT 4430
Route : Cochin – Bengaluru, Departure time : 7.56 AM (COK)
Passengers : Prasad Ramachandran, Arrival time : 8.54 AM (BLR)
Airline Company : Kingfisher

As usual the X’mas celebrations over night forced me to stay up so late, but it didn’t distract me from waking up early in the morning to catch the Kingfisher ATR 72 flight to Bangalore. Even though I was aware of the punctuality record of the airlines, thanks to my friend Sumitha who was working for another airline, I was hoping to receive some delay message from Kingfisher, which would allow me a few more minutes on bed. (My expectation was not without reason. On the New Year day of 2008 an airline took off very late from the Calicut airport as the pilots were unable to ‘take-off’ even from their bed due to their overnight celebrations).

' Usually, the turbo propeller ATRs were considered as the less glamourous versions of aeroplanes. When the ATRs were seen in between the Jumbos, they appeared like bikes parked amongst luxury cars. ' Anyway I reached the airport on time; the check-in was as smooth as the smile of the Kingfisher counter staff. By 7.32 am, I was seated at the departure launch near to the tarmac, where the Kingfisher ATR 72 was about to land. Usually, the turbo propeller ATRs are considered as the less glamorous versions of aeroplanes. When the ATRs were seen in between the Jumbos, they appeared like bikes parked amongst luxury cars. The propeller driven ATR produced high decibel level, which prompted a comment from my friend “although it looks like a small rabbit, it roars like a lion.”

Since I used to be a frequent flyer in ATR, I was quite impressed with its excellent safety records. Once the doors were closed the sound problem hardly bothered us and so these flights could be easily recommended for short distance journeys.

After the boarding announcement at 7.38 AM, the authorities offered Air India coach as the ATR had landed in a remote bay. The coach took us to the flight door. The thoroughly professional Air Hostesses were full of smiles and welcomed us with a personal touch. Quite unlike some other airline crew, who were doing the same job for name sake.

At 7.45 AM Captain Mandeep powered the engine. Due to NOTAM (Notice to Airmen - for runway recarpeting) issued at the Cochin International Airport the taxiway appeared rough and the passengers really felt the tremors until the plane approached the other side of the runway. Once the machine was ready for the take off at 8.02 AM everything dramatically changed from rough to smooth. . My left window seat (12 A) offered me some cool glimpses of Cochin’s mesmerizing back waters combined with some lush greenery.

' This could be regarded as one of the many changes Kingfisher brought into the aviation industry in India - from the crew’s dressing code to the in-flight entertainments 'Inside the aircraft I found the in-flight magazine ‘Cineblitz’ as interesting and different from other usual stuff. Apart from carrying information on common tourism destinations the content highlighted something more related to Bollywood and the Indian film industry. (This could be regarded as one of the many changes Kingfisher brought into the aviation industry in India - from the crew’s dressing code to in-flight entertainments). After 10 minutes all the passengers got their welcome drink (packaged fruit juice) and another 15 minutes, the breakfast boxes followed that contained sandwich, cookies and pastry with a bottle of mineral water and fruit jam. Even though the breakfast was not fabulous, it was enough to satisfy the need.

After the breakfast, I glanced again through the window. The ATR was cruising over the heights of the Karnataka state. The colour pattern of the landscapes had changed from the thick greenish backgrounds of Kerala to yellow toned fields.

The boy sitting just one row ahead of me was playing with switches placed over his head. Suddenly to his surprise, the oxygen masks came out to hang in front of him. The panic-stricken boy tried to restore it forcefully. As a result, the lid which held the mask also lost its clutch and he found both the things in his hands. The airhostess and a crew boy rushed to the scene, and they somehow managed to put it back with a few strips of tape. Not surprisingly, till the end of the trip I didn’t hear any sound or visible body movements from the boy!

The captain’s voice confirmed the landing, and soon we were fastened inside our seat belts. The flight took two sudden sharp turns both ways and entered into its approach line, then as a cool breeze it glided into the runway. Both rear wheels touched simultaneously and as expected it was a cool landing.

The Volvo buses where waiting for us outside the flight door, and without much delay all the passengers were transferred to the elegant exit terminal of Bengaluru’s new land mark airport.

Over all Impression:
Check in- Smooth, Welcome- Good
Seating – Just comfortable for a short distance flight
Food - Reasonably good, Landing - Soft, Check out – Smooth

© travelbird