Okay to be very frank I was thrilled that I am going to fly in Jet Airways – A private sector airline doing quite good in the domestic sector in India – from London to Delhi, I usually take Emirates though the cost was comparable I got a better timing on Jet Airways than Emirates or BA.
I have traveled in Jet Airways before this from Chennai to Pune and did not have any bad experience and compared to the Government operated airlines this airline is god send for the domestic sector with on time departures and great in-flight meals and good service with nice looking people taking care of you.
Now I need to start from the first – This goes before my breakfast post of yesterday.
I am a KLM Gold member so got to do Priority check-in at the Jet Airways check-in zone B at London Heathrow Airport [LHR]. Checked in 27.7 KGs no ideas where it came from it is a three day trip and I was not carrying any major luggage; no raised eyebrows by the check in clerk (had a funny feeling that she was not all that interested in the job she was doing), Jet had already reserved an Aisle seat for me and I am not sure how but when she asked me I was like “I need a Window seat” (IMHO it is easier to sleep on the flight when sitting near a window) she just gave my boarding pass with a window seat and a comment that the next to yours is free and I am off to my breakfast thinking I will have a nice seat and a good sleep after a glass of wine.
They did not announce the gate till 08:00 Hrs and the flight was scheduled for 09:30 Hrs and considering that I need to walk 40-50 minutes to get to the gates I cleared security and was loitering in the duty free at LHR (I usually don’t buy anything at the Duty free at LHR since I feel that the price is not all that different to that of the High Street for electronics and I am not a big connoisseur of Spirits so no pricing information on that.) The Gate was 36 and indeed as anticipated was a long walk to that gate, should have topped 6000 steps on the pedometer if I was wearing it. Entered the waiting area and again got to do a priority boarding (Thanks to the Gold Card).
Shock of my life I was at seat 73K (I fly economy if flying for my company and not the client) I did not know that a flight can have so many seats since I have only seen 49-50 seats but not 75 Seats in any plane I have traveled (maybe I am a lot under educated on the seating of planes) went and sat at 73K and the next shock was that there was a lump under the seat in front of me (not sure what that is for) preventing me from stretching out and to increase the woes I managed to get a fellow passenger on the next seat (the check-in clerk told me that the next seat is empty) he was also tall and since I was not able to stretch I just had to use up his leg room and sit in an awkward position making him also uncomfortable. To add to the woes of the seat the arm rests had holes in them to operate the remote – not sure who came up with that brilliant idea of having easy access to the Remote - for the in flight entertainment, so no chances of keeping your arms on those arms rest without inflicting serious marks on your skin.
To make myself comfy and also not create problems to the person sitting next to me I requested for an Aisle seat without the lump under the seat in front of me. The option I had was sit here or move to the end of the cabin (Seat 75 which was near the toilets), I preferred to move as the seat was empty, even though there was no lump there I was not able to stretch my legs and I realized that the flight had been cramped like one of the cheap fare flights that operate in Europe (This ticket did not come cheap it was 540 Quid). Asked for a feedback form and I never received one what a commendable way to take feedback from the client.
Sitting near the Toilet had its own woes and I was half the time breathing through my mouth J
It was a 9 Hour flight and I was praying that I don’t get a DVT before I land in
I was thrilled to get out of the flight in
All apart I need to commend the airlines for the excellent in-flight service of Lunch and Dinner which was hot and also good compared to other airlines on the same sector where you either get no food at all or get stale food.
So the moral of the story –
- Don’t Travel In Jet long haul economy
- If you do travel don’t take a Window seat or seat in the middle row even if it is aisle. These seats have the lump!!!!
- Don’t take a seat near the Toilets as they are not sound proof and not odor free (You will feel like you are part of the action)
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