To begin my experiences, this has to be the first one. The flight was scheduled to depart on a day exactly after Christmas, midnight to be sharp. So no Christmas cakes for me this time. Settling all things and fully packed with emotions and bags, we headed to the airport. It was decided that some of my office people would also come for the send-off. When we reached the airport, it was 4 hours to take off. So waited for my pals to arrive. Kept pestering them for being late, but they already were nearing the place so I didn't want the climax to end in a bad manner. Added to this, a constant pressure from my dearest ones to get in as the time to check-in was announced. I wanted to stay, but time didn't permit. So I checked in the airport. Moreover, Bangalore International Airport has some lame space crunches which does not allow people to visit even during check-in time ! But I had to take that risk, hoping to see my pals after the check-in process at least.
As time wouldn't wait, they finally arrive, minutes after I get into the airport entrance. But I had to finish my check-in process first. The airlines that I had booked had a big long queue as the passengers were of those South East Asian holiday trips from Bangalore. So it took around 45 minutes to get my boarding pass! Another problem of that airlines was that of the baggage allowance. Trying out whatever stuffs I could from my home to check proper luggage allowance, it seemed that this was one of the lowest allowance provider till date to all flights !! Damn luck of mine, I had to settle this as my investigations began a week before the departure. But I politely asked a few during the boarding process and they settled the matter out. The friends were requesting to come out for a short glimpse as they had brought a gift for me. I pleaded to the Airport officers, who, after a random check of my baggage (damn!), finally allowed me to meet them.
After that till the final check-in I had nothing else to do apart from calls made so as to bid a final good bye to console the people outside the airport and at home.
The flight finally called up for final check-in at midnight hour. I was waiting for this moment to see a real flight travel experience. This was a budget flight, an Airbus 320 charter which was quite economically spaced, something like you sit in a regular bus. The flight was full of such tourists who, where trying to "adjust" seats by shuffling passengers. I too was a victim of that and hence, got a seat, not worth mentioning. Finally, the flight took off. The take-off had mixed feelings, leaving the nearest and dearest ones and the other, a new dawn. The flight wasn't that good either with stewardesses eating heads with their regular meals servings. The journey was to shift in Kuala Lumpur as I couldn't get a direct flight and hence, had to wait till my next flight for 3 hours.
Awestruck by the airport's interior design and following the usual "crowd" path, I was about to make a mistake by checking out of it ! Fortunately, I asked the airport personnel before I proceeded to the Immigrations wing. The next flight was the quickest and the most luxurious one with a seat provided that I could stretch my long legs with ease. The flight landed in my destination, Singapore. It is truly worth mentioning that the airport and the processes are damn quick in here. I mean, it was only 10 minutes since the time I got out of the flight till the time I was out of the airport itself ! The roads, the scenic beauty and the discipline were the first ones to catch my attention while I was being taken to my room by my friend.
All in all, it was a good journey with a memorable first-time experiences. More to come..
Ohh.. and credits to thejohny for the post title ! \m/
