Aug 20, 2009 01:20 PM
7952 Views
Going through the international airport at Bangalore is worse than pulling teeth. The staff are like villagers and the airport is run like some badly organized panchayat meeting where even for the smallest thing the staff have to wait for their “Saar’ to give them the go ahead.
Nobody minds the security measures and in these times one is more than meek when submitting to endless baggage and personal security. But it is really too much when the immigration officials give you advice on the maintenance and visa stamps on your passport while some twenty other people are queued up behind you lugging heavy hand baggage and noisy children.
Believe it or not – one official had a full fledged argument with a lady about why her foreign country residence visa should be removed from the old passport and re-stamped in the new passport although both were stapled together by our very own dear embassy. She tried to explain to him that the visa was not renewable for another two years and she had to follow procedure as it would cost her an additional amount of money and time to get another visa stamp but he just dug in his heels and kept going at her.
And baggage allowance!!!! That’s another crazy hurdle to cross. Coming or going for a wedding or another celebration abroad means additional baggage. If you are allowed to carry 30 kgs into the country why not out of it? What are you supposed to do with the rest of your belongings?
Throw them away because the airport authorities won’t allow you to take them back. In most other places they let you include your hand luggage allowance along with your baggage allowance as long as you do not carry any additional hand luggage – but not at Bangalore Airport – they insist you carry your hand luggage in your hand – never mind if you have two kids with you hanging onto your elbows! Dealing with the airline staff at Bangalore is a test in patience. They behave as if it is their duty to punish you for going out of the country through Bangalore and creating all this work for them. Or maybe they just want you to realize how lucky your NRI friends are for living abroad and they have to go through this ordeal only once a year!
