KINGFISHER AIRLINES Review

This review pertains to a dated flight - as in this happened during the Diwali period of 2005. However, I have flown number of times subsequently with Kingfisher, having switched loyalties to the airline,

and it’s always been the same great experience.

I was travelling from Delhi to Mumbai, with a full compliment of luggage and family, including my less than a year old daughter. The online booking system worked flawlessly, and I had already interacted with their call centre staff at Gurgaon to book my mother’s ticket in advance. So far, the experience had been good.

However, the trip itself started off on the wrong foot. Mum was moving to Bombay for good, and had the maximum luggage, followed by my daughter’s and wife’s baggage. I thought a Maruti Van taxi would suffice for the trip to the Airport, and at the last moment realised that it was too small to fit the luggage and us. So, we ordered another cab to ferry my family, while I followed with the luggage in the van.

From the time we pulled up at the kerb, it was awesome, and unparalleled in terms of service quality - better than I had ever experienced. There was a ground staff member waiting at the kerb, who asked whether we were flying Kingfisher. That was it. After that point, I didn’t even touch my luggage till I got home to my place in Bombay. The guy unloaded it from the cab for it, piled it on neatly and carefully onto the trolley. Mom and wife were having a ball playing with the little one, having nothing to do. I strolled along, handing over my ticket for inspection when the baggage was getting x-rayed. Thereafter, we moved to the check-in counter. Though we were over the load limit with our luggage, the airline was kind enough not to chage even a single rupee towards excess baggage. This is awesome, cause Delhi - Mumbai is primarily a business route, and people fly light. It was heartening to see that this airline, unlike all those i’d flown before, was not in it for the pennies, and was willing to accommodate it’s passengers with extra baggage, without charging for it. My loyalty for the airline kinda went up a few points right there. Moreover, what was more impressive, was that they asked if we’d like to sit together, and changed our original seating so that we could all be in the same row!

Thereafter, we cleared security, and waited for the boarding announcement. When that happened, the ground crew incharge of managing the boarding announced that women with children and the elderly could board first. Not just that, a hostess actually came and escorted the three most important ladies in my life right to the door of the first bus going to the aircraft, ensuring they were comfortably seated before the bus moved from the gate. Another caring "human touch", which notched up points.

The flight itself was flawless. The in-flight entertainment screens in the headrest of the seat in front of you provided adequate good programming to keep the ladies entertained. The little one, having been safely harnessed in a seat belt attached to my wife’s, promptly went to sleep for the duration of the flight, after a little bit of playing around. For my part, I was more than content to sample the better-than-competition food. It wasn’t from the Bukhara at the Mauryas, but sure outclassed all other airline food I’ve had. A little bit of uninterrupted shuteye, and it was time to land at Mumbai.

On the ground, once again, it was delightful. The family immediately exited the terminal, and my father was ecstatic playing the the little one, which mom and my wife waited for the car to come from the parking. I didn’t even touch the luggage off the baggage claim conveyer belt. One of the boys loaded it onto the trollies, rolled it out, and loaded it into the back of the family Safari. And a smile at the end of it - Awesome! I was totally hooked.

What absolutely sealed the switch was the flight back to Delhi, which only my wife and I, with our daughter, who had become definitely naughtier and more active inflight, owing to the 15 days of pampering from her grandparents. The same excellent service happened upon arrival at the Mumbai terminal, and without even our asking, the lady checking us in allocated a row of 3 seats... with the 10 month old having a full seat to herself! Man! that extra seat helped a lot in terms of play area on the way back!

Well, the long and short of it, our family now only flies with Mr. Mallya. He appreciates our business (as per his video on board), and I sure had (and still do have ) the king of good times doing business with his airline. It even makes circling over Delhi and Mumbai a pleasure!