Flights DN729A and DN728. Review on Simplifly Deccan

I booked a round trip from Mumbai to Trivandrum and back for the dates

25th Jan 2007 (Mum to Trv) and 29th Jan 2007 (Trv to Mum) on 29th

January. I had booked an e-ticket for the same through Athena Travels,

Trivandrum. The ticket cost me 2824 + tax each way and the total price I had to pay was 8440 (including the commission to the travel agency).

A few days before my journey, I came here and read most of the reviews

and was numbed by the experiences of most people who had chosen to

travel by Air Deccan.

I went expecting the worst. Also, this was my first flight after around 15 years.

I called up the Air Deccan call centre on Jan 22 and asked if the

flight was delayed or cancelled and they said that there was no change

in schedule.

The flight DN 729A from Mum to Trv was scheduled to start at 1925 hours and reach Trivandrum at 2225 hours.

The check in counter at Mumbai airport was a smooth experience and I

got a printout which contained all flight detail, after showing them

the printout of the e-ticket which I had got in my email.

One or two air deccan flights were delayed that day, but this flight was not.

Soon, the call came to board the aircraft and the passengers were taken by a bus to the waiting aircraft.

There was no mad rush or running for the seats. The people simply occupied whatever seats were available.

I got a window seat since I had stood near the door of the bus and so could exit the bus early also. :)

The seating in the aircraft was comfortable, but an issue which I found

with my seat was that the button which allows the seat to be reclined

back was missing! This same issue was not there with other seats though. The legroom was ok for me (I am 6 feet tall), but for taller persons or people with long legs compared to rest of the body, it could be a bit uncomfortable.

So for the journey unitl Coimbatore (the stop on the way), I had to sit very upright, which was not much of a problem for me.

The service and the airhostesses were polite. Of course, I had to pay

for and buy the food. I bought a "Veg Combo Box" which cost 70 Rs and

contained a veg crossiant, a cup cake and some namkeen.

Before the flight landed at Coimbatore, one of the passengers (a lady)

had a problem. I couldn't really understand what it was. A flight

attendant rushed to help with an oxygen cylinder and used an oxygen

mask to administer oxygen.

After most of the people got down at Coimbatore, the seats next to me became free and I sat on a seat which had a working recliner button.

The flight landed at Tvm at 1220 hours. I was pleasantly surprised at Air Deccan being on time.

I had only a hand baggage and didn't have to check in any baggage.

On the flight back to Mum (DN728, 29th January 2007) which was scheduled to take off at 350 PM on 29th, I had 2 bags with me. I tried my best to get permission to carry both bags onboard, but the check in staff of Air Deccan at Trivandrum airport said that I would have to ask security and security said that I could carry only 1 bag as hand luggage and the other bag would have to be checked in.

Expecting the worst (based on user experiences here), I checked in the baggage. It was 11 kilos and since upto 15 kgs is allowed, I didnt have to pay extra. For luggage above 15 kilos, Air Deccan charges Rs 70 / kilo for every kilo exceeding the first 15 kilos.

The flight took off on time.

There was a single stop (Coimbatore) on the way to Mumbai.

Again to my surprise, the flight landed at Mumbai at 1832 hours, which was around 20 minutes earlier than the scheduled time of arrival (1855 hours).

I had to wait for half an hour for the checked in baggage to come on the conveyor belt. I was really glad to find my bag in good condition.

This describes the experience of me and also over 150 other passengers who were on flight DN729A and a similar number on the flight back (DN728).

If you ask me whether I would fly Air Deccan again, it totally depends on the air ticket prices. I would go by other carriers if they had better offers.

Thank you for reading the review.

Constructive feedback is welcome...