Jul 05, 2008 11:57 AM
2617 Views
Traveled on Spicejet from HYD-BOM on the night of 26th June.
Check-in counter: I arrived 1.5hrs before departure, so no queue. Had an excess of check-in luggage by 5kg(max. allowed is 20kg). Was asked to either pay for the extra weight or transfer it to carry-on. I chose the latter option. A couple of other passengers faced the same predicament. The clerks at the check-in counter were polite, it would've been nicer if they were cheerful as well. Up until this point, no complains.
Security point at HYD airport: Awful and degrading experience. I had a bowl of sweets which was airtight packed to prevent leakage. I was asked to open it using scissors(which were provided). which is fine. Next, I was ordered to eat it by the security! Do they think that I was carrying an explosive in a bowl? Absolutely humiliating and degradeful. Imagine being surrounded by half a dozen security men and being stared at by numerous passengers. I couldn't help but conclude that this was being done to me because of my apparel and outlooks(Muslim).
Secondly, after having gone through this experience, they failed to stamp my carry-on backpack which led to further delay later on. Anyways, I wouldn't blame Spicejet for this since it’s out of their jurisdiction.
Waiting area: Had to change the gate from the originally designated gate. No reason provided.
Flight: Was delayed by 7mins, which is acceptable to me. The seats were clean. Did not use the toilet, so can't comment on that. Refreshments were served. Courteous hostesses(Kudos to Alisha). Overall, the in-flight experience was decent, which is more than I expected for a budget airline.
Baggage claim at BOM: Had to wait for 15-20mins for the baggage to arrive on the conveyor belt. I'm not sure if that's the standard time frame for baggage claim. My baggage arrived in one piece and without any scratches.
All-in-all, as a no-frills airline, this is a decent one which I would prefer to use in the future.
