Mar 13, 2007 08:03 PM
4946 Views
Handling more than 30 flights a day majority of which are International, Trivandrum airport is lacking facilities. First of all, no public buses enter the airport and pick up or drop visitors/passengers. Passenger has to depend on a pre paid taxi. Taxis are pretty old and new cars very few.
When there are simultaneous departures/arrivals the area in which passengers wait for imigration, customs and baggage distribution etc. are overcrowded.
It is ideally suited to serve a couple of hundred passengers any given time but sometimes hundreds of passengers can be seen crowding these areas. The passenger lounge in the departure area of International Airport is too small to accommodate passengers. But compared to other international airports, passengers can exit the airport very fast as not much of walking inside the airport is required.
Hopefully, when the new international terminal is built, things would change. It takes only minutes to reach the check in counters, if there is not a big Q of waiting passengers, but waiting time near the X-ray can be long if there is simultaneous departures or departures with less gap of time, by different airlines.
No restaurant is available in the international departure area but only a snacks counter. Internet and long distance calling facilities are available only after the immigration/customs checks are over. No money changing counter/book stall after you have finished all formalities like immigration, customs and security.
In the domestic side, it is a better story. Good book stall, restaurant available as soon as you enter the area. From the car to the check in area it is less than 50 meters. There is a big congestion near the X-ray check. During afternoon departures there are long queues of passengers waiting to be checked in. After the security check, the lounge in the first floor is a nice place to relax. A cybercafe is also available there. Walking to board the flight or the bus is very less and not a botheration for elderly citizens. Wheel chairs are available on demand.
The staff are generally behaved well but it is for the the individual customer to judge the customer service of each staff of different airline/agency.
This Airport is located close to the Beach and easily accessible from the city as it takes only 15 minutes by car. Outside the airport has to grow and better restaurants and other facilities have to come up.
