You
have to dream before your dreams can come true - A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
And my my, what a
way for a dream to come true!
In today’s time
starved and cost conscious consumer’s mind is always to ensure low cost at less
time. This being the mantra to do most things including planning a travel. I
too seemed to have fallen into the same pattern. While planning for a flight
travel it was always the low cost carriers with a preference for the one
promising and mostly providing ‘on time’ performance. The pleasure of
travelling in a full service aircraft was no more in the horizon. That was
until I discovered the advantages of early planning.
Air India was
offering a very competitive fare on purchases of more than 90 days in advance.
There was only a marginal higher difference in the lowest fare with that of the
so called most popular LCC. Even in discussions with colleagues and friends, I
was discouraged by most from opting for Air India, considering the unpredictable
behavior of its management and staff. However inspite of the odds I decided in
favour of a full service experience, after many many years. The timing of the
flight suited me the most and was an added factor in favour of my choice.
On the day of the
travel last month, we reached the swanky new terminal of the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport at
Kolkata fairly early. There was a tinge of sadness since we were going back to
our ‘worktown’ after more than a week of holiday in our hometown. Both our
families had come to see us off and we lingered on as long as we could…it is
never enough to say goodbye. With a heavy heart we bid adieu and unwillingly went
through the security check to boarding gate no. 16. This gate, though usually
used for international departures, was opened for domestic flights having
connecting international destinations. We walked down the aerobridge and entered
the aircraft.
From the moment
that I stepped in, I could sense the newness in the aircraft. It was a 3-3-3
seating arrangement. We put our hand baggage in the large curved overhead cabin
and took our seats in row 12. The individual in-flight display screens were a
welcome change from the LCCs. Even the seats seemed more spacious and had a
cushion for added comfort. There was also generous legroom, another helpful
feature for a tall person. I took a look around. The interiors had an orange
hue. The carpets were spotless. A sweet smell wafted in the air.
We were settling in
while the usual automated announcements were being made. We generally tend to
ignore these considering them to be customary. They were being made in Hindi
followed by English. In the midst of arranging a few necessities for my son, I
heard snatches of the low volume announcements. Just then, I literally froze
for a second trying to grasp what I had heard. Being in complete disbelief, I
quickly sat down and pricked up my ears for the English version…but this time it was
unmistakable… “welcome on board the Dreamliner 787….”. It took a few more
seconds for the feeling to sink in…yes I was on the world's latest and most advanced aircraft in the sky.
The grin on my
countenance refused to subside for a long long time thereafter. Soon we were
airborne. I switched on the screen before me with a removable panel below it and
began enjoying the in-flight entertainment. The choices were varied and
numerous. After going through the catalogue I selected “P.S. I Love You’,
having a penchant for Hollywood! The crew commenced the usual in-flight
services in due course. The meal had a good mix of Indian & continental
items and tasted quite delicious.
After some time when we wanted to pull down the window shades, we were unable to find the cover lid. With the need to call the cabin crew, I habitually looked up to press the call button but there wasn’t any. I looked carefully and tried to press the panel around the reading light button, but nothing came off it. I then tried to switch off the light but that too had no button to press. Like my curious son, I made repeated attempts without success. I tried to look around quite naively to see if anyone else was doing something similar, but no one seemed to be hassled as I was. Since most of the services were complete, no crew member was within sight. After holding on for quite a long time (when I say this, it was indeed a long time), very unusual compared to any other airline, I managed to get the attention of a passing steward. He solved the mystery in a jiffy…the removable panel to navigate the screen doubled up as the remote control…in other words everything was remote controlled at the touch of your fingers without you requiring to move an inch from your seat!! And there are no window shades, only shade controls below it which regulates lighter or darker shades!!!
A similar ordeal
awaited me when I used the washroom…I could not find the flush! The washroom
had more room and was very sophisticated with many facilities like a panel to
lay a baby for change of diapers. However, my feeble attempt with the various
panels and button like devices did not elicit any favourable response. Looking
very foolish I came out and stood at the door, trying to find the crew, but
alas! no one was around. Other passengers wanting to use the washroom looked
annoyingly at me and after waiting for quite a bit, tried their luck elsewhere.
At last an airhostess did turn up to explain that there is no need to touch
anything when flushing the toilet - Dreamliner’s revolutionary hands-free toilet seat. Just wave your hand in front of the infrared sensor and the toilet seat and lid closes automatically before the toilet flushes!
The remaining
journey was thankfully eventless and I continued with the movie. By the time we
landed at T3 in New Delhi, I had flown in one of the best
innovations of our time and it made an ordinary experience extraordinary.
The 2 hour 20
minute journey albeit some minor delay, ended too soon…just like a dream. We
were the last passengers to deplane. I could feel the power of dreams and
realized that their fulfillment makes life so meaningful!
