I had a mission during Songkran festival in India, and I started working in Mumbai. After the work in Mumbai was settled, I moved to another important city on the east coast of India, which was Chennai. During this trip within India, I used the services of Jet Airways, which was a large private full-service airline of the region, similar to Bangkok Airways in Thailand. Having used their services several times, I found that this airline had a variety of domestic and international routes (including flights to Thailand) and impressive service.
For the Mumbai-Chennai route, there were multiple airlines available with nearly 24-hour schedules and over 25 flights per day. As both cities were major economic hubs and ports, I had a lot of options. However, I chose to fly in the evening because I had work to do in the morning and needed to arrive in Chennai night. Once I arrived, I went straight to my hotel to rest. The flight took about 2 hours, and the flight details were as follows.
ROUTE : Mumbai (BOM) – Chennai (MAA)
FLIGHT : 9W 461 – Jet Airways
AIRCRAFT : Boeing 737 – 800
DATE : 19.04.2017
ETD : 06.05PM (GMT+5.5)
ETA : 08.05PM (GMT+5.5)
DURATION : 2 HOURS
CABIN : ECONOMY
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I arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (Mumbai) around 4 PM. I had to arrive early because Mumbai Airport is known to be one of the busiest airports in the world, even for domestic flights, so I needed to allow at least 2 hours before my flight. There were so many people there.
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When I arrived at the check-in counter, there were many other travelers with large suitcases, making the process slower than expected. However, I saw a self-check-in service using touch screen computers with no one waiting to use them. So, I went to the staff member standing nearby and asked if I could use the self-check-in service for my checked luggage. He said, “Yes, just use this machine to get your boarding pass and then take your bag to the baggage drop counter.” Great! I avoided the long line, and now I had two hours to grab some food and do some sightseeing.
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After checking in and dropping off my luggage, I went through security and headed inside to wait for my flight. Mumbai Airport was quite large, so I recommend arriving early to avoid the risk of missing your flight. As for dining options, there were plenty of choices, ranging from local cuisine to fast food joints and beverage outlets. Prices were similar to those outside the airport, perhaps a bit more expensive, but not as outrageous as some airports I’ve been to. My flight today boarded at gate number 47.
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Since I had some spare time before boarding for about an hour, I decided to find something to eat because once I arrived in Chennai, I planned to go directly to the hotel, take a shower, and rest up for the next day’s work.
After I finished my meal, I sat down to continue working for a while. When it was time, I headed straight to Gate 47 to board the scheduled flight. As this airport was quite busy, one gate had to split boarding into two flights at the same time, divided into 47-A (left) and 47-B (right). My flight was headed to the right side (47-B), while the left side was going to Mangalore. I didn’t have to worry about boarding the wrong plane because the staff at the gate checked our tickets very carefully.
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When I arrived at the gate, our B737-800 was waiting already. I stood in line for a moment and then they called for boarding. I didn’t sit down because the flight was so crowded that there were no seats available.
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The seat of business class (this airline calls “Premier class”) had been arranged as 2 – 2
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Next, the Economy seats were arranged as 3 – 3 according to general pattern of Single aisle aircraft.
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The Seat Pitch was moderate width and front seat pocket had safety manual and in-flight magazine.
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After I boarded the plane and the passengers were loaded, we pushed back and took off on time. Once we were airborne, I started exploring the aircraft and checked out the restroom first.
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Later, the cabin crew served a hot meal for this 2-hour flight. The meal consisted of Indian-style chicken curry served with baked potatoes. While the taste was not amazing, it was decent enough for me.
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Then, I ordered the hot tea from cabin crew for sipping and read the book during the flight.
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After sitting for about an hour, the plane started to descend and landed at Chennai International Airport on time. I then entered the passenger terminal and collected my baggage at belt number 4.
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After picking up my baggage, I followed my plan and hailed a taxi to take me to a hotel not far from the airport. I wanted to shower and relax immediately because I had been tired all day. I traveled alone and was determined to recharge my energy to continue tomorrow.
And with that, I conclude my review of my flight in India with Jet Airways. If there were any errors, I apologize. Good night……Sleep tight 😴
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Written by : SHIPY SIWARIT TIASUWATTISETH
Shipy-Ship 