Oct 17, The day finally arrived, and the dull, but interesting bachelorhood days were brought to an end. We started off a little early for airport, roughly at 4PM because we expected traffic; Fridays are usually days for weekly business travelers to head back home. But we were wrong, and we were near the airport in about ½ hr. With so much time to kill, we decided to visit the food court right before the airport exit on I-90 highway. The airport was only 5 minutes away, and we could leave whenever we wanted. This food court is built across the interstate, like a bridge, covered from the top and has glass walls. We sat on a table by the window hanging almost in the middle of the highway. We sipped on our Starbucks coffees while looking at the oncoming cars zoomed past under us at high speeds. It felt almost like being in a 3D movie, where they intentionally throw things at you to create an illusion. I said goodbye to Sameer at 5:30, checked in stuff and boarded at 7ish, but we only got out of there 1 hr late, at 8:30. Eventually, there is some gross weight requirement, at New Delhi airport, for the plane, and when they measured it, the weight exceeded the maximum allowed. So, then, they had to ask some of the last minute passengers to get off, and then we had to wait for their checked-in items to be unloaded.
This was my first trip by American airlines. This is the only direct flight from Chicago to Delhi, taking 14 hours. Each passenger gets his own individual TV screen running multiple shows, so that helps kill some time. The food was not so bad, but the seats not very comfortable. I tossed and turned the entire night, but the lady next to me went straight to sleep the moment the dinner was over, and got up only a few hours before landing. She seemed like a frequent traveler and exhibited comfort right from the moment she showed up. She also knew some of the other minute but important details about the plane, for eg, when the seat in front was reclined, she knew the TV could be pulled out a little for better view. Then she used the foldable head strap to provide support while sleeping. I greedily kept an eye out for her and followed all her hat tricks. In the end she took it way too far though. We were cruising at 7000 feet almost ready to land and everybody was belted in their seats. It was morning time and the lavatory had been busy. She thought it was perfect opportunity to empty her bladder, but the moment she got up, she was immediately yelled back by the staff member.
We had taken off late from Chicago, but reached New Delhi airport 5 minutes before time. It reminds you of one of the remarks from the standup comedian, Seinfeld. If the plane could cover the distance in 13 hrs, why would it do it in 14 on timely flights? Why not go as fast as you can? There has to be some logic behind this, I am sure. This flight also has an unusual route. It goes north, first, crossing Canada, and Iceland, and, then down and east then into Russia, eventually into Afghanistan and Pakistan before finally entering India. Again, the logic says that if you want to go from point A to B, you go straight, which is over Europe. But according to the airlines, this is the most efficient (time & fuel wise) way to cover this long the distance. They also mentioned that this was the second longest flight for American, the first being the one from Delhi to Chicago. (TO BE CONTD)
No comments:
Post a Comment