New Delhi:
I flew Kingfisher. Not once, but twice in the last two days. I shall be lining up for a bravery award at the President's door, but that is another story. This one needs to be told first. In my defence, I plead that my tickets were booked before Kingfisher started penalising paying passengers last weekend for the not-so-good times that have befallen it.
Also, to incredulous exclamations of, "surely you aren't flying Kingfisher, they are cancelling everything", I stoutly pointed to a midnight claim on Monday from both the Kingfisher website and a very polite man on customer care that my flight to Mumbai would leave on time the next morning, come what may.
I went to sleep happy; unbeknownst to me an sms landed soundlessly on my phone at about 3 in the morning informing me that the flight would now leave not at 7.20 am but at 9.30 am. What Kingfisher knew at 3 in the morning but not three hours before I know not.
Reached Delhi's T3 with enough time to spare; a meeting in Mumbai already cancelled. One look at the face of the young woman at the check-in counter should have warned me. There was apology and weariness, no doubt from having had her ear chewed by many irate passengers. But she looked me in the eye and said conspiratorially, "you do of course know that this flight will now leave at 10.10 am? Technical..." She didn't bother adding "glitch"; either that was not for her to know, or she believed it as much as I did, as tens of Kingfisher flights got cancelled.
No, I did not at all know. What about another sms that I should have received for that, I gently suggested. She seemed to agree. I had only just left her desk that I duly received that sms informing me that my flight would leave at 10.10 am. Very helpful.
The flight did leave eventually. Much has changed since the last I flew Kingfisher Class. A comely Yana Gupta with red lips did not advise me on flight safety on my in-house entertainment screen. There was no in-house entertainment screen. And I would've preferred to buy breakfast on a low-cost airline than eat what was served. The hostess did give it a name in a hushed mumble. No wonder she was so secretive. I couldn't decipher what I ate.
I reached Mumbai at mid-day and the tizzy at work ensured that it was late when I remembered I was Kingfishering back the next day, again due in Delhi for an important meeting.
Till midnight, no sms again. I slept uneasy this time, and woke up - to no sms. Hallelujah. Times had changed, my plane would fly at 8.10 am as scheduled, thought trusting I. And the Kingfisher website said so.
Not so fast. At 5.15 came the sms that informed me it would now depart at 8.45 am. I hit the airport early anyway, to see if any other carrier would sell me a seat. The grins were wide - they were all sold out.
Kingfisher it was. The look of apology at the counter was familiar. 8.45 did we say, oh no, we now mean 9.40 am. This time I was so bold as to ask with a decided smirk - technical snag eh? That threw the young man. I had stolen his thunder. "No, no, the plane from Goa has not left so we will now board passengers for 337 on the flight coming from Bangalore", he offered.
Sure, I said. Would that plane be airborne? "Ma'am," he said confidently, "yes it is." So I had two hours to kill, a vital meeting missed, but at least an assurance that I would leave Mumbai at 9.40 am. I asked four times, he assured me four times.
I should have, of course, expected it. No sooner had I been through security that the dreaded SMS landed. 10.15. The story goes that by 9.30 am it was again the Goa flight and not the Bangalore flight that would be 337 after all, said another apologetic smile. And the plane had not landed. Put me on any plane, cargo if necessary, I pleaded by then.
I boarded sleepy, hungry, worried and the plane took off rather tentatively at 11 am. Food arrived. Indian bread with potato curry - greasy paranthas with a potato sludge. I took the fruits, thank you.
PS: I reached Delhi. I count myself among the luckier passengers. None of my flights was cancelled. And I must add here that at least two Kingfisher attendants tried to get me on to earlier flight, but that flight was full.
PPS: On the Kingfisher website a smiling Dr Mallya tells me he is taking things personally. Should I be writing this there?
The writer is Chief Editor-News, NDTV Convergence. She is also resolute she's not catching a plane anytime soon.