Bengaluru, May 25 (IANS) A domestic flight passenger from the Bengaluru to Mumbai on the first of partial passenger flights resumption has largely expressed satisfaction on the services extended by the airport and the airline amid COVID pandemic, she said on Monday.
“Actually, quite comfortable and reassuring, considering the worry and concern the world over and in India as well because of COVID. Especially in Bengaluru, the authorities have done an excellent job,” told Anamika Iyengar to IANS.
Iyengar took an early morning flight to Mumbai from the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).
“Every stage of the check-in and details submission was contactless and easy to understand. There wasn’t any complexity involved and at every stage there was staff positioned to explain if you are confused,” she said.
According to Iyengar, the whole process was well thought out and efficiently organized, including from the time of getting the boarding pass and also the markings on the floor to maintain physical distance.
“I took an early flight at 7.45 a.m., there weren’t many occupants. The airport itself did not have too many people and the flight also wasn’t full. I thing about 30 passengers,” said Iyengar.
She said the flight may not be full because many fliers would have been worried how all that flying experience would play out.
“In a row with three seats, only one is occupied. The row before me and the row behind me were also unoccupied,” she said.
As part of COVID precautions, the airline only allowed water and no food was served or was allowed to consume during the flight.
Similarly, the airline used a screen like gadget to check the fliers before boarding.
In the airport, at the entrance and at subsequent barricades before much deeper inside the airport, the employees were wearing a face mask, but as one enters deeper, they were all wearing full body suits from head to toe for COVID protection.
“All the cabin crew were also covered up from top to bottom,a she said.
Iyengar did not complain on the airfare she paid, saying it was fairly reasonable and booked her ticket on the day government announced domestic flights would resume.
“Just to be sure, I booked two tickets for myself, one on Vistara and another on SpiceJet. Vistara flight got cancelled and I took the SpiceJet. I took a private cab to reach the airport without any trouble. I did not take any chances with Ola or Uber,” she said.
As the fliers boarded the bus, the airline also gave them a packet containing a hand sanitizer and a head covering to protect oneself from the virus.
“They gave a visor like plastic sheet which covers the face until under the mouth,” she said.
In some of the pics Iyengar shared on her journey, the Bengaluru airport was mostly empty with rows of unoccupied seats in the airport.
Meanwhile, an unaccompanied minor, Vihaan Sharma, got reunited with his mother at the city airport after three months due to lockdown.
The 5-year-old boy was stuck in Delhi and travelled on Monday as a special category passenger.
–IANS
sth/rt