.Background..
.1.Having tasted air travel by various airlines(AIR DECCAN, AIR INDIA, AIR SAHARA, INDIAN, JET AIRWAYS) over the past couple of years, I have come to settle down with JET AIRWAYS. I always book myself on JET AIRWAYS, on all my travel occasions. Till date, I have traveled on the following sectors offered by JET AIRWAYS..
. .BOM – BLR. BOM – CBE. BOM – CCU. BOM – DEL. BOM – HYD. BOM – MAA. BOM – SIN. MAA – CMB.
.2.I would describe my experience as “delightful” on all the sectors I have traveled on all the above sectors..
Current Review on JET AIRWAYS – BOM-SIN-BOM – ECONOMY Class..
- Seating Arrangement. My experience on JET AIRWAYS sector BOM-SIN-BOM can be described as “down”, for the following reasons.. I have taken JW012 / JW011 on Sector BOM-SIN-BOM, a few days back, in ECONOMY Class. The journey takes approximately 5 hours 30 minutes. The Aircraft(BOEING 737-800 ASEAN) assigned by JET AIRWAYS for this kind of a lengthy journey seemed un-reasonable, given its small size. Have noticed that JET AIRWAYS uses this aircraft on its domestic routes(okay, because the travel time is short). The first discomfort in the ECONOMY class is the seating arrangement. Unlike the seats in AIR INDIA ECONOMY Class, the seats were cramped(3+ 3 seats in a row) with a narrow aisle between. The leg room is not sufficient nor is the pushback of the seat adequate, for this kind of a lengthy journey. On a comparative note, the seats in the ECONOMY Class in AIR INDIA are much more comfortable. In addition, there are three sets of seats, which make way for 2 aisles. The second discomfort in the ECONOMY Class is the shortage of Wash Rooms. In the ECONOMY Class, there are only 2 Wash Rooms, at the rear of the Aircraft. Given that this aircraft can accommodate approximately 80- 90 passengers in the ECONOMY Class(Rows 9 to 31, omitting Row 13, which is not available), at any given point of time, there is a chain of people waiting in the narrow aisle to visit the 2 Wash Rooms.
It takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes to complete one visit to the Washroom, depending on where you stand in the Queue. The in flight catering is an activity by itself. This is done leisurely(justified, since the long journey can afford it) and takes about 1 hour or so to complete. Throughout this period, the narrow aisle is occupied by the Catering Trolleys, which almost touch the aisle chairs(“C” and “D”). Passengers sitting on these seats need to watch out for cups, bottles, etc falling off accidentally on them. The serving air hostesses seem to cramp themselves to serve the passengers in this narrow aisle(not their fault). Any passenger intending to move in the aisle during the serving activity would find it quite difficult to do so.
.2.Food Quality on board. The food served on board is decent. Being a vegetarian, my feedback is restricted to Vegetarian servings only..
3.Courtesy of on board staff. Decent..
4..Entertainment. The Screens are placed approximately 1 per 3 rows of seats on both sides of the Aisle. You have no choice but to watch whichever program / movie is being displayed. I am given to understand that in SQ, the Screens are personalized(readers may please correct my understanding if I am wrong)..
5., Handling on Ground(CHECK-IN) – both at Mumbai and Singapore. Decent..
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.Concluding Remarks..
.1.I would not recommended JET AIRWAYS for such a long distance international journey, due to the disadvantages as mentioned in(1) above, under Current Review. Please check out the prices of Singapore Airlines, before taking a decision whether or not to fly JET AIRWAYS on BOM-SIN-BOM..
.2.However, for all domestic travel, I would still prefer JET AIRWAYS – I feel they are the best here in INDIA..
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.Suggestions to JET AIRWAYS..
. .1.Please provide wider seats in ECONOMY Class..
. .2.Please upgrade the service to a wide-bodied aircraft. I am NOT meaning a B-747, but something which is better than 737-800(ASEAN) user on BOM-SIN-BOM. From the passenger comfort perspective, this aircraft(737-800 ASEAN) is just not worth the money you charge the passengers..
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