I was to travel from India to USA in the fall of 2002 to begin my study there and since it was going to be my first international flight, I wanted to take an airline which would be most convenient for first-time travellers. One particular criteria I was looking for was minimum waiting time, because I was travelling alone and I hate to wait for hours at any place be it an airport or a railway station. No doubt British Airways seemed to be the best choice in this regard.
It was an early morning flight from Calcutta to London and I arrived at the airport three hours before the departure time as is the rule for check-in for all international destinations. Since it was my first international travel, I was a bit nervous and shaky. However, things pretty much eased up for me when I was greeted by the warm friendly smile of the staff at the British Airways counter at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at Calcutta. She gave me my boarding pass and explained to me that at London I would be issued a separate boarding pass for the flight to New York (which was also by British Airways). Pointing to a list, she then politely asked me to check whether I have any of those items in my cabin-luggage as those were not allowed inside the aircraft. I had none, so I said ’no’ and she said I was all set and wished me a happy flight. Having checked in, I had then almost a three-hour long wait before boarding. Though the airline requests passengers to report at least three hours before departure time, I saw people checking in without any trouble quite later than that. At last the boarding time came. Just before that the airline officials once again screened the handbags. Though many people frown at repeated screening, I see no harm in this, because it is an extra measure of security which I think is very necessary these days and moreover the screeners are very careful in handling the baggage so there’s not much worry for damage of the contents.
Inside the aircraft I must admit it seemed a bit crowded. I was in the economy class and the flight was full. I took my seat, fastened my seat belt. I found there was a personal monitor at each seat even in the economy class. There were several channels playing, from music channels to Bollywood and Hollywood movie channels. However I found that my microphone was not working properly for some reason, but I did not say anything about it. Before take off we were provided with hot-towels and in addition there was a small package containing tooth-brush, a small tooth-paste tube, shaving equipment given to each and every passenger. The Captain warmly greeted all the passengers and announced that take-off would be delayed by a few minutes as another plane had landed there just a few minutes previously, but that delay, I think, was more due to the airport authorities than due to the airline. The flight attendants were all very warm and friendly and catered to personal needs. There were veg/non-veg options for breakfast. I chose the veg option and found it was pretty good. In addition there were plenty of water, fruit juice, soda served from time to time lest our mouths run dry. The seat was more or less comfortable with a back-pillow and a blanket to worn over. Passengers were seated in rows of three and leg-space was a little bit tight but quite manageable. One of the passengers had a baby and the flight attendants specially attended to the needs of the baby every now and then without any reluctance. At lunch there were two options ’Asian vegetarian’ or ’chicken’. I preferred Asian vegetarian. The food was wholesome and delicious. It was about a ten-hour flight and in spite of a delayed start we arrived at London Heathrow right on time.
From Heathrow I had another BA flight to take to JFK New York. The BA officials were once again very polite and helpful and guided me to the right terminal. Heathrow is a huge airport and I am not a regular traveller, so it was easy to get confused but thanks to their help I arrived at the correct terminal without the slightest confusion. This time there was just a check of my passport and visa and my handbag was Xray-screened once. I was greeted on board my BA flight to New York by smiling flight attendants. I kept my hand-bag in the overhead space ( there was no shortage of overhead space in either of the flights) and I had a seat beside the window. Once again we had a slightly delayed start. As the plane flew over the English county it was a fascinating sight from several thousand feet above the ground. This time also there were personal monitors at each seat showing the altitude, the outside temperature and the course of the flight. It was about an eight-hour flight and three meals were served : one main meal serving as dinner and two snack-meals. There were of course water and fruit juice served in plenty all throughout. At the main meal , there were two options: chicken or fish. I asked the flight attendant whether they have any vegetarian meal and he promptly brought me one consisting of pasta and brocoli which, though a new kind of food for me, did quite well as dinner along with ample servings of fresh fruits. Tea, coffee and other beverages were also served. Sometime before landing at JFK we were given customs and immigration forms. There was an old lady who did not know English and one of the flight attendants personally filled up the forms for her with help from a young passenger who belonged to the same country as the old lady and knew her native language. We arrived at John F Kennedy Airport in New York once again on time. After customs and immigration checks, I went to the baggage-claim and found to my relief both my check-in baggages, because I have heard horror stories of lost and untraced baggages on other airlines.
British Airways is the airline I would always recommend especially if you are travelling in India-Europe-US sector. If you are travelling from India to US and want to get there with minimum amount of waiting time and minimum amount of hassles, this is the airline to take especially if you are flying from Calcutta, as it has got only one and a half to three hours of waiting time at London Heathrow, depending on whether you are taking the New York flight or the Chicago flight. Also the punctuality of this airline saves you from a lot of other hassles like missing a connection, etc etc. The quality of inflight service is quite good compared to other airlines, the food is delicious, even if you prefer vegetarian food you won’t face much problem and above all, the smile and friendly service of the flight attendants ensure that you feel fully comfortable on board even if you are travelling for the first time. However you are to keep the following things in mind. Each economy-class passenger is allowed to take only one baggage item weighing not more than 7 Kgs as cabin baggage, and apart from that you are allowed to carry two pieces of check-in baggage, each weighing not more than 32 Kgs. At least that was the rule for cabin and check-in baggage items at the time I flew. But then I think that was quite reasonable and also if you are a lone traveller, you would definitely want to travel as light as possible without encumbering yourself with extra baggage items.