My experiences with Air-Deccan while flying to Bhavnagar is as under:
Ticketing
It is hassle free. Book it through internet take a printout and you are through.
There was some confusion pertaining to my infant kid, some personnel insisted on carrying a photo id proof latter it was informed that we are supposed to carry the birth certificate of the kid. However it was also asserted that even if you don’t have the said certificate is was okay.
Mumbai – Bhavnagar
Check-In: Hassle free, you will not find the most attractive and smiling faces on the counter but they are considerate and professional.
Aircraft: Was extremely clean, although small I found it to be spacious. Upholstery was standard. Had a standard magazine which was okay, no newspaper on-board
Service : The Aircraft took off on time and reached the destination on time. I had heard a lot about delays with Air Deccan flights I was lucky on this count. But cannot be lucky all the times. You will realize this as you read further. There was a single Air Stewardess. She did make a serious attempt to smile and be helpful. I feel she was successful on most counts baring few incidents when I felt that the approach towards the not so well to do passengers( atleast from there looks) was a little indifferent. In my opinion everyone on board should be treated equal but I have seen this happening everywhere, may be it is a human tendency to behave that way.
They serve limited food on flight and remember you have to pay extra for whatever you buy (this even includes water). Recommend trying the Brownie which cost a mere Rs.10/= and Coco-Jal (coconut water) Rs.20/=
End Notes: Overall the journey was good and was happy to reach the destination on time
Bhavanagar – Mumbai
Flight Rescheduling : A day before the scheduled date of departure, I got a call mentioning that the flight was rescheduled by around 4 hours. I again got a call on the day of my journey that the flight was delayed by a further one hours. Again got a call informing that the flight was further delayed by One hour and was finally asked to report to airport at 4.00 PM. After reaching I found that the flight was further delayed and would not reach before 5.30 PM. All through I feel I am glad that they called us and kept me informed on the flight delays. It was very helpful as I had an infant traveling along with us. I can understand that Air-Deccan is relatively a new player and will take some to address the issue of flight delays. I am sure that the competition will ensure that the company learns quicker on this front.
Check-In : Bhavnagar is a small airport it took minimal time to complete the formalities. The airport staff was co-operative and kept the fellow passengers updated on the flight status. Security screening has improved drastically now.
Air Deccan uses mini buses which are absolutely unfriendly for handicapped people or elderly people who have problems climbing huge stairs. I wish they could address the concerns for people with leg problem who will otherwise find it extremely difficult to board the bus.
Aircraft: Was clean, Upholstery was a genuine leather but seemed a little old. Throughout the flight they kept the light switched off. I never understood the rationale behind it.
Service: The flight was delayed, but neither the Captain nor the Air Steward bothered to apologize for the delay and the inconvenience caused to passengers. The Air Steward seemed extremely tired and worn out. The food been served was the same. We reached mumbai as scheduled
Overall opinion
Air-Deccan can be used only if you are for pleasure trips. I would not recommend it for any business use where punctuality is a must. The company has to go a long way before it can establish itself as a reliable Airline. But otherwise I the flight good. The quality of flight good, quality of support by the Airport staff again good, the only areas it needs to focus is punctuality. I wish the operator identifies this as an major area of improvement. I was extremely happy with the way they informed us about the flight delays, I hope they do the same on all other sectors as well.