All Hands On The Decc

On Saturday night, I boarded DN608 with few expectations and loads of scepticism as I had heard horror stories about delays (over two hours in some cases) and cold samosas being served on the flight. I was prepared, actually looking forward to a bumpy ride and a subsequent cynical article. It turned out otherwise. On second thought, maybe I should have purchased—one has to pay for everything from water to food served inside—a samosa instead of a chicken roll.

Well, on the A320 I was flying, a few seats didn’t recline back and a few table trays didn’t open. But then I flew back on Indian Airlines and found that my seat’s arm-rest was ripped off. So relax, Air Deccan is just another desi airline, but with a difference.

For example, no other airline has the audacity to sell tickets for Rs 700-Rs 2,000, though these rates are applicable to only 20 per cent of the seats on each Deccan Airline flight. Even the remaining tickets are quite cheap; my one-way ticket cost Rs 5,450, or Rs 2,000 cheaper than the seven-day apex fare offered by Indian Airlines and almost 50 per cent lower than the normal price. But Air Deccan doesn’t fly Delhi-Chennai direct, there’s a stopover at Hyderabad. So, a two-and-a-half hour journey takes 3 hours 45 minutes. And the flight lands in Chennai at a not-so-convenient hour—10.30 pm.

The airline offers dynamic fares, which means the price changes daily based on the demand-supply situation. Obviously, the earlier you book, the less you pay. For example, booking nine days in advance, I paid Rs 6,595 for a Delhi-Mumbai return (direct flight), or about 40 per cent cheaper than the next best offer from Air Sahara whose nine-day apex fare was approximately Rs 11,000.

Booking the ticket was a breeze. One got through on the phone easily, and the voice on the other side was friendly and helpful. (But I was not told that I could have saved a couple of hundreds as transaction fee had I booked on the Net.) In Delhi, the airline doesn’t have a city office, and you are given a PNR number that you quote at their airport counter to get the ticket. This is a system followed by many domestic airlines in the US.

I reached the airport one-and-a-half-hours before take-off as instructed because, as the executive told me, "we need that extra 30 minutes to issue the tickets." At the ticket counter, I got another shock. I was just given a print-out, which was the ticket. No-frills implies low costs, and this was one way the airline was reducing its expenses. The check-in was quick; so that’s the first lesson I learnt: there was no need to report so early. The TV time-tables at the airport didn’t display the Air Deccan logo, but only flashed the flight number. And one is allowed only 15 kg of check-in baggage, while other airlines allow 20.

But at Gate No. 4, we had to wait a long time. Take-off time was getting closer and there was no bus in sight. A passenger asked an airport employee—no one from Air Deccan had showed up still— about the delay and was informed bluntly: "Air Deccan is making wrong announcements, you are not cleared for boarding." Good. Finally, things would go wrong and my story would be on track. But the problem got sorted out in a few minutes and we were soon riding towards the aircraft.

The aircraft looked like any other I have travelled in, except that it had a TV channel’s logo painted on its body. Inside, the head-rests were sponsored by the Chevrolet Tavera, and for those to whom these things matter, the air hostesses were attractive, efficient and eager to help passengers. I had forgotten to ask for an aisle seat, but found that it was free seating and the plane was only half full. In fact, I ended up with the aisle, centre and window seats all to myself and was not bothered by the air hostess who was trying to move people to the back of the plane "to maintain balance". A few passengers grumbled that they had never heard this logic before.

Air travel in India carries an elitist tag, so, even though they are travelling on hugely discounted tickets, many may feel cheated when they are not even served a welcome Frooti on board. There’s no business class, no wet towels, no candy, no cotton wool. In-flight reading comprises Simplifly, Air Deccan’s magazine, and there are no newspapers even if you want to pay for them. But the air hostess charmingly offered me her copy of Elle in case I was getting too bored.

After take-off, we were handed a menu card which lists out sandwiches, rolls, chips, samosas and so on and their prices. But the serving took inordinately long because the air hostess had an unusual problem—no loose change. I took out my water bottle and biscuits bought at the airport, and had an air hostess smilingly tell me: "Please carry on, we have no problem if you bring your own food."

Some passengers took out fruits from their bags and, at our stopover at Hyderabad, the cleaning person had lots of peels to clear. After my biscuits, I ordered a chicken roll for Rs 45 and a packet of chips for Rs 20. Sitting with my feet up on the seat, reading a magazine and munching chips, it felt like a picnic, some 35,000 ft above sea level.

But I had to do a thorough job. So, cleverly, I asked for medicines and blankets. "No, ma’am, they are not available," though the air hostess went to the extent of digging into her own purse for an elusive aspirin tablet. However, you can shop in-flight for stuffed Spidermen, FM radios and MP3 players. The gentleman sitting behind me, travelling for the second or third time on Air Deccan, said he was primarily there for great shopping! I decided that buying a pair of anti-bacterial socks for Rs 200, sitting in a plane, was not such a hot idea.

Although we left Delhi 20 minutes late, the plane landed at Hyderabad on time and the arrival at Chennai was five minutes before time. As I walked past the air hostess, I reminded her that she had not returned my change of Rs 5. She at once started for the cockpit but I stopped her with a "never mind, next time". Happy, she asked: "So you’ll fly with us next time?" Hmm...I think I will.