Traveling coach – the good, the bad, and the ugly

I was running around like mad. The airport was huge and getting around the massive terminal was no easy task. Despite all my efforts during the last thirty minutes, the Emirates transfer desk seemed out of reach. I was steeling myself to missing my flight to the United States. This was my first transcontinental flight, and I was still getting used to the system. The transfer desk was a chaotic place. I hope in the ensuing years, Emirates has been able to resolve this issue. Passengers were milling around trying desperately to get the attention of the two customer service personnel. Finally, I was processed and was able to take the train to terminal 3 at Dubai International airport (DXB) from where my US flight was taking off. My Flydubai flight from Kathmandu to Dubai had been suddenly cancelled. I had to fly via India leading to problems of connections and my not having a boarding pass for my flight to the US.

The Airbus A380 is a superb aircraft from the passenger point of view. Stable, spacious, and smooth. I was surprised at how cramped even the spacious A380 especially when I would be spending the next twelve hours on the plane. Over the last two decades I have taken flights to multiple destinations. Some were good, others left something to be desired. The A380 service in Emirates is good. The inflight screens are huge, and they have a huge selection of entertainment. The leg room is acceptable. The aircraft is well maintained. The food is good with metal cutlery and getting a seat in the front portion of the lower deck ensures less disturbances and a smooth ride. I read that this has been now converted to premium economy.

Emirates takes good care of their passengers. During one of my flights to New York (NY) a bomb cyclone struck the East Coast closing airports. Our flight was cancelled, and Emirates arranged hotel accommodation for us. One of the best things was as a passenger flying alone I was not requested to share my room with a stranger. I did not have a good experience with American Airlines. At Charlotte Airport we had to run around trying to find the counter from where we had to get our hotel vouchers. The queue was longer than the height of the One World tower and by the time we were processed and reached the hotel it was almost time to return to catch our early morning flight to Miami. The room was comfortable but unfortunately I could not enjoy it.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is the oldest airline in the world. I used to take their flight from the Caribbean Island of Aruba to Amsterdam. They used to fly the A330. The major problem is the legroom. The dark blue cabin colour scheme is appealing. The cabin feels cramped. The entertainment screens were small, but their collection of entertainment is reasonable. The food is good though on the flight to Delhi it can be improved. Other than the accident at Tenerife KLM has a good safety record and you feel safe flying the airline.

American Airlines has the global largest fleet size. They have some old 757s still in operation especially on flights to the Caribbean. The major problem with US airports is the time it takes to go through security. The booths are understaffed, and there is no money earmarked to appoint new screeners. I hope President Biden can resolve matters. Security takes at least one hour. The line snakes around forever. Also, they have automatic check in and baggage tag printing machines that struggle with non-US passports and IDs. Luckily there is no passport control when you fly out of the US otherwise you must factor in at least another hour for the formalities. Dubai processes customers quickly and the centralized security at Schiphol, Amsterdam is also efficient. Schiphol is a major transit hub, and you can walk across from one gate to the other. They also have the KLM Connect machines which allows you to easily print your boarding pass for the onward journey.

JFK airport in New York has a sky train connecting different terminals. Though these are at the top level and to reach these you must take the escalators which is often difficult with luggage, or you can use the lifts. Why are escalators with broader steps which can hold baggage trolleys not in operation? Airports rarely have enough elevators (lifts) to handle the passenger traffic. JFK charges you to use the baggage trolley which I found strange. Charging for something that by right should be free leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Miami also has a sky train linking different terminals. Dubai has a very modern train linking the terminals. Dubai is spectacular though getting around can be a challenge. Many airports have grown huge and difficult to navigate for passengers. You keep on walking like mad and the distance seems to increase with each passing step.

Night take offs from New York JFK are spectacular. The plane climbs quickly and you can see the city lights far below. The dark waters of the Atlantic Ocean then come into view and slowly you fly over rural New England and the east coast of Canada. Modern aircraft have high-definition cameras in the nose and tail offering spectacular views. Take offs from Mumbai are also scenic with the city lights slowly disappearing and the Arabian sea coming into view. On a long-haul flight, you take off into the unknown as you steadily climb through the clouds till you reach the clear space. After a few hours you land in a country thousands of kilometres away.

The Caribbean has some compact airports. A few islands like Aruba, Jamaica, Trinidad, and Antigua have built modern terminals. Aruba has a US immigration post and offers preclearance so that you arrive in the US as a domestic passenger. Abu Dhabi in the Emirates also offers a similar facility. As tourism is a major source of revenue all islands try to ensure the tourist experience is pleasant. LIAT (a Caribbean airline) flies ATR aircraft among the different nations of the British commonwealth. I still wonder how a small island nation like Britain was able to rule most of the world. JetBlue is among the best of the US carriers. Good leg room and a wide screen for inflight entertainment and they have recently refurbished their cabins. Their narrow body aircraft flies to most locations in the western hemisphere. They operate from terminal 5 in JFK which has short immigration times. Sometimes you clear immigration is less than10 minutes. They do not usually provide a headset and you must bring your own to watch movies or TV shows.

Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) in the good old days used to fly the 757. Their problem used to be a chronic shortage of aircraft translating to long delays and cancellations. The food on board is good. The now defunct Jet Airways and Air India fly B 777 on many international routes. Jet airways provided good service and tasty food, so it is sad they are no more. Good aircraft with reasonable leg room. A good middle eastern budget choice is Kuwait Airways. They offer very competitive fares. They also allowed you to book the front premium economy section at no extra cost. These have excellent leg room. Kuwait is one of the few airlines with a nine abreast configuration in a Boeing 777 providing you with greater personal space. Many others including Emirates and Etihad have a ten across configuration. The food is good, and the inflight screens are decent. It is a dry airline, however and some may find this to be a handicap. They have an honest frequent flyer program, and I was able to attain silver status and gain free lounge access. When flying to New York they had a two hour stop over at Shannon, a small airport in Ireland. Only recently has the security at Kuwait airport been cleared for direct flights to New York. Kuwait has built an excellent modern terminal at Kuwait City recently with good facilities.

India during the last two decades has developed some good airports. The ones in Mumbai and New Delhi are top notch and have been well maintained till now. Of course, as airports grow passengers spent a good deal of time walking around. They do have travelators and buggies and do indicate approximate walking times to gates which is useful when catching your flights.

I have always flown in the economy part of the cabin expect for a trip on Caribbean Airlines from Antigua to Jamaica. The front part of the plane is still beyond my reach. Though passengers in front travel in style and comfort with great food and flat beds, the passengers in the rear have a 40% greater chance of surviving an accident. Caribbean is a decent airline and they do offer a small meal on board, which in the Americas is not common. Unfortunately, airlines in the US have joined forces to get away with offering minimum amenities to passengers. They have a strong lobby in Congress and so are rarely forced to change. They claim middle Eastern carriers get unfair subsidies from their governments. This may be true. But as a passenger I do not really care about this. I am looking forward to a comfortable flight with large screens, good leg room, great food, and new aircraft. Island hopping in the Caribbean is tedious with multiple stops and some fly first to the US and then to their destination island though the slow US immigration and the long security lines does make this difficult.

With the COVID pandemic air travel came to an abrupt halt. Traveling today is much more difficult. RT-PCR tests, health declarations, quarantine, and vaccinations complicate things. Will we be able to travel freely across countries as we once did? Or is restricted, more difficult and expensive air travel here to stay? Only time will tell.