It’s hard to believe but true that its exactly a year since I started this blog and despite being away in Singapore I had to take time this morning to upload my first anniversary blog post!
I’m glad I have managed to keep it going for one whole year albeit at a slower pace than desired. Posting once a week, I was pretty regular during the first three months but then my Spanish classes and a whole lot of unplanned travel meant very little time for writing. This has made me admire people who despite their busy schedules find time to update their blogs at a prolific pace.
My main aim of capturing my thoughts during the past year has been fulfilled and when I read some of my earlier posts my reaction is either – “did I write that” or “why did I write that”.
Here’s a BIG thanks to all you guys out there for your encouragement and more importantly finding time to go through the stuff I’ve been throwing at your through my posts.
First anniversaries normally call for some important / interesting announcements and I shall follow the tradition by stating that I have an ambitious writing plan in the making. I’ve bounced the idea with a few people who have given me a positive feedback but more on this when plans crystalise.
It has been just over a year since I last travelled abroad and I was pleasantly surprised to notice a whole lot of changes at the Mumbai International Airport. It has transformed itself from looking like a railway platform to actually looking like an international airport. While admiring the new structure I could hear hushed whispers between some senior citizens about the prices of eats at coffee shops and restaurants. Any further increase will also mean that paramedics need to be on standby when senior citizens go through the prices which have multiplied over 10 times from what they were used to paying. Seriously though, if we want airports of international standards then prices too will shoot up! It will be amusing when they start charging User Development Fees for passengers using the new airport. Imagine the irony when, in order to pay Rs 150 for a sandwich you will first have to pay Rs 1,500 to enter the airport! That’s what they call a double whammy!
A conversation with co-passengers always brings out one of the “Most Likely Questions” (a subject of my earlier post) and the most popular one as usual is “Why are you still single”? I was getting tired of the same old answers I am used to giving so I have a new one these days. Here goes “I was looking for the perfect woman and I also found one, but unfortunately, she was looking for the perfect guy! I have to start all over again and am now looking for a perfect woman who is not looking for a perfect guy”!
Singapore Airlines has always been touted to be the best airline in terms of customer satisfaction / service levels and they were bang on. The new A380 aircrafts are a real treat. I almost missed my seat in economy class as I kept moving forward assuming that I was in Business Class! The seating comfort and leg space is as good as the business class in most rickety airlines with outdated aircrafts.
Emirates is the airline which is invariably compared with Singapore Airlines but having travelled on Emirates umpteen number of times I can safely say that Emirates is unlikely to catch up any time soon. The work culture at Emirates just does not permit the crew and ground staff to make the customer feel at ease and that’s irrespective of whether you are travelling First, Business or Economy. Even when I travel Business Class on Emirates there is always that subtle hint of arrogance or snootiness which overhangs their service. I can only imagine how the economy class gets treated.
SingAir on the other hand is totally chilled out. There is nothing intimidating and a general sense of pleasantness pervades the entire experience. The best part is that the ground staff and crew members seemed to be trained to go out of their way even without making you feel they are going out of their way. That to me is the secret of their excellent service. I experienced this first hand at Changi Airport when the girl at the currency exchange counter advised me in a very matter of fact manner that since I have a debit card too I should withdraw money from the ATM and not buy it from her as her rates were much higher than the ATM. I don’t remember the last time when a salesperson directed a customer to a cheaper option. Welcome to Changi International Airport!
I must not forget to add that I also met a crew member who was in the wrong job! She seemed far too efficient to be a part of the cabin crew and when I told her she was wasting her time in that job she was quite perplexed. She seemed more relaxed when I added that with the kind of diction and voice strength she had together with her personality she could easily be a successful anchor on television either for a news network or a lifestyle / travel channel. A little bit of training could also make her a good voice-over or dubbing artist.
In any case, she could not get me my ultra hot masala chai and seriously couldn’t believe my definition of ultra hot. She better look for career better than trying to serve ultra hot tea to a passenger with a heat insulated tongue or telling people to switch off their mobiles or fasten their seat belts! Most of all, crew members are more identifiable with names like Anna, Rita, Valerie or Neha. The name Uttara Deshpande sounds more suited to a news anchor…think about it! Uttara, you can do much better...certainly better than having U.D. on a SingAir uniform!
Much has been happening between my Goa post and this one.
Inflation is going down but prices are going up!
Metro bridges are coming down and Mayawati statues are going up. Congress has forgotten Kalavati and concentrating on Mayawati. There is a big hue and cry over the erection of her statues. What people don’t realize is the fact that this is the only kind of erection she can possibly enjoy.
Yuvraj Singh is worried about his privacy as far as dope testing is concerned. He should be told that WADA stands for World Anti-Doping Agency and not World Aids Detection Agency. I am sure he will relent.
Lot more is happening but they will have to wait till I get back home.
I’m glad I have managed to keep it going for one whole year albeit at a slower pace than desired. Posting once a week, I was pretty regular during the first three months but then my Spanish classes and a whole lot of unplanned travel meant very little time for writing. This has made me admire people who despite their busy schedules find time to update their blogs at a prolific pace.
My main aim of capturing my thoughts during the past year has been fulfilled and when I read some of my earlier posts my reaction is either – “did I write that” or “why did I write that”.
Here’s a BIG thanks to all you guys out there for your encouragement and more importantly finding time to go through the stuff I’ve been throwing at your through my posts.
First anniversaries normally call for some important / interesting announcements and I shall follow the tradition by stating that I have an ambitious writing plan in the making. I’ve bounced the idea with a few people who have given me a positive feedback but more on this when plans crystalise.
It has been just over a year since I last travelled abroad and I was pleasantly surprised to notice a whole lot of changes at the Mumbai International Airport. It has transformed itself from looking like a railway platform to actually looking like an international airport. While admiring the new structure I could hear hushed whispers between some senior citizens about the prices of eats at coffee shops and restaurants. Any further increase will also mean that paramedics need to be on standby when senior citizens go through the prices which have multiplied over 10 times from what they were used to paying. Seriously though, if we want airports of international standards then prices too will shoot up! It will be amusing when they start charging User Development Fees for passengers using the new airport. Imagine the irony when, in order to pay Rs 150 for a sandwich you will first have to pay Rs 1,500 to enter the airport! That’s what they call a double whammy!
A conversation with co-passengers always brings out one of the “Most Likely Questions” (a subject of my earlier post) and the most popular one as usual is “Why are you still single”? I was getting tired of the same old answers I am used to giving so I have a new one these days. Here goes “I was looking for the perfect woman and I also found one, but unfortunately, she was looking for the perfect guy! I have to start all over again and am now looking for a perfect woman who is not looking for a perfect guy”!
Singapore Airlines has always been touted to be the best airline in terms of customer satisfaction / service levels and they were bang on. The new A380 aircrafts are a real treat. I almost missed my seat in economy class as I kept moving forward assuming that I was in Business Class! The seating comfort and leg space is as good as the business class in most rickety airlines with outdated aircrafts.
Emirates is the airline which is invariably compared with Singapore Airlines but having travelled on Emirates umpteen number of times I can safely say that Emirates is unlikely to catch up any time soon. The work culture at Emirates just does not permit the crew and ground staff to make the customer feel at ease and that’s irrespective of whether you are travelling First, Business or Economy. Even when I travel Business Class on Emirates there is always that subtle hint of arrogance or snootiness which overhangs their service. I can only imagine how the economy class gets treated.
SingAir on the other hand is totally chilled out. There is nothing intimidating and a general sense of pleasantness pervades the entire experience. The best part is that the ground staff and crew members seemed to be trained to go out of their way even without making you feel they are going out of their way. That to me is the secret of their excellent service. I experienced this first hand at Changi Airport when the girl at the currency exchange counter advised me in a very matter of fact manner that since I have a debit card too I should withdraw money from the ATM and not buy it from her as her rates were much higher than the ATM. I don’t remember the last time when a salesperson directed a customer to a cheaper option. Welcome to Changi International Airport!
I must not forget to add that I also met a crew member who was in the wrong job! She seemed far too efficient to be a part of the cabin crew and when I told her she was wasting her time in that job she was quite perplexed. She seemed more relaxed when I added that with the kind of diction and voice strength she had together with her personality she could easily be a successful anchor on television either for a news network or a lifestyle / travel channel. A little bit of training could also make her a good voice-over or dubbing artist.
In any case, she could not get me my ultra hot masala chai and seriously couldn’t believe my definition of ultra hot. She better look for career better than trying to serve ultra hot tea to a passenger with a heat insulated tongue or telling people to switch off their mobiles or fasten their seat belts! Most of all, crew members are more identifiable with names like Anna, Rita, Valerie or Neha. The name Uttara Deshpande sounds more suited to a news anchor…think about it! Uttara, you can do much better...certainly better than having U.D. on a SingAir uniform!
Much has been happening between my Goa post and this one.
Inflation is going down but prices are going up!
Metro bridges are coming down and Mayawati statues are going up. Congress has forgotten Kalavati and concentrating on Mayawati. There is a big hue and cry over the erection of her statues. What people don’t realize is the fact that this is the only kind of erection she can possibly enjoy.
Yuvraj Singh is worried about his privacy as far as dope testing is concerned. He should be told that WADA stands for World Anti-Doping Agency and not World Aids Detection Agency. I am sure he will relent.
Lot more is happening but they will have to wait till I get back home.
