Sky High to Earthly Low. Review on Jet Airways

Once upon  a time, a traveler swore by the services, the crew, the quality, the cleanliness etc of Jet Airways.

That was then.  Fast forward to a few decades later and it seems like a far fetched truth by an over stretched imagination of a young kid.  Facts are facts and Jet airways one can no longer bury its head in the sand and rest on past laurels.  The Laurels have dried up and they are fast approaching  a crash landing situation if they dont pull their socks up and do something to get back the glory that was once rightfully theirs.

I had the misfortune to travel internationally recently by Jet Airways for no other reason but for my love of Virgin Airways which fatefully have a code share with Jet Airways.  The gall of these Jet airways guys, they put a short haul domestic aircraft on an international route.  The aircraft was so narrow and congested that if you happen to be on the healthier side and God forbid if your co-passengers also happen to be on the healthier side, imagine the bottoms of all three passengers vying for that unavailable extra quarter inch of space. Try turning to either side and your elbow violates your co-passenger's not only seat space but also body space.

Worse still, if you have to the urge to visit the washroom and you are the window seat passenger. The other two passengers have to adjust in the virtually non existent aisle area and then the acrobatics you learnt when you are kid sure saves the day as you try to Maneuver to get out of your seat to hit the path to the washroom.

While on the topic of washroom, aaah how can I forget the most unforgetting experience.

After Maneuvering past my co-passengers hanging bellies and the other passengers legs enroute to the washroom, I dream of a few minutes of spacious bliss when I am brought down rudely from the spacious bliss to asmelly and stinky reality which passes off as messy room.

I dread to put my foot down in the messy lest my foot too catch an infection.  I sigh and pray that my bladder supports my will and holds itself up till we land in amchi mumbai.  I trudge back to my seat and give up on liquids as I did not want to push my bladder's tolerance levels for the next couple of hours.

How does one control ones tummy which grumbles and roars when it is hungry. I decide to take a few bites, minus the liquids.remember the stress I have already put the bladder on:)  well the meal is served and I delve into to enthusiastically only to realize the airline has short changed its passengers here too.  A limp as a dish rag and cold as an ice cube  roti is passed off as paratha and where the dal ends and the rice begins is an adventure in itself.  I sigh again and skip the meal bearing in mind the bladder trouble and I did not want to engage any other body part in my deal with the bladder.  I try to catch my 40 winks in the available and encroached space and put all my weight on the window hoping  the engineering that went into creating this marvel holds good and does give way under weight.  Finally the fresh day dawns and I hope for some decent breakfast. But my luck seems to have run out even before I boarded the aircraft and I am left staring at a stale and smelly cup cape and a few days if not a few weeks old fresh fruit.  In spite of the rumble of my stomach, I decide to go on an impromptu diet routine dreaming of tucking into some hot and spice wada pav, bhajias, sandwiches, chole bhatura once I land in amchi Mumbai.

Finally the aircraft lands in Mumbai and as I rush through all the airport processes, I promise my self pran jaaye par Jet Airways se kabhi naa Jaaye.