Simply Never again.... Review on Simplifly Deccan

I always wanted to try this new low cost domestic airline but I did not get a chance. We planned to go to Nainital in November'05 and so we decided to try Air Deccan - mainly due to the lowest airfare offered on Mumbai-New Delhi route.

We had opted for morning flight scheduled at around 11am. Two days ago, I received their SMS saying that the flight time was changed and it would go 25 minutes late. ''What a service'' I remarked, ''they sure care for customers''. At this moment I was not aware what would be still waiting for us.

On the D-day, we all reached about 1 hour prior to departure to be welcomed by a sign showing that our flight was delayed by 30 minutes. ''It happens'' an experienced traveller within me told my wife, ''this is not for the first time''. Sure it was not. After waiting for another 45 minutes, it was announced that the flight was further delayed by 45 minutes. This was getting on our nerves and many kids with other fellow passengers were getting restless.

The airlines had no courtesy to offer some snacks or tea/coffee eventhough they knew that it was about to be normal lunch time for kids. Many of the fellow passengers already had started verbal duels with the airlines staff.

Finally the boarding announcement was made sometime at 1pm and the flight took off only by 1.45pm. HUGE HUGE HUGE delay. Many of the passengers had connecting trains to catch from Delhi, I heard that few of them already missed it. But who cared from the airlines side? NOBODY, there WAS nobody.

The aircraft was nice and clean inside. They do not offer any snacks / drinks on the house. You have to buy it by paying cash to the air hostess. Even drinking water is sold here. The rates are bound to be much HIGHER. The snacks options were limited and not enough to take care of all the famishing passengers. This added to the wrath of most of us.

Finally we landed at New Delhi and had to wait for long till the bus arrived to take us from the airport to the arrival hall. I was still telling my wife ''Keep cool, this will also pass''. But I was wrong.

When our luggage arrived, to my horror I found that the locks and trolly handles of both of our suitcases was badly damaged and broken. Fortunately the suitacases were not opened. I immediately reported this to the Air Deccan staff on duty. He escorted me to the airlines office. At the office, they did not accept that my suitcases were damaged while handling. They said that probably my suitcases were already in damaged condition.

After a lot of verbal fighting, the airlines staff agreed to compensate me. They gave me two options. Either I leave my suitcases with them for 5-6 days so that they can repair it or they pay me for the repairs. I opted for the easy option of receiving the compensation in terms of money, as I wanted to relax after all that discomfort since morning. So the GENEROUS airlines offered to pay me Rs.21/- for the repairs !! I could not believe it. I thought that they were joking because any layman could have said that getting two suitcases repaired would be anything from Rs.200-300. Air Deccan simply did not agree. I realized that it was enough of stress now and decided to leave the airport. Anyway, it was MY decision to opt for the lowest fare airlines.

I will never take this airlines again - maybe if I get two free return tickets and some extra money on top.

If you wish to take your family, think twice or maybe more.

Take this airlines if you are not carrying any luggage and not in a hurry or following a certain time table.

P.S.: I also learnt later on that Air Deccan's flight Mumbai - Porbandar which took off minutes before our flight's departure, had to return back to Mumbai mid-way as the aircraft developed some technical snag in one of its two engines. I guess we were lucky in this case.