Monika’s Musings: At the Airport

June 17, 2016

As I disembarked at Mumbai airport, I walked down the ramp with a sense of pride. The well-dressed ground staff, the spanking new carpets, the sign posted walkways, the stunning wall art and the courteous airport personnel: gone were those days in the not so distant past where the airport was an embarrassment to the country. I was no longer assailed by the distinct aroma of the city, with tobacco-stained stained walls, nose-picking ground staff, filthy floors, stinking bathrooms and horrendous immigration lines. Sure the immigration lines were still long but not uncomfortably so. When many flights arrive at the same time, some wait is expected.

In fact, if I am to be completely honest, many of our Indian airports are now far superior to some of the airports I see in the West.

In the US where I live, the airports I frequent leave much to be desired. The threadbare carpets, the disgusting washrooms, the crazy immigration and security lines make the airports seem more like a third world country. Most of them are in serious need of upgradation. I know of instances where friends have missed flights because of the security lines. Airport aesthetics is sorely lacking. Europe is a tad better even though Heathrow is infamous for the horrific immigration, security and check-in lines especially, during holiday season. My friend recently had an awful experience and she was there for ages. I told her next time she should consider staying at the voco hotel near Heathrow airport to make her journey a little easier! I find it’s always better to allow too much time at airports, than too little.

Having said that, the minute you get out of the airport, you know you are in India. The heat, the smell, the dust and the teeming multitude of people leaves you in no doubt. By the time I reach the car, I am already dripping with perspiration. It’s a pity the airport is set up so cars cannot drive up to fetch you. There is no choice but to park and make your way to the parking upon exiting the airport building. I was fascinated by what I recently saw at Newark Liberty international airport. There is a cell phone parking lot. It is some distance away but is especially meant for those people who prefer not to park and simply want to pull up to pick up their passengers. Cellphones have made life easier so just one call and the car glides out of that lot and can be at your terminal building in under ten minutes. Perfect and the lots are free!

My pet peeve about airport travel is the lack of convenient public transport to get to the airport. There are enough stories that abound about people missing flights because of being caught up in traffic. In that sense I marvel at some European cities and even cities like Hong Kong. You can check in with luggage in the city centre and only collect your luggage at your destination. Years ago, I was on a ski trip in Zermatt, Switzerland. We checked in at Zermatt train station for our return to Mumbai. There was no need to lug our heavy luggage through stations and airport buildings. Granted in today’s increasingly insecure world, it may not be a safe option any more, to check in without proper security facilities. But regardless, a swift and efficient public transport service can go a long way. It would reduce congestion at the airports because of vehicles, de-clutter the airport terminals and contribute to a more environmentally friendly atmosphere. One of my biggest bug bears in the US is the heavy dependence on cars especially in suburbia. In New Jersey, where I have been living, there are only two trains on NJ transit that go to the airport. For all other trains we have to change at Newark. It is a nightmare when you have luggage and never ceases to amaze me to see such an archaic system in a country meant to be developed and modern!

Unfortunately, in India, it is not much different but hopefully city planners will learn from the mistakes they see in the West and plan for expansion, public transport and make our cities habitable and commute friendly.

On the whole, each time I come to India, I see small steps towards improvement and I glow with pride. We sure have come a long way.