Whats been happening (Also titled "I love Air India")
So, I am in the US now. Its mostly a marketing/client interaction trip this time. I was invited to speak at a conference in Florida on Thursday morning - I was excited about this opportunity as several of my potential clients would be attending.
So, I booked my tickets on Air India such that I would land at Newark at 4:30 PM on Wednesday, and then also got a flight ticket from Newark to Jacksonville, Florida for 7:30 PM that evening.
Sounds good, so far ?
Well, when I get to Mumbai Airport, I find that the flight to Newark is delayed by five hours, which means that I won't get to Newark until 9:30 PM. I get on the phone with Orbitz trying to reschedule my Newark-Florida flight. And I spend about 15 minutes (I kid you not) spelling my name out - Well, it does have 22 characters, but still ! Finally, I find out that there is no flight from Newark to Jacksonville after 8 PM, and there are no flights to any other airport in Florida or from any of the other New York area airports.
I am all set to rent a car and drive all night from Newark, but I realized that this still would not have helped as the drive would take atleast 15 hours ....
At this point, I was just fuming at Air India because this conference was an incredibly amazing opportunity. I strolled past the Air India counter and realized that they had a flight to Chicago that was leaving in 32 minutes. I walk about to this guy there (Nauley) and I ask him if they can put me on this flight. With all that I have heard in the past about Air India's unfriendliness, I am prepared for them to give me a bunch of dumb excuses ....
But, that did not happen ... Nauley called three of his colleagues and gave each of them an assignment - One was to re-open the Chicago flights booking system, another was to change the data they transmit to the US Immigration folks and another was to walk with me to the baggage sorting facility to pull my bag from the Newark flight.
So, I walk down to the sorting facility and I am taken to a container (which is right besides a 747, which is MASSIVE when you stand beneath it) and asked to find the suitcase. About 6 people get involved trying to find my suitcase. I tell them that its green, and they find suitcases in every shade of green, before finally finding mine. Its put on a nearby truck and moved to the Chicago flight.
I then sprint up to the terminal, where Nauley (and colleagues) are waiting with a new boarding card and a security escort who takes me through the boarding gate (which is closed by now). I board the flight and then spend about 15 minutes trying to buy a ticket from Chicago to Jacksonville (But thats another story !)
But, all in all, I was and am very pleased with the way the Air India ground staff handled the situation.
Hmm, and yeah, the Jacksonville meeting went exceptionally well :-)
Thanks Air India.
So, I booked my tickets on Air India such that I would land at Newark at 4:30 PM on Wednesday, and then also got a flight ticket from Newark to Jacksonville, Florida for 7:30 PM that evening.
Sounds good, so far ?
Well, when I get to Mumbai Airport, I find that the flight to Newark is delayed by five hours, which means that I won't get to Newark until 9:30 PM. I get on the phone with Orbitz trying to reschedule my Newark-Florida flight. And I spend about 15 minutes (I kid you not) spelling my name out - Well, it does have 22 characters, but still ! Finally, I find out that there is no flight from Newark to Jacksonville after 8 PM, and there are no flights to any other airport in Florida or from any of the other New York area airports.
I am all set to rent a car and drive all night from Newark, but I realized that this still would not have helped as the drive would take atleast 15 hours ....
At this point, I was just fuming at Air India because this conference was an incredibly amazing opportunity. I strolled past the Air India counter and realized that they had a flight to Chicago that was leaving in 32 minutes. I walk about to this guy there (Nauley) and I ask him if they can put me on this flight. With all that I have heard in the past about Air India's unfriendliness, I am prepared for them to give me a bunch of dumb excuses ....
But, that did not happen ... Nauley called three of his colleagues and gave each of them an assignment - One was to re-open the Chicago flights booking system, another was to change the data they transmit to the US Immigration folks and another was to walk with me to the baggage sorting facility to pull my bag from the Newark flight.
So, I walk down to the sorting facility and I am taken to a container (which is right besides a 747, which is MASSIVE when you stand beneath it) and asked to find the suitcase. About 6 people get involved trying to find my suitcase. I tell them that its green, and they find suitcases in every shade of green, before finally finding mine. Its put on a nearby truck and moved to the Chicago flight.
I then sprint up to the terminal, where Nauley (and colleagues) are waiting with a new boarding card and a security escort who takes me through the boarding gate (which is closed by now). I board the flight and then spend about 15 minutes trying to buy a ticket from Chicago to Jacksonville (But thats another story !)
But, all in all, I was and am very pleased with the way the Air India ground staff handled the situation.
Hmm, and yeah, the Jacksonville meeting went exceptionally well :-)
Thanks Air India.
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