Bangalore airport - user experience

last week, i had the opportunity to experience travel through the Bangalore airport.
almost three weeks after it opened, i had mixed expectations, based on media reports and what some others had to say.
the drive to the airport was surprisingly fast - it was a sunday and without much traffic, i could make the 50 km stretch in less than an hour! my estimate was at least an hour and a half.
checkin: while there were many counters, the organization was still not very efficient, and my wait at the line was longer than at teh old airport, even though i did not have any bag to check in.
the airlines lounge was not yet operational and i was asked to use one of the three restaurants.
security screenign: was very quick - more scanners and faster screning.
this gave me some more time in the departure area - with shops including a bookstore run by crossword - but it did not feel the same like Sankars at the old airport.
three restaurants, but insufficient seating made people wait for a seat.
wonder how it would be during other peak hours.
there are more departure gates, but the waiting area in front had few seats. i also noticed that teh departure diaplays were positioned in fairly obscure points - and it was not very intuitive to locate one.
when i found my gate, there were two flights - from two different carriers - that were assigned to that gate, to depart at the same time! this was while many other gates were free.
while waiting for the departure, i thought of using the free wi-fi internet connection. as per the brochure, a free 15-minute session was available for all passengers.
when i connected, the home page asked me to sms a code to a number, to get a passowrd for a 1 hour connectivity.
eager to use the exrta surfing time, i got only a response that the service was nto available yet, as a return sms! wonder why they could not have put that up on the home page itself, saving passengers the cost of an sms..
overall, the departure experience needs to improve.
the arrival:
in chennai, we were told that the incoming flight was delated due to congestion @ bangalore. the same aircraft was to return to bangalore. effectively, the delay was close to 2 hours! not sure what the reason was, but part of the blame was put on the new airport..
on landing, even though there were free aerobridges, the plane was taken to a bay a little away from the terminal.
we had to wait for about 10 minutes, while the ground staff were figuring out how to get the ladder attached to the plane. theycould not get the height right. after a couple of attempts, that was set right. these were reported as problems in the first couple of days - but looked like it continues. not sure if it is the training for the staff or the quality of equipment.
a longer walk from the arrival gate to the exit, but the additional space did not make it feel crowded.
noticed many people waiting for their luggage from earlier flights, evan at that time of the night [close to midnight].
the return drive home also took less than an hour.
i am sure that during normal hours or peak hours, it is not going to be that smooth.
the highway - between hebbal flyover and the airport has a couple of signals and also speedbreakers - but there is talk of dropping the signal free access to the airport from the city.
instead, a high speed rail link is being planned.
for the time being, one just has to grin and bear it, while the airport matures.

Bangalore airport 2.0

last weekend was an opportunity to ring out the old and ring in the new.

i was returning from chennai on friday and was supposed to land at the new airport - on day 1 of its operations.

but, due to elections in other parts of karnataka, the opening was delayed by a day.

so, mine was among the last flights that landed at the old airport.

I had many complaints about the old airport - in terms of passenger convenience, once you get into the airport.

but no complaints - in fact all admiration for the little book stall - sankars - that i used to partonise regularly.

small shop, but a very good collection of books- and an ever ready and informed person at the cash register, always ready to help.

i bought a book - other than the usual magazines etc - when the person told me that they do not have space at the new airport.

the ride back home took much longe rthan usual - close to an hour and a half - maybe a ploy by the new airport to get people used to long commutes..

on sunday, had an opportunity to go to the new airport to receive my niece.

decided to try the airport shuttle service, rather than drive.

the ride to the airport was by a volvo bus - that took an hour and 20 minutes in the afternoon.

being a new landmark, one could see many people picnicing there!

it was spacious in terms of parking spaces, the foyer, the arrival area etc.

but overall, it gave an impression of an international standard small time airport..

from the number of people i could see - it will soon be crowded.

the airport is still under construction and getting stable in terms of services and facilities.

maybe that is airport 2.0 - like web2.0 - constantly evolving and ever in beta.

this is reinforced by the 'mechanical' problems with the starircase / aerobridge that made passengers wait a couple of hours inside the aircraft, bagge belts that took more than 40 minutes to deliver baggages and even the parking gate, that would not let anyone out of the parking lot for more than a couple of hours.

the return trip was not by volvo - as they are only once an hour and it would have been a long wait.

the driver was new to the route, and took a wrong turn - and nearly got lost.

the only other passenger - apart from us - had to navigate. that and the traffic, made the return trip more than an two hours and fifteen minutes.

as i talk to persons who have been using the new airport in the last few days, the initial impression seems to be positive.

Life: scripted by the Inbox

as i write this blog, i am installing an add-in called xobni to outlook.

one of the features i liked about it is the analytics that it is expected to have about emails flowing into the inbox.. see sample from the weekend traffic. the weekday traffic is much more..


i am hoping that it will give me ideas to tame my inbox that is growing out of control.


at one time, the main problem was spam.
nowadays, it is being in a CC for a 'reply all' thread seems to be a major contributor.

if i stay away from my inbox - or am not connected for a few hours, i can be sure of another few dozens mails flowing in.

I have now come to classify my mails into three categories.

the first are the ones that i am expecting - either information, updates or actions that i need.
the second are some subscriptions [newsletters etc] that i would like to have.
the third category - that is presently about 60% of my mailbox load - are things that i really do not need, but cannot delete without reading - as there could be some implied contribution from me.

I have always wanted to infer more on the patterns of mails and the persons from whom i receive mails.

just when i was getting convinced that the sole purpose of my life was to respond to emails, i feel that this kind of a tool would give me better control on my life outside the inbox!

XY..zzzzz.....

it is just coincidence that my earlier post was also titled two alphabets.
this XY is more about the GenX and GenY, inspired by a recent book i read - retire retirement.
you will find more details on my shelfari bookshelf.
the award winning author, tamara erickson - is also an interesting story teller.
in this book, she provides encouragement to the near retirees of GenX and provides many tips to extend careers after formal retirement ages.
she defines Boomers as those who were born between 65 and 80; the Gen Y was born between is 85 to 2000
Those pre genX are classified as traditionalists.
in terms of their behavior, they hold the following approaches to life:
Traditionalists: I want to join the world and benefit accordingly
Boomers: I want to hel change the world. But I must also compete to win
genX: I can't depend on institutions - I must keep my options open
genY: I must live life now - and work toward long term shared goals
one tip that she provides for the Boomers - who are the main target audience is to : Explore, experiment, strengthen your edge

she also has a blog @ http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/erickson/
you might find it interesting if you want to know more on this subject.

PQ

that is not his real name.
i have known him for about 4 years now.
his role was 'office boy' - though he has children in the school going age. his main responsibilities were to keep the office clean and take care of any urgent requirements related to admin.
his salary was hardly enough to make ends meet, but his ambitions to provide a good education for his children were very serious.
a couple of years ago, when he coould no longer have free lunch in the office, it hit him hard.
when he approached me for help, i tired to refer his name to a few of my contacts.
lack of formal secondary schooling was a big challenge.
i suggested that learn driving and get a driver's license. that would have got him a significant increase in the monthly income.
to be fair to him, he did try. but, somehow could not get sufficient confidence to drive.
it was fortunate for him to get a break in a slightly different role - a role that made him responsible to get signatures on cheques.
the complication was that no two signatories on cheques would be available in the same building - and even in different locations, but not at the same time.
he had to now not only keep track of the cheques to be signed, but also the movement of the signatories.
i do not know how he does that, but would sense a signatory's presence in the office and bring the cheques for signature.
he would also have sorted the cheques based on importance and urgency - saying things like : this has to go to the bank in the next 30 minutes, so please sign these right away and the others can wait.
or, warn in advance about a big backlog or a hundred cheques to be signed that day, positively, as there were either vendors waiting for payment or ex-employees waiting for settlement or employees waiting for their claims to be processed etc..
i like the way he takes complete ownership of his job. and doing it with a cheerful smile always.

entertainment and other new age businesses

These days, everything is getting professional - and a for-profit business.
including what were traditionally considered as pure diversion or art forms.
time was - even now, to a large extent - when artists were considered very special in their status in society, but hardly rewarded per contemporary standards.
the recent 'commercialization' of cricket teams in India is a clear example of how sports can be converted to entertainment, packaged and popularized as such.
while it is too early to say anything about the success of this approach, many of the concepts are based on proven approaches adopted in the west.
i have remarked earlier on the packaged selling of new movies in India. it feels sometimes that the entire media is part of the bigger game plan to ensure that the mind share of the public is complete to the extent of making one feel guilty for missing a movie!
of course, the professionalism has also reflected in some very good productions.
in the recent past, i can recollect: Taare Zameen Par and Five Point Someone - as two examples of taking simple concepts and converting them to a good product; one on screen and another on the theatre stage.
at the same time, a great disappointment has been 'mungaru male' - a move that was such a hit and got rave reviews. i felt that the most of the aspects - the cast, the acting, the storyline, the script etc were all very average to below average.
one more area that i have seen become more professional is in organizing outbound, adventure camps for children.
as far back as 12-14 years ago, when our daughter went for a trip to munnar, this existed, but to a small extent.
nowadays, you find many such agencies and they cater to different budgets and preferences of both parents and children.
one more area where i would like to see similar advances, though it might mean higher costs for the consumers:
- education, particularly primary education
this should help in better quality education being made available to more [if these businesses target the bottom of the pyramid] and delivered in a more consistent manner.

Parallel Societies

I remember buying palmyrah fruits from this person over thas last few years.
he was a familiar figure on the walking track along the mini forest.
a few days ago, in order to save time, we had 'pre-ordered' and told him that we would collect the fruits when we get back from the walk, as he invariably used to make us wait.
that day, after serving the previous customer, who had also pre-ordered, before us, he cut his thumb, while chopping.
i went looking for a medical shop to get some band aid, but no shop was open that early.
the next day, he was back at his post, and i engaged him in a conversation.
he was a regular farmer, with both palmyrah and watermelon. his investment in watermelon was close to one lakh rupees..
he went on to say that he comes to bangalore along with a few other fellow villagers for a few weeks, in the palmyrah season.
some person [middle man] organizes their stay in minimalistic rooms and also takes care of some other incidental expenses.
after this conversation, i began to observe how these 'nomads by design' lived.
i could spot a whole parallel society - providing accommodation, serving tiny cups of coffee and tea while they are at work, roadside food courts to cater to simple, affordable food - from breakfast to dinner..
are these the micro economies that thrive in parallel realms?
the urban elite is a very very small portion of this larger society.