So what is it about flying that you hate the most? Jet Lags, crunched space, bad food, rude stewards? Well, yes, but I recently realised there is one thing that tops this all up. Lost Baggage!
Recently a friend landed at IGI Delhi from Singapore, and was in for a rude shock when she was informed that her baggage was left behind in Singapore. I can’t even describe what followed this revelation. However, I did have a very important learning from this- we need to know our aircraft!
Usually if we are travelling by air, the filtration process for selecting an airline is – fare, availability, airline name and preferred timings. Hardly do we ever bother about the type of aircraft that will fly us. Boeing, airbus, 737, 320 are good words to know but not mandatory! And who wants to get into that mumbo jumbo, that’s for the geeks-how does it bother me that a 787 is smaller than a 747.
Just a small bit of research before you book your next flight can be worth the while.
It’s not that difficult, you don’t need to remember the names of the airplanes, just count the number of aisles in the economy section. Most short-haul planes, roughly flying time of 2-6 hours have single aisle planes called narrow body. (B737, A320 most common).
For long haul, flying time of 8+ hours, it will be a double aisle referred to as wide body planes. (B777, B747, A330, A380 etc)
Flying Domestic
If you are flying domestic, narrow body jet or a turbo prop is your only choice. Turbo prop (ATR, Q400) are the ones where you would find fans on the wings. And they do create some ruckus!
Flying International: Medium to Semi Long Journey 
However it’s for those medium to semi long haul where you will get the option of both a narrow body and a wide body.
Say you are booking a ticket from Singapore/ Bangkok to Delhi/ Mumbai. You will get both types of planes on this. Typically in winters, Delhi is foggy and planes are forced to carry extra fuel to cater for the delays. Carrying fuel is not the problem, the extra weight is. A narrow body plane will max out on its weight when fully loaded faster than a wide body. So if it’s a full flight on a narrow body and there is a requirement of carrying some extra fuel that extra weight will have to be compensated somehow. The airline won’t offload you, but they might offload your baggage! The best part is, it is not illegal to offload your baggage without your consent!!! Of course it’s the airline’s responsibility to handle the consequences for the trouble they put you in, but frankly you are not looking to sue an airline in India, are you, and that too for service deficiency?
Secondly, the comfort factor. Narrow body planes usually have limited inflight entertainment systems. And most definitely they do not have wi fi or in-seat charging ports. So being cooped up in that middle seat for 5 hours waiting to get out, and you are informed you are diverting!! You are at your cranky best and there is no battery in the tab or the phone.
So think about the time when you glossed over a 2500/- fare difference, it might not seem that steep now.
Flying International: Long Journey
Now let’s have a look at the long haul options, here we have double aisles and in-flight entertainment standard and there is no issue about weight related baggage offloading. What’s the catch here? The number of engines! Yes the things hanging under the wing – count them. By far the most popular type and most used by airlines is the B777. It has a great safety and reliability record and is a mainstay of many international fleets. However, that said, it’s still a twin! Meaning it has two engines. If given an option of four engines on the same route, I would love to go for that. And you ask why? Well if anything goes wrong with one of the engines, it is mandatory for that flight to land at the nearest airport, and that can be anywhere! If it were a four engine plane, it would still retain the option of continuing, not for sure to its destination, but there is a chance, or at the very least they have the option to land where they might have better facilities for the passengers.
In a nut shell, in your planning matrix include this:
Flying domestic – narrow body jet preferred over a Turboprop.
Flying medium international – wide body over a narrow body
Flying long haul – four engines over two engines.
Loved it? Thanks. Do share with your friends so that they are saved of the trouble.
Image courtesy: www.freedigitalphotos.net and www.amaimages.com
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