City-scan: Which Indian airport is the best?

After a sea change in infrastructure, the passenger peeves that remain are parking problems, rude staff and cramped terminals, report HT Correspondents. How satisfied are Indian flyers?

Bangalore airport’s wi-fi ambience and baggage handling have bolstered its perception among frequent flyers. Delhi’s swanky new domestic terminal and Kolkata’s retiring rooms, too, get the nod. Mumbai airport’s makeover is eagerly anticipated. But overall, flyers’ cribs still outnumber improvements. Parking problems, rude staff and cramped terminals figure in passengers’ peeves. Read on:

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Bangalore

Spread over 4,000 acres, the Bengaluru International Airport compares with the best in the world, say flyers. What flyers like about the airport are its people-friendly design and seamless baggage handling. Plus, of course, the free of cost wi-fi facility. It was rated at 4.17 on a scale of 5 in a study conducted by Airports Council International, an association of the world’s airports, says a BIAL spokesperson.

The airport’s punctuality stands at 85 per cent going by the IATA definition of “on time” (within 15 minutes of scheduled time of departure).

“Baggage arrival was a breeze. It came before I reached the belt. The airport can be compared with the one in Munich,” Deepak Rahi, an Amsterdam-based entrepreneur, who frequently visits Bangalore.

“I’m a Bangalorean settled in London. Unlike the old airport, one can quickly pass through check-in without standing in queues. The free Wi/Fi facility is fabulous – something that was missing earlier,” adds R. Nagaraj, an independent IT consultant.

No wonder Bangalore has the most satisfied air travellers in the country.

Delhi

From being rated among the world’s worst airports a few years ago, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport is now perceived as among the swankiest in the country.

It has witnessed a number of improvements since the Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL), a private consortium, took over the management three years ago.

The new terminal has almost double the space and there are now twice the number of security channels and check-in counters compared to the earlier one. A food court has replaced the drab canteens.

There are, however, some niggles. Passengers want more water coolers and better toilets. The domestic departure terminal has become infamous for leaking whenever it rains.

Then, flyers coming to Delhi for connecting international flights describe the process as cumbersome.

The, planes landing on the new runway spend up to 45 minutes taxiing towards the domestic terminal, inconveniencing and delaying flyers.

“The domestic terminals are better now but the cleanliness needs to improve,” says chartered accountant Pankaj Agarwal.

Mumbai

Modernising the Mumbai airport is as difficult as conducting an open-heart surgery on a long-distance runner when he is running. Privatised three years ago, it been undergoing a makeover without disruption of operations.

Unlike Delhi, Mumbai doesn’t have the land to construct a new terminal building and runway. Compared to Delhi’s 5,000 acres, it has just 2,000 acres of land. Of this, more than 200 acres have been encroached by slum dwellers.

Still, passengers like the airport’s ambience and courteous staff.

“The moment you land at Delhi airport, the dishonesty begins with the cabbies. This is not the case with Mumbai,” says Paresh Shah, proprietor of the SP Group of Travels.

However, not everyone is impressed. “In Mumbai, the cramped check-in counters become very crowded in the mornings,” says Ajay Prakash, CEO, Nomad Travels.

Kolkata

The Kolkata airport has for long drawn flak for lack of world-class amenities. But there is one facility that the flyers always appreciate – its air-conditioned retiring rooms. Six double-bedded rooms at the international terminal and 22 at the domestic terminal offer a rare luxury. The domestic terminal has two dormitories, too.

The rooms are available for Rs 1,000 per family. For dormitories, the passengers pay Rs 400 per bed.

A welcome introduction in October was the low-floor air-conditioned bus service from the domestic terminal. The fares are affordably priced between Rs 20 and Rs 60.

Guwahati

There’s nothing international about the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, the air connectivity hub of Northeast India.

Pet peeves: Cramped departure area, slow baggage handling, dysfunctional parking and cab facilities.

— Inputs from Siddhartha Roy, Lalatendu Mishra, Rahul Karmakar, Saptarshi Banerjee