So near, yet so far

So near, yet so far
Anand Sankar / Bangalore June 01, 2008, 22:24 IST

The new Bengaluru airport looks a winner if it sorts out its teething troubles and connectivity to the city.

The grin on my face couldn't have been wider as I managed to find myself that elusive bargain budget ticket, but a friend tempered it with an evil smirk: "But you have to fly out of the new airport."

Yes, it was the first time I would be using the new Bengaluru International Airport (BIA). But I was unconcerned, the flight after all was at 5.30 am and the promised air-conditioned shuttle service would get me there in no time at that unearthly hour.

It wasn't pleasant losing the good old HAL Airport, considering I live just a couple of minutes away from it. But I was all too aware of its glaring shortcomings and the new airport could only be better.

The night before, I decided to try the internet to book my shuttle to the airport from the terminus nearest to my home — Jeevanbima Nagar. The website (www.viaworld.in) took its own time to load a clumsy interface and, to my friend's glee, the last shuttle departed at 12.45 am and the next one was only at 3.45 am.

Not believing my eyes, I rushed to the terminus, only to be confirmed – yes that is the graveyard shift. "There are buses that will come from the airport, but we can't say for sure they will depart," a driver helpfully explained.

The choice was simple — I either take the last shuttle or fork out about Rs 1,000 for a cab. One cannot even entertain thoughts of getting your dad to drive you 40 km at 3 am. I readied myself for a night in the departure lounge.

The bus arrived at 12.30 am, but it was not the last as they were delayed getting out of the airport. I don't know what to make of the idea to paint on the sides of the bus — a smiling aeroplane, complete with saucy pink lipstick. I hopped on and realised why the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation is not too enthusiastic about the graveyard shift, I was the only passenger.

The bus crew are definitely a happy lot. The conductor was quick to catch up on his beauty sleep after issuing me a ticket for Rs 150. The driver resorted to piped music to keep awake and I hummed along.

The drive was an hour and ten minutes.The ‘trumpet' loop that takes you to the airport from the main highway does its job rather efficiently.

The only bottlenecks are the incomplete roadworks in the city. But even with that complete, it will be optimistic to expect anything less than a two-hour trip from the heart of Bangalore during peak hours.

At the first glance, the airport terminal will not win any architectural acclaim. But it took me little time to appreciate its core philosophy — minimalism and efficiency.

I was not alone in getting in early. The baggage trolley came handy to put my feet up and I sank into the chairs, which are quite comfortable. I could hear the soothing tweet of sparrows in the distance, but I realised it was coming from right over my head. I did admire the feng shui of playing piped sparrow sounds to soothe passengers, but later a BIA spokesperson admitted — there are real birds nesting on the roof.

The check-in counters are adequate if properly manned, but the displays for flight information could have been a lot bigger for easy readability. The in-line baggage scan is worth the investment.

The area for the final security screening is again adequate. A lot of thought has gone into the positioning of the numerous retail spaces and one can say it does not encroach on the core functions of the building.

The aircraft apron is a world away from the teeming chaos of Mumbai and New Delhi airports and the rapid exit taxiways work. The take-off of Indigo flight 6E-132 to New Delhi on May 29, was a breeze. It was a sight to see a massive British Airways Boeing 747 parked at the apron, a sign of things to come.

I must admit, I do now look forward to landing at BIA, but getting to and from the city is a different matter altogether, I suppose.