One of my most unforgettable trips occurred a while back and it took place during the first of my annual January journeys to India. It began with a routine United Express flight from Baltimore’s BWI Airport to the Washington Dulles Airport where I took a United flight to Europe in order to make a connection in Frankfurt, Germany. At Dulles, I allowed myself some time to enjoy the solitude of the carrier’s International First Class Lounge, then right across from Gate C17, but before too long, it was time to board the Boeing 777-200 for my 7 hour and 45 minute flight across the Atlantic. A flight attendant welcomed me aboard and directed me to my favorite seat in the small First Class cabin, which was 2A on the port side of the aircraft. There were only eight rather spacious, but not overly private seats in two rows arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. I was promptly offered a pre-departure beverage as soon as I sat down and the purser also stopped by to introduce himself to every First Class passenger, and even presented his business card, which I thought was a nice touch.
Readers of this post are familiar with my travels in United’s former International First Class so I will skip that portion of the narrative and pick it up after my flight arrived at the Frankfurt Airport (FRA) around 10:30 the next morning. Since my onward connection was in First Class aboard Lufthansa German Airlines, I was eligible to visit that carrier’s Senator Lounge and as the flight to Delhi was departing from Gate B48, I chose the one nearby Gate B43. Senator Lounges are supposed to be more premium than Lufthansa’s Business Lounges and their hub at Frankfurt has no less than three. Having been rather underwhelmed by previous visits to their Business Lounges in Frankfurt, London and elsewhere, the needle didn’t move much for what was supposed to be a premium space with the exception of upgraded wines and spirits, but I did appreciate the chance to grab a shower and a little breakfast.
Lufthansa was flying a B747-400 on the route to India that day and the First Class cabin was located upstairs which was a welcome haven after the confusion at the gate. Boarding for this flight to India left much to be desired as it ended up being a disorganized cattle call with a crush of people charging the gate seemingly at the same time. There was a line for First and Business Class passengers, but it wasn't monitored. However, once I made my way up the staircase to the 747's upper deck, all my cares melted away. There were 16 seats in four rows in a 2-2 configuration, but Lufthansa was then reconfiguring their upstairs cabins with only eight seats. As this particular aircraft had yet to be modified, every window seat was blocked so there were only eight passengers in total and each of us had an entire row to ourselves, with one seat acting as a bed and the other used for lounging and dining. It proved to be a great space for this seven hour and 45-minute flight to the Indian Subcontinent.
The flight landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) on time at 1:30 in the morning. It seems that all the flights to and from India are geared towards either European time or Asian time as they arrive and depart in the middle of the night. The airport concourse appeared to be deserted on my arrival, except for what I deemed to be an ever-present fog, which I later discovered was omnipresent air pollution. My company's in-country general manager had insisted on meeting my flight, although I told him repeatedly that wouldn’t be necessary. I soon understood his rationale as throngs of people, cows and honking car horns greeted me on exiting the terminal and jammed the exit roadway. I had reservations at the Hyatt Regency Delhi and we slowly made our way through the crowds to that Five Star hotel. My 290 square-foot King Room was a welcome refuge from the chaos outside featuring a large, flat-screen TV, in-room safe, complimentary Wi-Fi, plush robes, a good work area and a granite bathroom. I drifted off to sleep in record time.
The following morning, I stepped off the elevator to greet our general manager only to encounter that ever-present “fog” again which enveloped the open-air lobby. We took a quick tour around the city and it was a real eye-opener for me. So many people and so much poverty. Beggars tapping on the car windows looking for handouts whenever we stopped at red lights. I was firmly told not to open the window to give them anything because, “where there’s one there will soon be hundreds.” And the cows. They’re a revered animal in Hinduism considered sacred and an object of veneration. But, they’re everywhere on the roadways often slowing traffic to a crawl. Between the beggars and the cows and the constant blaring of car horns, it’s astonishing that any progress on the city roadways occurs. Later that afternoon, I checked out of the Hyatt and we traveled back to the airport for a quick, one hour, all coach Air India flight to Jaipur, the site of our meeting. I’ll never forget my amazement while shopping at a street side vendor in Jaipur one afternoon to see someone riding an elephant down the road! We had a successful conference and I found myself back at the airport a few nights later for a 10:00 PM Air India flight back to Delhi in order to connect with a United flight to London and then home to the US. And that’s when everything went south.
As departure time approached, I noticed there weren’t many travelers waiting and decided to check with the gate agent who informed me, “Oh, that flight’s been cancelled.” Nervously, I asked him when the next flight was scheduled and was told it would be the following day. Well, I wasn’t going to spend the night at the Delhi Airport so I picked up my checked luggage, made my way back to the hotel and contacted our US travel office for alternate arrangements. They eventually booked me on an SAS flight to Copenhagen departing Delhi at 9:30 the next morning, connecting with a British Airways flight to London, another BA flight from there to New York and then onto a United flight to Baltimore. Whew! That was great, except now I had to find my own way to Delhi some 183 miles away. Our general manager thankfully secured a car and driver for me for what I assumed would be a three-hour ride. Nope. It would take all night as there were no highways between the two cities. And, I was advised to stay awake because “your driver is likely to fall asleep.”
Thus began an hours-long ride to the capital city in the middle of the night on sparsely traveled two-lane roads with me yakking incessantly. Several hours into the journey, we stopped. When I asked the driver why, he replied, “sleeping lorry.” I didn’t know what he meant and instructed him to drive around the obstruction, after which he very slowly and delicately passed by what I discovered was an overturned truck. I had forgotten that lorry was the British term for truck. Boy, did I feel bad. On yet another occasion, our car came to a sudden halt in what I assumed was the middle of nowhere with him announcing, “I must pee.” While I shared that need, I decided to stay in the vehicle and then noticed several persons gathered around a nearby fire for warmth. A few of them soon approached the car and began peering at me through the window. "I'm a goner," I thought since I was carrying a good amount of cash and was convinced I'd be robbed first and then they'd kill me. Of course, no such thing occurred and again I felt terrible, but I continued to be quite talkative and ever-vigilant nevertheless. Thankfully, within a few hours, dawn broke and as we approached the airport, my driver asked me to complete a form rating his motoring skills. I though he was the best driver in the world by that point and graded him accordingly.
The SAS ticket agent at the airport must have taken pity on me after I told her my tale of woe as she kindly upgraded me to a Business Sleeper Seat, which at the time, distinguished a few seats in the front of the cabin that reclined all the way back and also featured an extendable footrest. While most passengers that morning were ordering coffee before breakfast, I requested a double vodka and was soon fast asleep. I awoke about five hours later to the sound of champagne corks popping in the cabin “Champagne, Mr. Rhodes?” the flight attendant inquired. Wiping the sleep from my eyes I replied, “No thanks. Just coffee.” The rest of my journey seemed interminably long, but otherwise uneventful as I made my connecting flight to London, then New York and then Baltimore without incident.
By the time I arrived home, I’d traveled 7,869 miles with no less than 19 hours and 30 minutes in the air, not to mention the connection times on the ground with a 10 hour and 30 minute time difference! I fondly recall that sleep came very easy to me that night with the completion of my Indian odyssey.
Until next time…safe travels.