Mumbai-Newark direct flight, supposed to land at Newark @ 0530 hours.
0400 hours:
Pilot: “… regret to inform you, we are running out of fuel and will need to perform emergency landing at an air force base in New York state…”
“Thank God we at least reached US! Think of this happening over the Atlantic!”
“Aren’t there so many metro airports nearby? Why an air force base!”
“How the heck can they run out of fuel? Hope not the first time they are flying this!”
Pilot: “There was a lot of traffic congestion on route tonight, and they made us fly at lower altitude, which consumes more fuel than usual…”
“… and I was chafing at the Mumbai traffic congestion!”
“Who is ‘they’ – some bureaucratic genius? - making a 8,000 mile direct flight fly lower than others... ”
“… but why wake us up, if we are over land and pilot seems to be in control…”
0515 hours:
I wake up to an eerily silent plane and peer out of the window into early rays of Sun… The plane is at a standstill! No wonder no sound, the air-conditioning is shut off!
Me: “How long before we can take off again?”
Airhostess (nonchalant): “Sir, you were sleeping; so we didn’t want to bother you. There is a bit of situation that developed. The tanker to refuel the plane kind of hit the plane engine, and broke it. This plane can’t take off right now.” (Familiar with that one, from the old Mumbai Western Railway days “…ये गाडी कारखाना जायेगी …”)
Me (not fully awake): “So, how far are we from Newark? Can I just get out and get a cab or something?”
Airhostess: “No, we can’t let anyone out. This is an international flight, and at the air force base, there is no way to handle the customs and immigration formalities.”
Me (totally nonplussed now): “So, how do we get home?”
Airhostess (brightly): “We have it under control. The officials at Newark have been informed. They will be arriving here in couple of hours and can process customs and immigration. We also have arranged buses to the Newark airport. In the meantime, please relax and let me know if I can get you anything.”
0830: “The officials” arrive.
0915: “The officials” complete setting up their computers and other equipment.
1000: I (among the first batch) clear the customs and immigration.
1100: Board a bus to take us to Newark airport.
1330: Arrive at Newark airport. Find my loving wife waiting there – tired and frustrated; she had come at 0500 to pick me up as a surprise!
Reception was better than would expect under the circumstances. She was too thrilled with the new story “he slept thru the oil tanker colliding with and breaking the plane engine!”. Headline like this makes the long boring wait worthwhile!
0400 hours:
Pilot: “… regret to inform you, we are running out of fuel and will need to perform emergency landing at an air force base in New York state…”
“Thank God we at least reached US! Think of this happening over the Atlantic!”
“Aren’t there so many metro airports nearby? Why an air force base!”
“How the heck can they run out of fuel? Hope not the first time they are flying this!”
Pilot: “There was a lot of traffic congestion on route tonight, and they made us fly at lower altitude, which consumes more fuel than usual…”
“… and I was chafing at the Mumbai traffic congestion!”
“Who is ‘they’ – some bureaucratic genius? - making a 8,000 mile direct flight fly lower than others... ”
“… but why wake us up, if we are over land and pilot seems to be in control…”
0515 hours:
I wake up to an eerily silent plane and peer out of the window into early rays of Sun… The plane is at a standstill! No wonder no sound, the air-conditioning is shut off!
Me: “How long before we can take off again?”
Airhostess (nonchalant): “Sir, you were sleeping; so we didn’t want to bother you. There is a bit of situation that developed. The tanker to refuel the plane kind of hit the plane engine, and broke it. This plane can’t take off right now.” (Familiar with that one, from the old Mumbai Western Railway days “…ये गाडी कारखाना जायेगी …”)
Me (not fully awake): “So, how far are we from Newark? Can I just get out and get a cab or something?”
Airhostess: “No, we can’t let anyone out. This is an international flight, and at the air force base, there is no way to handle the customs and immigration formalities.”
Me (totally nonplussed now): “So, how do we get home?”
Airhostess (brightly): “We have it under control. The officials at Newark have been informed. They will be arriving here in couple of hours and can process customs and immigration. We also have arranged buses to the Newark airport. In the meantime, please relax and let me know if I can get you anything.”
0830: “The officials” arrive.
0915: “The officials” complete setting up their computers and other equipment.
1000: I (among the first batch) clear the customs and immigration.
1100: Board a bus to take us to Newark airport.
1330: Arrive at Newark airport. Find my loving wife waiting there – tired and frustrated; she had come at 0500 to pick me up as a surprise!
Reception was better than would expect under the circumstances. She was too thrilled with the new story “he slept thru the oil tanker colliding with and breaking the plane engine!”. Headline like this makes the long boring wait worthwhile!
And what about the luggage ?!
ReplyDeleteHemant - Baggage was fine! One great thing about direct flights is airlines do not have an opportunity to lose the baggage.:)
ReplyDeleteKind of exciting experience though passengers were not expecting something like that to happen to an international flight. Tired and frustrated was Mademoiselle....and why not, since coming so early at 0500 to offer most wanting surprise and look....she was to wait there for more than full eight hours. That must have been a tiresome experience and she never would forget....and yes that headline surely would have become a sensational one.
ReplyDelete