Bangalore international airport: take 2
With every visit, typically once a year, I find something better at Bangalore International Airport. From being a far cry as an international aerodrome six years ago, things have definitely improved, even if subtly.
I noticed that clearing immigration is quicker and painless for a number of flights that typically touch down at close to the midnight hour. Ground staff, those with 2-way radios, are more than required, but they’re a helpful lot.
Immigration officers are nowadays less inclined to have a hearty chat with the groggy and weary travellers. Earlier it used to be: Belgaum navra saar? (Are you from Belgaum, sir?) and other inane stuff, that I have inertia and some mild irritation in responding, especially at that hour. Among other things, the arrival hall has been broadened and extended. Nice.
Baggage reclaim area needs a lot more space. It is really cramped now and is unable to handle stuff from more than two flights at a time. The other thing is the conveyer itself. The belt is horizontal. It is much harder to pick-up your heavy and moving target off it without spraining your back. Ask me, as I hauled out some 130 kgs off it. Thank goodness nothing, in my anatomy, snapped.
Most modern airports have angled conveyors that help unload the luggage quickly and less painfully. So, the immediate next on the agenda of Airport development should be to make the arrival hall spacious and put those angled or inclined conveyer systems for luggage.
The other thing that irks me the most is customs check. People are asked to open their bags for personal stuff like a camera, a DVD player and minor electronic gadgets, that they might have purchased either abroad or have been carrying it with them.
Customs should spare people of this last minute misery, and get serious with people who bring-in a lot of stuff in one go, either for resale or for commercial purposes. Hassling weary passengers and perstering them to declare things, that are otherwise considered personal items should be avoided.
X marks the spot is still being used by Bangalore customs to know what’s in your bag while you pass-by an officer on the Green lane. If you have some dutiable goods on you and you’d say you have none, he’ll stop you. How does he know? Observe your luggage. There must be an X chalk mark, that you may not have paid attention to.
Having known this stupid method for long now, I have wisened-up to avoid being hassled for personal items. Carry a white tissue and wipe that damn thing off before taking it across. Or another option, put them in a white bag or box. They have no black chalk or charcoal to mark your bag with.
In all this, be truthful to yourself and weigh your risk options. In my case, there was none. All the stuff I was carrying was old and personal. I didn’t want to waste my time explaining it to the officers, take out worn out bills, to show that the items, I was carrying, were indeed old. So, I took the shortcut.
Having said that, I have come across many, many customs officers at Bangalore airport that are real gentlemen. Except for a couple of green eyed officers, most didn’t even let me open my suitcase. They let me pass with an acknowledging smile on their faces.
The last bit at the airport — i.e., going home — has gone from bad to worse: Taxi drivers and luggage “free” loaders. Everybody eyeing you at the arrival hall wants a piece of your wallet — koi bhi currency me chalega (Any currency would do). Taxi drivers hassle you for excess baggage, want at least a 100 Indian rupees for hauling your stuff in their vehicle.
Bangalore Airport Arrival Area © drurin, CC.
A couple of guys show-up from nowhere at the time of loading-up your luggage in the taxi and touch a little bit of luggage here and haul a little bit there and then, that begging for alms comes forward. Any currency would do. They’re, what I call, modern day beggars and urban leeches.
The journey from customs to home (especially if there’s none coming to pick you up) gets wearier than your travel itself. Since, I did not have the luxury of asking someone to come over to pick us up, we typically end up with going through this unnecessary phase of the disturbed mind.
But we are home, and that thought puts the smile back on.