In flight: A domestic hop on IndiGo

Needing a short, domestic segment to round out an itinerary to India I had the opportunity to try out IndiGo for the first time. I mostly chose IndiGo for price and schedule but I was also excited to try something new. During the booking process I bought most every extra they offered and some of that turned out to be useful, though there are definitely bits I wouldn’t buy again. Anywho, off to the airport; let’s go for a ride!

Last time I flew on domestic flights in India the queues were rather challenging, to say the least. This time around they weren’t too bad. I’m not sure if that’s because it was mid-day, a Sunday or just generally because the experience was better at Delhi’s domestic terminal where IndiGo flies from. In the end the “Fast Forward” service did save me a bit of time but my friend who was flying without it managed to get through only a couple minutes behind me. Not worth the $2 on this day, though maybe it would be another time.

I also paid for access to the Plaza Premium lounge in the Delhi terminal. Mostly so I could get a few photos for LoungeTi.me but also because I was curious what the facilities on offer were. At $10 for access it was probably a wash. Neither the food nor beverages were particularly appealing. There was wifi inside but I didn’t use it so I cannot comment to the quality.

Not a waste of money, really, but the regular terminal area also wasn’t too bad on this particular morning. I ended up spending most of the wait for the flight downstairs instead.

Eventually the flight was called so it was downstairs to the bus queuing area, on to a bus and then a ride across the field to board the plane. I like the views one gets from such a process, though I also hate the inefficiencies attendant to it. In the end it was in my favor this time as I favored the views over the convenience. But that’s mostly because it was a new-to-me terminal/experience.

My ticket was checked once again – seriously, there were 4 or 5 checks after clearing security, I think – and then finally I settled in to my seat.

It was cozy, to say the least, and that was with no one in the seats next to me. The payment required to get the aisle in that row (window was free to assign in advance) seems to have discouraged others from booking there. Still, very tight. Tolerable for the 90-ish minutes, but not comfy. The exit row option was only ~$10 and would be a wise – and reasonably priced – investment for most folks, I think.

The last bit I pre-paid for was the snack on board. I got a slight discount from the list prices but not a ton. Maybe they run out on full flights but that wasn’t a risk here at all. The flight attendant asked me to simply pick any food item and any drink for my meal.

I ended up with a peach juice think of some sort and a chicken salad sandwich. Tolerable for low-end airline food but certainly not something I’ll go out of my way to order again any time soon. Also, the food had a horoscope of sorts on it. Cute, I suppose.

I also caught a glimpse of the food the two women in the row ahead of me were eating; they brought their own victuals from home. It appeared to be much, much, much better than what I had.

The flight attendants were mostly women and several had buttons on their uniform with slogans like “Girl Power” or “Leading Lady.” I’m not entirely sure what the purpose there is, but it was interesting to see.

And, other than that, the flight was relatively uneventful. There was a bit of circling before landing at Ahmedabad (AMD) for reasons which were not entirely clear but we ended up on the ground only a couple minutes late.  One thing I did find rather entertaining was that the in-flight magazine was basically a catalog of stuff one could purchase with the IndiGo logo on it. Some of the items actually looked like a bit of fun, though it was cash-only and I didn’t have much paper money with me so no souvenirs to bring home.

Everything about the experience was completely mediocre. Nothing stood out as special, exciting or great. And, for better or for worse, that was exactly what I was hoping to get out of the trip. Lower expectations are easier to meet, but that was more than sufficient on this particular flight. And I’m also not so sure any other option would be better. I do now know that I probably won’t pay for the meal nor the lounge. And probably not the priority check-in, either.

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• And then I bought ALL the extras