Missing Jet in our skies..

Flying would never be the same as it used to be for almost 25 years over Indian skies. Frequent fliers would fully agree that ‘an airline’ is no more available leaving us with only option to be ‘hauled’ by low cost ‘carriers’ across India and subcontinent. I recently submitted my lifetime collection of 1408 boarding passes for Guinness World Records and found out someone else already holds the record for 3000+ boarding passes, who was also a Jet Privilege platinum member and is missing the Jet Airways service more than me. 

Upon analysing, 1245 flights were in last 10 years of my ‘lobbying’ trips compared to mere 163 from 1993 till 2012. Further 570 flights were taken on Jet Airways compared to 222 on Indigo, 127 on Air India, 122 on GoAir, 87 on SpiceJet, 23 on Vistara and balance 257 flights on 48 different airlines including 24 private charter flights. 

It is obvious that considerable numbers of flights out of 570 on Jet Airways were free due to 20,00,000 miles redeemed and almost all were Business class, without which an average of 145 flights per year or 3 flights per week would have been exhausting in last 10 years. Frequent fliers must check their flying records and then calm down to learn that one doesn’t do more than 1 flight per week on an average, if you analyse 3-4 years or more, if 145 annual flights sounded less to you!

After a long day of dealing with bureaucrats and ministers away from your home city, we miss being ‘not to deal’ with trainee airline staff and queue for check in, which Jet Airways spoiled us with. Especially if you are based in Mumbai or Delhi, Jet Airways offered a return flight same evenings virtually to/from every major city and town across India, with my evening return flight boarding card handed over along with morning check in. Now most of the times, both flights are on different airlines, though we have upgraded to e-boarding passes and can carry prints from home for stamping by CISF, but remember, it comes with additional fee for check in, fee for choosing your seat and lot of other unnecessary options! What we miss the most is, being a platinum member, you could list yourselves in 3 different flights for your journey, and have flexibility to fly in any of them depending on your meetings and airport rush hours. Timings of my meetings were often uncertain and at the back of my mind I had peace, because if I don’t get on 7 PM flight back to Mumbai, I was listed on 9 PM and 11 PM. I can’t even imagine doing that now, at least not free of cost and without trying to explain what I exactly want, to some trainee on a toll free number! I miss the joy of getting free upgrades and 3 course to 5 course meals on different sectors. I miss that cappuccino, those Imli toffees (tamarind), those mouth freshener sachets! I miss the professionalism in the cabin and cockpit crew and their experience of dealing with full service passengers! I miss the dedicated counters for business, platinum, gold and silver passengers with Yellow Saree senior staff always guiding the blue uniformed team of Jet Airways, on how better they can get! I miss the placard with my name, making me realize that Jet Airways recognized I am special and privileged, and that placard lady shall zoom me out in a buggy straight from aircraft door to the terminal gate, along with other VIP’s or celebrities, who had a special meet and greet on every flight with Jet Airways! I miss the Jet P.R.O. whom I called directly on their cell phones 180 times during my Delhi visits, 73 at Jaipur, 65 at Ahmedabad, 36 at Hyderabad, 23 at Bangalore and 27 times at Goa along with several other cities I flew with Jet Airways, so that they can try their level best to upgrade me, hold the closing of airplane doors in case I am rushing to the airport and if nothing else, just make me feel I was a part of the Jet Airways family and they did care about me as a frequent flier! I had no idea all these memories of mine would cost Jet Airways so much, that we may never see them fly again! I specifically didn’t see coming my 900,000 unused miles in my jet privilege account would be refused by Etihad itself, for redemption or upgrades on their flights!