An Open letter to Mumbai Airport Operator on challenges at T2
Date : 02/06/2014
Dear MIAL Team
I used your new Mumbai International Airport Terminal T2 last week when I traveled on business to US and I am not very impressed .A "world class" airport terminal is not only one which is big and artistic but it should also have basic facilities and some strong processes for ensuring passenger comfort and convenience.What you essentially did is just to do cosmetic changes with new building and new fascia but the issues of operational in efficiencies are plenty !
1. The experience starts with the check in and security area at T2.While the check in hall is big and counters are plenty,the bottleneck happens at the security channel.The security channel and the counters are very few compared to the size of the terminal .Also one expected the so called "modern airport" to work with CISF and other security agencies to install full body scanners like the most leading international airports and eliminate the pre-historic era manual frisking for all .Manual frisking should be an exception if the machine gives any alert and not a norm.It is possible if you speak to security agencies.You just need willingness to do so.
Still better would have been fixing the security at the boarding gates than a single security channel .Most global airports like Changi,Schiphol,KLIA use this type of security clearance which is at the gate and do not restrict people from carrying liquids etc in waiting area.Only some US and some EU airports still carry this practice of "central security channel"
2. Immigration is the other area where you need to seriously improve.The Immigration process is now far more simplified by Immigration authorities with eliminating departure forms for non Indian passports and arrival forms for Indian passports.Still the lines at Immigration counters does not seem to be shorter !Now you may argue on less counters being operated by authorities and you have given facility of more counters which they do not use etc,the fact remains that it is YOUR Job to fix that by proper dialogue with authorities as a passenger will remember his "Airport experience" and will always point towards the terminal operator for the same..good or bad !
3. Third most important challenge is the time for baggage to arrive on the belt !...I mean where has the efficiency gone ?Our old Mumbai Airport was famous for the least time to get the baggage back when one lands and now if we have built the new airport,the time to get the baggage should improve right ?Here people wait endlessly to get the bags back after long international flights !Also luggage trolly always went missing ...people have to literally run for grabbing whatever trollies available ..isn't it a shame on your image when foreigners arrive in our country ?
4.One more thing which you got completely wrong is the layout of the boarding gates and the automated travelators design ! Passengers have to walk a lot at your terminal whether they arrive or depart !Your travelators also work one way !!!! I mean how stupid it is !!! In departure area if someone uses travelator and goes to the boarding gate and for some reason one wants to come back for say shopping/lounge access etc,one has to walk again as travelators work unidirectional only .Similarly at arrival level.Once you are out of the aircraft,a single travelator strip takes you towards immigration area but what if someone forgets something in flight and wants to go back towards boarding gate for any assistance?I am surprised that how come this simple fact is not noticed by your team while designing the terminal.
5.Last but not the least,why on the earth you stopped giving facility of car pick up point to arriving passengers ?Why everyone has to pay parking charges and then only can pick up the passengers ?This is against the fair business practices and consumer rights and for making money you can not do such illegal things .You charge UDF from us and still want the extra money from COMPULSORY parking charges ? I am complaining about it to Civil Aviation Ministry anyways..You have a duty to make available a free drop off and pick up point for limited duration for every passenger .You can't force us to cough up Rs 110 for 5 mins of pick up (as that is your minimum charge for 30 mins slab ! )
No matter what marketing and media propaganda you do on "world class" terminal T2 ..I am sorry to say you are far far away from being called as world class."World class" means world class processes and people and NOT just big and artistic !
I used your new Mumbai International Airport Terminal T2 last week when I traveled on business to US and I am not very impressed .A "world class" airport terminal is not only one which is big and artistic but it should also have basic facilities and some strong processes for ensuring passenger comfort and convenience.What you essentially did is just to do cosmetic changes with new building and new fascia but the issues of operational in efficiencies are plenty !
1. The experience starts with the check in and security area at T2.While the check in hall is big and counters are plenty,the bottleneck happens at the security channel.The security channel and the counters are very few compared to the size of the terminal .Also one expected the so called "modern airport" to work with CISF and other security agencies to install full body scanners like the most leading international airports and eliminate the pre-historic era manual frisking for all .Manual frisking should be an exception if the machine gives any alert and not a norm.It is possible if you speak to security agencies.You just need willingness to do so.
Still better would have been fixing the security at the boarding gates than a single security channel .Most global airports like Changi,Schiphol,KLIA use this type of security clearance which is at the gate and do not restrict people from carrying liquids etc in waiting area.Only some US and some EU airports still carry this practice of "central security channel"
2. Immigration is the other area where you need to seriously improve.The Immigration process is now far more simplified by Immigration authorities with eliminating departure forms for non Indian passports and arrival forms for Indian passports.Still the lines at Immigration counters does not seem to be shorter !Now you may argue on less counters being operated by authorities and you have given facility of more counters which they do not use etc,the fact remains that it is YOUR Job to fix that by proper dialogue with authorities as a passenger will remember his "Airport experience" and will always point towards the terminal operator for the same..good or bad !
3. Third most important challenge is the time for baggage to arrive on the belt !...I mean where has the efficiency gone ?Our old Mumbai Airport was famous for the least time to get the baggage back when one lands and now if we have built the new airport,the time to get the baggage should improve right ?Here people wait endlessly to get the bags back after long international flights !Also luggage trolly always went missing ...people have to literally run for grabbing whatever trollies available ..isn't it a shame on your image when foreigners arrive in our country ?
4.One more thing which you got completely wrong is the layout of the boarding gates and the automated travelators design ! Passengers have to walk a lot at your terminal whether they arrive or depart !Your travelators also work one way !!!! I mean how stupid it is !!! In departure area if someone uses travelator and goes to the boarding gate and for some reason one wants to come back for say shopping/lounge access etc,one has to walk again as travelators work unidirectional only .Similarly at arrival level.Once you are out of the aircraft,a single travelator strip takes you towards immigration area but what if someone forgets something in flight and wants to go back towards boarding gate for any assistance?I am surprised that how come this simple fact is not noticed by your team while designing the terminal.
5.Last but not the least,why on the earth you stopped giving facility of car pick up point to arriving passengers ?Why everyone has to pay parking charges and then only can pick up the passengers ?This is against the fair business practices and consumer rights and for making money you can not do such illegal things .You charge UDF from us and still want the extra money from COMPULSORY parking charges ? I am complaining about it to Civil Aviation Ministry anyways..You have a duty to make available a free drop off and pick up point for limited duration for every passenger .You can't force us to cough up Rs 110 for 5 mins of pick up (as that is your minimum charge for 30 mins slab ! )
No matter what marketing and media propaganda you do on "world class" terminal T2 ..I am sorry to say you are far far away from being called as world class."World class" means world class processes and people and NOT just big and artistic !
posted by Chinmay Gavankar @ 2:12 AM
4 Comments:
Delays in getting the baggage has nothing to do with the efficiency of the airport. Its got everything to do with the Airport Customs which scans and marks each bag before it is put onto the belt. You can have the best airport but its of no use if you have old processes.
Manual checks vs Full body scanners have their own their own pros and cons. Full body scanners have been known to have privacy advocates crying foul.
@Some Random Thoughts :
I agree to your point about customs.But still it takes 30 seconds to scan a bag in machine and considering that 90 % bags do pass without customs opening them,still it does not add up to enormous delay at new T2.
Also full body scanners used to have privacy issues when they were introduced.But if you have travelled recently to US/EU you could have seen that now in such scanners only a outline appears with no physical features or contours..no issues of privacy at all...they improved them after the initial challenges
Contrary to your experience, Chinmay, I did not find too serious a problem with either security check, immigration or baggage delivery timeline at new terminal of Mumbai airport. I recently traveled with a family and lots of luggage too. Our baggage was handled well on time while departing despite we being a little late due to late arrival of connecting flight. Also, it was delivered without any issues or delay on the belt upon return. I did not find anything way inefficient in comparison to the what happens at good airports in the western world. The full body scanners as somebody already mentioned as comment on your blog, is opposed by people in many countries and even that isn't foolproof. You must appreciate the fact the you don't have to removes shoes and belt at any of Indian airports as you have to in other countries airport which causes more inconvenience to the passengers. I prefer frisking since it does not cause so much discomfort and hassles at the airport as removing your shoes, belt and other ornaments.Upon return there were passengers from 2 flights at the immigration queue. Despite being the last one at the immigration queue (we had to slow down greatly because we had a toddler who won't sit in a stroller), it was not a bad experience for us. Our turn for immigration came in like 15 mins. Not that bad when compared with either JFK or EWR immigration queue wait times. I think things will only improve. People who encounter problems should keep voicing the concerns as you did. Not everybody has a bad experience and not everybody has a good experience as well.
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