Firstly, as well as being a bit of a cheap Charlie when buying airline tickets, because we were emigrating to Thailand this time, I thought it would be wise to choose an airline with a large baggage allowance. Jet offer 32Kgs as standard, and we utilised every gram.
Check in was fairly painless. I admitted that my son's circumstances were a bit unusual, but after checking with her supervisor, we were permitted to travel without any bother.
We boarded the aircraft (Boeing 777-300) on time, and actually departed 5 minutes early. The interior of the plane was clean, and there was plenty of leg room (I'm 6' 5.5" tall).
Each seat had an individual, on-demand entertainment system with a good selection of movies etc.
Food was take it or leave it. The only choice was chicken or vegetarian. It was quite acceptable taste wise, and the chicken wraps were actually memorable.
Service was poor after the initial round of drinks/food. However, there was plenty laid out in the galley, and you could just help yourself.
Then we landed at Mumbai
Of course, it was absolutely nothing to do with Jet, but just a consequence of flying with them. Security was chaotic to say the least, and absolutely disgusting at worst. Key points of Mumbai security were:
- Ignorant Asians not wanting to do the British thing and queue. Pushing in always makes me see red, and the outcome was not unusual - a few sore Asians
- Men one way, and women another. I've written about this when travelling through Delhi. The women get searched in the most intimate of places, without any dignity being shown.
- Going for a pee, and getting fleeced for a tip. No chance from me, but Mrs BB is always a soft touch in such situations.
- Being overweight, my man boobs are not small. Being stood on a platform with the security guard playing with my left nipple. I kept my cool until he invited his colleague to play as well. His colleague backed away rather sharpish.
- Being called forward for our flight, my wife and I got through gate control, and my son got stopped. By all accounts there was nothing wrong, but the security guard who stopped him was looking for a tip to smooth his passage. Fortunately, my son was carrying no money, so it was Farang 1 - 0 Security Guard. My son eventually boarded the plane about 15 minutes after us.
The second plane (Boeing 737-800) was a little smaller in terms of legroom etc, but it was still clean. Service and facilities mirrored that on the first flight.
Finally, to end the trip report, our arrival at Bangkok - my son was travelling without a passport. My wife and I went to the Thai queue at immigration (there were just 2 people in front of us). My wife went forward with all travel documents (2 passports and 1 Certificate of Identity). This blew the Immigration Officer's mind, and he had to call for help. We were all told to step back.
The boss man then arrived, and I was sent through first - no problem.
My wife went next, and she had problems. Her Thai passport was only a few weeks old, and her previous passport was 10 years expired. After a lot deliberation, the Immigration Officer could do nothing but admit her - she had a valid travel document, and was returning home.
Then my son's turn. Instead of sending him forward, with me and his mother the other side of barrier they marched him off. We could do nothing! Eventually, he re-appeared from a door about 20 yards to the left of where we'd last seen him. From what I can gather, he simply acted dumb, and claimed not to be able to speak Thai. His paperwork for entry to Thailand was in order (and we'd checked this out several times already). He was basically told that he had to be registered on his mother's Tabien Ban, and he had to get an ID Card immediately (we knew this anyway).
Overall impressions - JET Airways - you get what you pay for. I'd probably rate it above Thai Airways, but not as good as Middle East carriers. The additional baggage allowance was invaluable for a family emigrating to Thailand. Would I use them again? That's a big YES
Mumbai - it's in India. Do I need to say more?
