Anyway, these are the details of the flights I took - I actually cut a long trip report video available here - https://youtu.be/0SJV-_sFKZ8
22/04 UK 819 DEL-BLR VT-TVC A321N
23/04 UK 802 BLR-DEL VT-TQH A320N
24/04 UK 706 DEL-IXC VT-TVD A321N
25/04 UK 638 IXC-DEL VT-TNH A320N
29/04 UK 815 DEL-BLR VT-TQL A320N
30/04 UK 802 BLR-DEL VT-ATV A320N
I won’t go into details about every flight, but I will comment on Vistara’s economy-class hard product as well as some unique experiences on the flights such as using the facial recognition system at Bengaluru Kempegowda International Airport (BLR), using the new southern runway at BLR to land and seeing the new Terminal 2 building at BLR.
If you wanted my experiences onboard Vistara’s new A321-251NX aircraft, I wrote a detailed review of that in this TR
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1470841
Let me talk about some learnings - DEL is mad crowded in the mornings and even arriving two hours early can be a challenge to make your flight if you have to check-in luggage. This despite the government now mandating all domestic passengers to check in online. I used mobile boarding passes on Apple Wallet on the iPhone for all these flights. This despite the fact that as Vistara Silver I can use Premium Economy Check-In. I know some folks might want cardstock, but UK boarding passes have remained the same for a while, and I have far too many of them.
Vistara as an airline was always planned around DEL as its base, that is evident when you go into the smoking room that overlooks the domestic pier in Delhi. Ande at around 1300 in the afternoon, you also realize that Vistara has a major afternoon bank of flights from DEL. Anyway, it was time for boarding, and I boarded VT-TVC one of four A321neos in UK’s fleet and the very same aircraft I’d flown to Goa a few months prior.
Two Indigo Tails in the distance
Seat back screen
Watching an Air Asia India A320 land on runway 29 DEL - the Tata group is proposing that Air Asia India merge itself with Air India
That green area in Gurugram is the Indian Air Force base (SAM base)
The chicken biriyani - actually good - one of two ‘non-veg’ lunch/dinner that get loaded. I had the same on UK 802 on 30/04
Landing on Runway 09R BLR
Airbus really dominates Indian skies
After a day of driving the refreshed Maruti-Suzuki XL6 - if you’re into cars you can watch that video here - https://youtu.be/pRahirvyN64
It was time to return, and this is where I experienced ‘Digiyatra’ for the first time in India. This is a pilot in BLR (and also HYD I’m told). Now, I wasn’t allowed to take videos of the process for ‘security reasons’ and while I could have pushed my luck, I didn’t want to.
Anyway, this is how it worked. While entering BLR they were calling for passengers on Vistara Delhi flights (which I found odd, since 802 wasn’t for another two hours), I went to them and they asked if I’d be comfortable trying out the system. I said that I would and was taken to a registration kiosk where I scanned my face (without my mask or spectacles - in India there is still a mask mandate inside terminals and all public transport). I had to scan my boarding pass and then a security officer had to check my national ID card (Aadhaar) to verify my identity - personally I think Digiyatra can be connected better to Aadhaar since the government already has my retinal scan data.
This is only a service that Indian citizens can use, or those who have Aadhaar cards which some residents of the country have. I understand that some might have issues giving so much information over to the government - but in India now having a government ID is nearly mandatory, despite some judgements by the legal system. Anyway this is a voluntary system, and simply put it saved me a bunch of time. I could go to the head of the queue to the enter the airport, at the security check and at the boarding gate. In fact, at boarding this system allowed me to skip the queue and board along with Business Class/Platinum passengers.
Facial Scanners at Gate 18, BLR
Boarding
Thank god for in-flight magazines
We took off from runway 27R, but there was a slight delay meaning that the sun had already set. And I was pretty knackered and since I had another flight the next morning, I used the time to get some sleep. This aircraft was the newer A320Neo seats with a USB-A point to charge your devices which I found handy _P although I do travel with a 10000mAh battery pack.
This is the second type of chicken meal served on domestic flights of UK, quite mild, but the weaker of the two meals IMO
We landed at the international pier of T# DEL as the aircraft would be flying to SIN later meaning a delay in disembarkation, but that doesn’t stop everyone from standing up the second the plane lands. This is our shared humanity across the world (other than in Japan)
Flight 3. This was UK 706 to IXC - now flying to Chandigarh is a bit ridiculous because it is next door - a five hour drive - but I wasn’t up to back to back drives, a flight - even one of just 30 minutes was easier.
Much less crowd in the late morning
The flight was coming in from CCU but most passengers onboard seemed to get in in DEL, many were continuing their trips from international destinations. There was a Punjabi lady from Canada wearing a fleece-lined jacket. It is the minor matter of 40C outside.This was on VT-TVD the latest of Vistara’s A320’s where they must be installing the in-flight WiFi setup as I found this on my phone when I logged into Vistara onboard WiFi which usually streams entertainment, but TVD had seatback screens, we didn’t go anywhere, but this was good to know. A long taxi to the runway 28 threshold followed, all flights that leave to the north usually take-off from 28, but it took 20 minutes, weird for a 30-minute flight.
Hmmm…
A white-tail B734 cargo conversion which wore a P4 registration, you can see the work on T1 in the distance
Overviews of T2 and T3
Vistara’s snack-box for short flights aka ‘Diabetes in a Box’
The HUD display on the seatback screen
Over Zirakpur
The new Jeep Meridian which I drove in Mohali. What a car!
https://youtu.be/d0BFCDOaxLY
Flight 4, UK 638 was uneventful but a short overview of IXC is needed. IXC is now located in Mohali and that has caused a slight friction between the residents of Chandigarh and Mohali. As as airport it is like so many others in India, The incoming flight came in from Delhi and we started boarding five minutes after the aircraft had emptied of incoming passengers. IXC is also a major Indian AF base and where Ilyushin 76 “gajaraj’ aircraft and a large number of Boeing C-17’s are based so photography and videography are no-no’s but you can see the planes parked on Google Maps satellite view - I found the three giant Mil-26 helicopters - dilapidated and pretty unable to be brought back to flying condition fascinating - they’re parked on the ramp of the old civil terminal.
The plane had the oldest A320 economy hard product, no charging point or device storage but it did have
https://www.google.co.in/maps/@30.67033 ... 076.803648
Mohali terminal
Post take-off
Flight 5, UK 815 The 0805 morning service on Vistara to BLR. Nothing unique about the flight really in terms of service - there was a rush in the morning. Thank god I had no check-in luggage but still it took quite a while to get through security. We boarded from Gate 36 atg T3 which is at one end (the shorter end) of the domestic pier. Next to the taxiways, so I got to see quite a few birds - including an ATR72-600 of Alliance Air still painted in Air India colours - the government of India still owns Alliance Air while Air India has been sold off.
Morning rush hour
All of T3 Domestic down there…
Tata Sons owned airline
Not Tata Sons owned
Not that much legroom
Overview of T3
Omelet and Beans for breakfast
I landed on the new southern runway at BLR for the first time (27L), long taxi though - I’m sure the plan is to build connecting taxiways at the western end of the airport but BLR is one construction site. I was staying at the Taj Bengaluru at the airport which afforded me great views of the airport and even the new terminal under construction.
Landing
T2 under construction seen from the Taj’s pool deck
I was in Bengaluru to drive the upcoming Honda City e:HEV hybrid
https://youtu.be/UK20ID1LOgg
While leaving I was flying on UK 802 again - I used Digiyatra again, but I had to register again, the service is yet to store data (which isn’t a bad thing I guess). As I was early I also used the new 080 lounge at BLR, quite decent actually. Lots of seating an d hot food options, drinks are chargeable like in all domestic lounges in India.
080 entrance
We were flying on VT-ATV - Air Asia’s retrojet painted in Tata Airlineds original colours from the 1930’s - nice but it still had the old hard product - this was Air Vistara’s second ever A320Neo and inside was showing signs of age weirdly enough.
Boarding
By now I was completely knackered and fell asleep after seeing the sunset, although I did wake for dinner, which was the Biryani again.
Sunset
I hope you enjoyed this omnibus report, I still like Vistara and I’m glad they have their catering act together. Their IFE pickings are slim and the inconsistent hard product when they have such a limited fleet -p a total of 40-odd A320/A321 aircraft is a bit irritating.