Flying? Queue up for 90 mins

Calcutta: Come to Calcutta airport with a cushion of two hours and queue up quietly or quarrel with co-passengers while trying to dodge the line in desperation — the choice is yours.
So chaotic is the everyday rush-hour scene in front of each counter — from baggage scan to boarding — that even airlines operating flights to and from the city have become queue-phobic. On an average, four to five flights are being delayed by 15 minutes during peak hours every day because passengers who have already checked in are waiting for security check.
As the clock ticks away and the pressure to maintain schedules piles up, worried airline staff move around with walkie-talkies seeking out passengers stuck in the queues. And when they try to help those passengers beat the queue, others protest.
“Fliers as well as airline ground staff face trouble for no fault of theirs while those responsible for the mess remain unaffected. How long can this go on?” protested the operations manager of a low-cost carrier that runs over 15 daily flights to and from the city.
Not a single terminal traffic survey has been conducted over the past few years to even check whether infrastructure and manpower match the growth in numbers.
29/11/10 Sanjay Mandal/The Telegraph

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Categories: Airports Nov 2010