Calcutta airport has introduced a paid porter service for fliers, minus the frills that at least two other metros offer and more of an alternative to being fleeced by trolley retrievers masquerading as passenger assistance staff.
The delayed start of the service at the state-run airport - three years after the integrated terminal became operational - is in contrast to the availability of porters in privately managed airports even before their new terminals were opened.
For a flat fee of Rs 300, the airport promises the services of a porter who will fetch you a trolley, place the check-in baggage on it, wheel it till the X-ray counter and get the bags scanned before check-in. Arriving passengers can expect assistance in getting to a taxi or a bus and also making a hotel booking.
A porter service is basic to any modern airport. Mumbai got it even before its new terminal started operating. Bangalore has had it since the new terminal opened.
While Calcutta has a larger terminal than before, passengers still need to queue up before X-ray machines to get their baggage scanned. The promised inline baggage scanning has been a non-starter for reasons ranging from technical inadequacies to bureaucratic bungling.
03/09/15 Sanjay Mandal/Telegraph
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The delayed start of the service at the state-run airport - three years after the integrated terminal became operational - is in contrast to the availability of porters in privately managed airports even before their new terminals were opened.
For a flat fee of Rs 300, the airport promises the services of a porter who will fetch you a trolley, place the check-in baggage on it, wheel it till the X-ray counter and get the bags scanned before check-in. Arriving passengers can expect assistance in getting to a taxi or a bus and also making a hotel booking.
A porter service is basic to any modern airport. Mumbai got it even before its new terminal started operating. Bangalore has had it since the new terminal opened.
While Calcutta has a larger terminal than before, passengers still need to queue up before X-ray machines to get their baggage scanned. The promised inline baggage scanning has been a non-starter for reasons ranging from technical inadequacies to bureaucratic bungling.
03/09/15 Sanjay Mandal/Telegraph
