Air travellers left to sweat

Passengers of the Jet Airways flight from Kolkata to Vizag and beyond had had a harrowing time before the flight took off from Kolkata. Some kids started crying but the crew seemed to be unmoved.

Passengers on the Jet Airways flight from Kolkata to Vizag and beyond had had a harrowing time before the flight took off from Kolkata on Thursday.

“It was extremely hot and humid in Kolkata that day. The scheduled departure of the flight was 3.25 p.m. and boarding was completed by 3.10 p.m. It was then that our travails began. The cabin crew did not switch on the AC even as the passengers fretted and fumed,” said a passenger who travelled to Visakhapatnam by that flight.

“Some kids started crying but the crew seemed to be unmoved.

“Sir, we will switch on the AC only after the flight takes off,” replied the crew members coolly when asked by passengers.

“A moderate level of cooling is maintained in flights even before the passengers start boarding to ensure comfort of passengers while they wait for the flight to take off.

The crew quietly slipped into the cockpit, obviously, to escape from the humidity inside the aircraft as also to save themselves from the wrath of the passengers. Finally, some passengers caught up with the crew and pulled them up for not switching on the AC.”

Broken glass pane

Travelling in the comfort of AC coaches is the cherished desire of passengers to escape from the sweltering summer heat. AC coaches run to full capacity as middle and lower middle class people do not mind shelling out extra bucks, even if it means a pinch on their pockets.

Sindhuri, who boarded the AC 3-tier coach of the Mumbai – Bhubaneswar Konark Express at Rajahmundry on Saturday evening, was shocked to find the glass pane of the entry/exit door inside the compartment broken. A vain effort was made by the coach attendants to prevent the escape of the cool air with the help of a bedsheet.

The problem seems to have escaped the notice of the authorities concerned at the starting point.

“Some co-passengers had already complained to the coach attendants and TTEs about the problem before I boarded the coach. The attendants expressed helplessness as the replacement of the glass could not be done as the train was on the move.”

“It was extremely hot inside and senior citizens and children had a horrible time due to humidity and closed windows. Around 8 p.m. there was some relief as the AC mechanics seemed to have increased the cooling. The bedsheet, covering the broken glass panel, remained even after the train reached Bhubaneswar,” says Ms. Sindhuri.

One can only hope that the railway authorities replace the broken glass before it embarks on its next trip to Mumbai.