My first travel abroad experience(2007)..

Happenings @ Airport

Chennai Airport:

• I have reached airport before two hours and had chat with my parents, relations, friends and colleagues over phone.

• At 2.00 O’clock  they called air India passengers for boarding

• Then I said bye bye to my kith and kin’s.

Security check:

§  I sent my check in baggage and hand luggage for scanning no comments passed.

Boarding:

§  They weigh my check in luggage it was exactly 26.4 Kg but no comments. Then I said byee to my check in luggage. The airport representative asked me to grab the tag for the hand luggage and immigration form, is not very tough to fill just details about me and my trip.

Immigration:

§  After filling the form I moved to immigration counter, tailing the queue. The immigration guy asked my Passport and Work permit originals for checking.

Questions asked during the immigration

1. Your qualification - I said BCA
2. Where you did - Bishop Heber College, Trichy
3. What are you doing now – MSC CS final year.
4. Where you doing – St’ Josephs College, Trichy
5. Your designation – Test Analyst

• Then waiting for the 3:30 flight but unluckily they called at 3 O’clock itself (I was keep on watching the visuals for the flight schedule) before entering in to the flight they asked my boarding pass and ticket.

• I gone to my seat, flight started at morning 3:30 reached Mumbai airport around 6 AM.

• I had a breakfast at 8 AM using my boarding pass no need to pay (Iyya jaali).

• Simply watching TV and making calls for time pass. At 12 O’clock they called for A121 Air India London flight.

• Security check (cleared!)

• Before entering into the flight they asked boarding pass and flight tickets again. Gone to the seat (seat no was printed in the boarding pass). Flight was pleasant. But while landing my ears were popped up due to shiver cold (and vacuum at the flight) I felt uneasy. (Better use chewing gum or bubble gum if you have cold before landing, that is the best way to escape from ears popping)

London Heathrow Airport:

• Reached London Heathrow Airport at 18:30 Plus hrs.

• Separate queue for UK citizens and others.

• Security check (cleared!)

Immigration:

• They asked my passport and work permit

Many questions!!

1. Reason for the visit? I said Training 

2. What training? For release training and process development and also for site to site co-ordination on EIS and ESB.

3. Where you are going to work? At T-Mobile

4. Your stay? Hatfield

5. Ho long? Six months

Then they stamped my passport, Visa and work permit. (Said to myself Appa!)

Baggage collection: (My journey was almost over)

• Before exit the airport you can find a conveyor belt where all passenger luggage’s would keep moving. I found my check in baggage was falling down from two feet height and coming towards me in the giant conveyor belt and grabbed it. Took one trolley for keeping my check in luggage, That’s all.

• Then I ringed Steve (we call him Sivan) he came to airport and picked me up with him to the nest.

                                               

Karthik R

>>>> If you have two then one is for other <<<<<