An aborted take off and the aftermath

The world’s best airline. The second best airport in the world. What happens when the proverbial shit hits the fan?

6:00pm

“Flight crew to your stations please.”

The reassuring voice of the captain from the flight deck came over the PA system. The aircraft taxied to the head of the runway, turned around and came to a halt for those few moments before the take off. The engines gathered speed as the aircraft started thundering down the runway, all set to take off from Incheon, South Korea on its long hop to San Francisco late in the evening on the 5^th of May.

From my 44C aisle seat, I peeled my eyes from the LCD screen and looked out the window. I could see little more than the wing and the slats in the dim light. No number of years of flying can make me feel insouciant at the time of takeoff. Truth is, I’m still awed by flying, planes and everything connected to aviation. And from my seat, watching or visualizing the plane actually lifting off, the wheels folding, imagining the pilots manning the big bird through the clouds is now a habit. Oh and a prayer or two also, I must add. Perhaps my own way of being part of, in my opinion, what is a magical phenomenon.

I reckon we were maybe eight seconds, or ten at the most, from lift off when instead of accelerating the plane actually started braking. Momentum, braking efficiency, friction – all those concepts float by when a nearly full Boeing 777, about to lift off, is brought to an abrupt halt. That rare time when you appreciate why the seat belts are put in and thankful that you are wearing one. As the plane came to a shuddering halt, quizzical looks were exchanged till the pilot came back on and to say that he had aborted the takeoff on the orders of the control tower. You could be flying the greatest planes to the most exotic locations but the guy in the tower calls the shots.

We must have been sitting for about fifteen minutes at, what I’m pretty sure was, the very end of the runway when the pilot came back on again and shared further news. First about a plane straying on to our runway (gulp!) and then about flat tires and a brake system that is hot, dashing my hopes of a short delay. This could be longer. Many Indian parents (SQ16, May, California Spring…) had meantime started floating multiple theories, one more interesting than the other. Buses showed up about 30 minutes later and ferried us back to the terminal with our hand baggage and I could actually see the flat tires through the window. But this is the world’s best airline having issues at the world’s second best airport and I reckoned we could be airborne later that night.

7:30 pm “Let them have cake!”

The ground staff led us to the waiting area in front of the Krisflyer lounge. I identified two colleagues who were on the same flight – frequent flyers – and hence could shadow them into the lounge. The colleagues managed to take in 3 elderly folks to the lounge. As a fan of test cricket, you are familiar with the torture of rain delays in a tantalizingly poised game: a break in the rains – mopping – pitch inspection – new start time – more rains. The airline equivalent of this started playing out. The first announced 2-hour delay quickly became three after some checks and then four by which time it was rather clear that the chances of flying out that night were slim. No complaints there: ensuring flight worthiness of the aircraft and hence passenger safety is paramount. I’ll wait till you are satisfied. But I’m sure glad that I had access to the packed-to-the-gills lounge and hence some reasonably good finger food. The economy class folks in the waiting area outside, in the meantime, had been given a rough deal in what was the first of many goof-ups that night. Meal vouchers, I learned, were handed out but the restaurants had all closed down by that time, rendering them useless. Later some cake was then distributed to the folks. “Let them have cake!”

11:30pm “The wheels on the bus go round and round…”

It was finally announced that a special flight would be made available the following day at 1300hrs – a delay of nearly 20 hours - and that we would be provided accommodation for the night. Accommodation as in an hour-away-by-bus-back-into-Seoul and not something close by. The first class and business class travelers were whisked away separately. Again, no complaints: this is how the world works from temples to airports and everywhere in between. All of were asked to head to the immigration counter for canceling the departure stamp to allow re-entry or get a temporary visa issued as appropriate. In what was a masterstroke in customer service, when the elderly started looking for baggage trolleys, the Incheon airport officials informed us, rather callously, that no trolleys would be available as it was late night. Yes, the world’s second best airport couldn’t let the elderly and the infirm use baggage trolleys. We took turns helping out those who needed help with either walking or heavy bags.

A quick side note. Most Indian Americans, by default, seem to ask for wheel chair service for their traveling parents. Some of them genuinely need it; case in point the 88-year-old couple that was in the plane. But many others, don’t get me wrong, seem to be playing it extremely safe. A few fifty year-olds had been enrolled for the wheel chair service: I helped them with some paperwork and hence I know their age. Granted that I don’t know their medical condition to make a judgment on whether they really needed one. But as they say, it is a small world. I ran into some of them a few days after in the Bay Area, walking around just fine! My point? Walking during the layover and/or arrival would actually be better for them instead of more sitting from a health stand point. Again, this is not for everyone but something to think about.

Immigration was long and cumbersome given the lack of enough officials at that hour. More so for a few that required help with questions. The ground staff wasn’t around to help out here and we pitched in to help out to the extent possible.

2:00am

Buses took us to the Hilton at the foot of the Namsan Hill in Seoul. Check-in was not too bad but we were informed that dinner was not part of the accommodation plan. And needless to mention, food on the late night menu was steeply priced. We again helped out people with their bags and kids. Most of them required help with the card key entry, the lights, the faucets and figuring out window screens. By the time we could go to our rooms, it was past 3am.

10:00am

It was a grey, murky, wet morning and breakfast was a solemn affair. Everyone had one thing foremost on their minds: Can we get back to the airport and be on our way please? We were bussed back to Incheon and check in to the special flight was quick.We raised the lack of support at many stages since the aborted take off with the ground staff and requested this: that the really elderly be upgraded either to the business class or at least the premium economy section. No and no. After much haggling, they upgraded the 88-year-old couple to premium eco. I wish they were a lot more reasonable under the circumstances.

May be I sounded whiny. It is not my intention to be so and I consider myself as having been nothing short of extremely lucky. But what was truly appalling was the lack of adequate support and efficiency that should have been made available, particularly to those that needed it the most. Looking back at the incidents of that night, here are my takeaways in no particular order.

We were an extremely lucky group in that a plane straying on to the runway could have been much more, umm…serious? I don’t think I will know whose fault it was but full marks to the air traffic controller and to the pilot for making sure that a canceled flight was the worst thing that happened that night.

One would expect that things would be handled smoothly given that it is Singapore Airlines having an issue at Incheon. But the lack of coordination, bad communication/updates at every step of the way was stunningly bad! I could hear many people murmur that United Airlines (yes, United!) would have done a better job in that same situation.

If you need great service onboard, a fantastic entertainment system or finely customized meals to suit every palate, one needn’t look further than Singapore Airlines. But when things weren’t going according to plan, we got to take a look at their underside. Verdict: not very pleasant. Was it lack of experience or training for such a situation that led them to trip up the way they did? Whatever be the reason behind it, I hope they learned a thing or two from the incident.

Once again, full marks to the ATC and the pilot! Being around and healthy to post this is a better outcome than the other possibilities, the annoyances notwithstanding. 

Seoul trip diary

Yet another trip and yet another blog post. This seems to be the modus operandi around here. One more post churned out and another opportunity for you to waste your precious time here. Without further ado...

The meal

You’d think you’ve seen every mess up that a travel agent can do to your itinerary over 16 years of flying on either business or pleasure. The list should be exhausted by now. Apparently not. At work, I can make my own reservations online – I prefer goof ups of my own making. But every time I select an itinerary (no red-eye, non-stops only or no crazy layovers, etc) it raises a dozen different flags that require approvals from upstairs. And yet when I request for the exact same itinerary over the phone, the agents seem to make it happen. So I choose to make my reservations over the phone: not convenient but gets the job done. My travel profile states that I’m vegetarian. The travel agent needs only to plug it in (or perhaps not even that) and the airline makes arrangements for a veggie meal. Simple as that. For the past few trips, however, something seems to be broken and I have been served anything but Indian vegetarian. On Singapore airlines! This time I opened the box to find chicken. It smelled good, I’ll admit that but far less to make me want to eat it. Sorry Gnarlson Doggone-wit (not auto-spelt), your service seems to be more miss than hit. P.S: But this is SIA, and this flight is filled with desis of all stripes all times of the year. So the cabin crew rustled up a veggie meal in no time. Phew! The United crew, by comparison, would have dragged me to the rear and kicked me where it hurts. 

Premium economy

I recently realized that I’m eligible for premium economy class seating on flights over 10 hours – one of the perks well hidden in the travel policy. Small comforts for the many inconveniences involved in business travel. I’ve traveled prem. Eco on United a few times and also once on ANA – they are economy seating with an almost imperceptible increase in leg room and a different colored cloth for the headrest. This is however my first time on Singapore airlines. The seats are definitely fancy looking, significantly wider, come done up in faux leather and are equipped with nicer reading lights. The nook for mobile devices is a nice touch and so are the better headphones although they started pinching my ears over time. The leg rest seemed promising but ended up providing only feeble support to the calves. Seem to have been put in almost as an afterthought to further justify the higher fare. Would I choose this over economy class when paying for my own tickets? I think not. But those wide seats are truly comfortable.

Club class comedians

On the Boeing 777, when you board the aircraft, you turn right and pass the business class section en route to economy. Over the years you get used to the many kinds of glances you receive from the occupants as you begin your march down the aisle. There are the seasoned flyers that aren’t plagued by guilt from the passing economy class travelers – they have settled in with the newspaper or their device – and don’t even give you a glance. I’ll take that: it is dignified and is not put on. There are the recently upgraded that easily give themselves away. They cast sneaky, awkward glances as we – their former coach class mates – pass by and appear to derive some sort of pleasure from doing so. Subtlety has no role to play in their urge to announce to the world that they have arrived. I imagine this crowd to save their business class boarding pass to display to all and sundry long after the actual flight. Then there are the busy bees that are already tapping away on their laptops but don’t fail to ensure that you are noticing them. They casually look up – cracking a knuckle or popping their neck - as you pass them by and their eyes seem to say “If only you were as hard working as me, you could be sitting here in business class.” I have had a few class mates of mine do that when the teachers would announce test scores in India.

Coffee shop culture

Yogerpresso. Ediya Coffee. Caffe Bene. Coffine Gurunaru. Espressomente. These are but a few of the dozens of coffee shop chains that dot Seoul’s thoroughfares. There is the inevitable Starbucks too, of course, but is in fierce competition with the many local chains vying with one another to provide you your caffeine fix. Seoul, so I’m told, boasts a higher number of coffee shops per capita than, you guessed right, Seattle itself. This, like the number of churches, surprised me during my first few trips as I was stereotyping expecting them to be big on tea. But very soon I realized that caffeine and nicotine is a hugely popular combo for many Koreans. If I had been a coffee loving smoker, which I’m not, I could have become the VP for South Korea operations in our company by now. Much of the crucial discussions happened over steaming cups of coffee in smoke filled smoking rooms while I was waiting outside. Damn those statutory warnings on cigarette packs! The coffee chain proliferation seems to be a Korea-specific phenomenon as I don’t remember seeing this many outlets neither in Tokyo nor in Taipei.

The Korean Brushmen

Brushing the teeth after lunch seems to be a national pastime. One is sure to run into vigorous brushers hell bent on giving a wicked sparkle to their pearly whites in the rest room after lunch time. Others can be seen engaged in a “who’s the loudest gargler” contest. Many afternoon meetings will begin after folks deposit their tooth brush and a tube of paste in front of them on the table before opening up their laptops. And their scrubbing efforts are paying off. I must admit that most of them do have white(r) teeth compared to the Taiwanese or the Japanese. Or me, for that matter. This is not a bad thing but now the homeless guy in a white lab coat around the corner holds a sign that reads “Will do a root canal for an espresso at Coffine Gurunaru.” P.S: I now remember two of my Korean origin colleagues at my previous place of work, living in the US, brushing their teeth after lunch in the office.

The rest of the world called and they are running out of glass (the regulation Seinfeld reference)

Two smart cellphones – both Samsung, of course. The on-dash display in the car for GPS, audio and climate control. A tablet that doubled up as a TV, mounted on the windscreen. A DVD player with dual LCD screens. Another display mounted again on the windscreen for the feeds from two cameras: one on the hood and one on the rear windscreen. Then one more for the taxi meter. “There’s a screen for that” seems the story on most taxis in Seoul. If there is a piece of information out there that is even vaguely relevant to man’s existence, there is an LCD screen to display that in Korea. On one of the trips back to the hotel in the evening, the driver brought up the list of movies on the DVD player screen and asked me to pick one. I chose Inception and promptly went to sleep. Thanks for checking but no, I didn’t have dreams inside dreams.