In a world where everything changes, Jet was a constant – at
least for me; at least till yesterday. The first flight of my life was on a Jet
(circa 1995-96) from Baroda to Mumbai. I was a precocious 10-year old enamoured
by the idea of my first flight… and more importantly, I was looking forward to
the meal!
And what an experience it was! A tray of food accompanied
with steel cutlery – a bowl of cut fruits, a cupcake, a plastic cup for tea or
coffee; all served with a smile by a team dressed impeccably. I hardly remember
the take-off and the landing, but I remember that meal. I also remember
stuffing the cupcake and that steel butter knife in my bag for posterity. I
also remember my uncle looking at the stash and remarking sarcastically that
there must also been have a tray to take away and me thinking in dismay “oh shucks! What a
miss!”
Since then, there were a number of flights taken and a
decent number of miles flown. Many competitors came and were put to use – Kingfisher had a lovely
air crew (personally chosen by Mr. Mallya, no less) and some seriously good
food; Indigo had quirky and smart messaging across the flight (though they were
horribly stingy with that exorbitant sandwich and cup noodles); there was also
this one (and sadly only one) experience with Emirates that involved a fair bit
of high spirits. But Jet was always special. Jet was always a full-service
airline that dispensed its service well. Whenever the budget permitted and the
stars aligned, it was the chosen one and it almost never disappointed.
It is rather unfortunate that constancy as a virtue is
seldom given its due. Also, unfortunate that eulogies are almost always kinder and
more eloquent than testimonials. Oh well… Off you fly into that great big blue
sky, Jet. You will be remembered, as firsts often are.
