PROCESS OF CHECK- IN AT THE AIRPORT

There are four steps involved after reaching the airport and getting inside the hall.
You should have your tickets ready in your hands so that the sentry allows you entry.

Step – 1- Screening of Baggage; 2.- Check-in counter – getting the Boarding Pass
and deposit of Baggage; 3- Immigration check; 4 – Personal security check, hand
bag check and final entry in the lounge for getting in the aircraft.

Details:
1. 1st step – Getting the baggage screened. The screen person will put one strip
to seal the baggage and as a mark of screening. I asked to make the strip
criss cross to make it identifiable. Paid Rs. 50/- bribe for that though it is free
of cost.
2. Hand bags not to be screened at this stage.
3. Each baggage should be of max 23 Kg with specific length and width.
4. Hand baggage should not be more than 10 Kg. each
5. Small bag like ladies purse etc and ticket container etc are not included in this,
6. Hand baggage should not have any eatable, sharp edge instrument like scissors,
razor, shaving blade etc. These things can be well wrapped and kept in the
check-in baggage.
7. Step – 2: After screening one has to go to the check-in counter. Your passport
and ticket should be ready in hand.
8. Here one form is to be filled esp for US visitors.- it is called Immigration Form.
9. It should be filled in like your name, passport no., place of issue, date of issue and
date of expiry, date of birth, etc. The name should be entered exactly as it appears
in the passport.
10. Pl ask the counter person – to give proper seats – especially the first one as in
between seats are too congested and difficult to move out and move in. Also insist
for inclusion of word “Asian Vegetarian- strict- Jain meals”
11. Better would be to get the row of two seats – near the toilet. It will be convenient
for you two persons.
12. Keep the complete address of Puneet ready in your hand as the counter person
will ask for it. Here your baggage will be taken by the person and you will be left
with your hand bags.
13. Step – 3: After getting the Boarding Pass, you have to move to Immigration
queue. It is a bit longer queue and there are so many desks for that. Once you
are there on the counter it will not take much time to get clearance.
14. After that, it is your turn to pass through the screening along with your hand bag.
If your hand baggage is having any thing objectionable as pointed out above in
column 7, you can be detained unnecessarily.
15. Step – 4: After screening, now move to the aero plane. Better to take the
wheel chair if it is difficult to move…..
Second Lap

1. After a flight of nearly 8 hours, the first stoppage of the plane was
Amsterdam. It is a huge airport – a sort of junction airport where flights
from all the world cities come and go. It is the meeting point of all the flights.
People change their flights at this point. So we also disembarked here.
2. We started from India at 00.55 IST – night of 28th and 29th May, we reached
AMST at 0900 hrs IST (local time was 0600 hrs of 29th May).
3. It was quite comfortable in the flight. Food was also good from our
expectations. Seats were good – a row of two seats, in the middle of the seats
and in the space left near the toilet.
4. Airport was also nice. To catch the next flight we had to reach gate No. E-3,
quite a distance yet comfortable. It is better again to take the wheel chair or
ride in the vehicle which is run for the convenience of the old, infirm, aged
and sick people. Simply you have to ask the people there for these things.
5. It was a bit cool, just like the morning of incoming winter in India, but
pleasant.
6. Next flight was at 1155 local time. There are so many boards displaying the
arrival and departure times of different flight. At around 1030, there was a
long queue for the embarking the plane. When we joined the queue it was as
long as about 300 meter. We were cursing ourselves as to why we did not get
early to join the line. But soon a white lady came and asked us to follow her.
She told since we were senior persons and infirm also, we should no go in the
queue. She got us checked in immediately without any hassle. Yes it was
again personal security check – personal as well of handbags.
7. The plane flew at 11.55 hrs for Detroit – the first American entry point. It
was scheduled to reach there at 14.30 hrs (local American time) but it
reached at 1400 hrs. The total flight time was 7.50 hrs. So food was also
served in the flight. This time though it was vegetarian alright but not of my
taste. So we depended much on our own stock of biscuits. This flight was also
comfortable.

8. It was day time in Detroit. It was the point where we have to take our
baggage and then give it to the Austin desk. Here it is the Immigration check
and custom check. On the flight you have to fill in the proper form for
Immigration and custom. In the custom form there are a few questions, say
no to all. At the counters, the person does ask you some embarrassing
questions like why you have come and how long you are going to stay. Be cool
and reply in a cooled manner. Don’t say that your daughter is in family way
and you have come for that purpose. There are porters available at the
airport; particularly the person carrying the wheel chair will ask you if you
need the services of porter. He will say it is free of cost – no it is not. So better
settle it before hand. Tell him that you will pay 5 dollars. He will demand 10
or 20. Say only 5 dollars. Ultimately he will agree to this. It is called tip here.
He will carry your baggage and drop it at the Austin point and then tell you
to go to the gate no. From there it is quite a long walk – through fast track
 and lifts and elevators. Better to go thru lifts instead of elevaters. Lifts are at
every point. If you are not able to see, ask any body there. All are helpful.

9. But this airport was much bigger than we saw earlier. Too much walking
from one point to another point. It took nearly half an hour to reach the
other point. Yes we crossed through lifts or fast tracks all the way.
10. Again it was a stoppage of 5 hrs. The next flight from here to Austin was at
1907 hrs local time. Yes we had to spend a four hrs at the airport. Here it is
necessary to keep a track of the gate. Some time they announce a different
gate and they start doing it from another gate. They display it quite
prominently but the first timer may not be aware of it.
11. Here you will find so many young Indians. They will not normally talk to you
but you can seek help of any one, if you so desire.
12. From here the flight is for 2 ½ hours and again it reached early. Here at
Austin there will not be any problem as Puneet will be available here.