Boarding The No Fly Jet
10-06-2007, 09:41 PM
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Boarding The No Fly Jet
Can't beat the $4 price!
From MSNBC:
Budget airlines take note: An Indian entrepreneur is giving people who cannot afford to fly the chance to experience air travel for just four dollars.
But here's the catch — Bahadur Chand Gupta's Airbus 300 in Delhi never actually leaves the ground, The Times of London reported this week.
Apparently passengers are willing to pay for the experience of just sitting on a plane, listening to announcements and being waited on by flight attendants.
A first class experience it's not. The jet has only one wing, no lighting and the bathrooms don't work. Air conditioning is powered by a portable generator.
But about 40 passengers turn up each Saturday to line up for boarding passes.
In a country where 99 percent of the population have never experienced air travel, the "virtual journeys" have proved to be popular, Gupta said.
Customers fasten their seatbelts and watch a safety demonstration. But when they look out of the windows, the view never changes.
"Captain" Gupta's regular announcements include "We will soon be passing through a zone of turbulence," and "We are about to begin our descent into Delhi".
The Indian Airline logo on the fuselage has been replaced by the name Gupta.
Passengers are looked after by a crew of six, including Gupta’s wife, who go up and down the aisle serving drinks and meals in airline trays.
Some of the flight attendants hope to get jobs on a real airline one day and regard it as useful practice.
"Some of my passengers have crossed the country to get on this plane," said Gupta.
At least they don't have to worry about air sickness.
From MSNBC:
Budget airlines take note: An Indian entrepreneur is giving people who cannot afford to fly the chance to experience air travel for just four dollars.
But here's the catch — Bahadur Chand Gupta's Airbus 300 in Delhi never actually leaves the ground, The Times of London reported this week.
Apparently passengers are willing to pay for the experience of just sitting on a plane, listening to announcements and being waited on by flight attendants.
A first class experience it's not. The jet has only one wing, no lighting and the bathrooms don't work. Air conditioning is powered by a portable generator.
But about 40 passengers turn up each Saturday to line up for boarding passes.
In a country where 99 percent of the population have never experienced air travel, the "virtual journeys" have proved to be popular, Gupta said.
Customers fasten their seatbelts and watch a safety demonstration. But when they look out of the windows, the view never changes.
"Captain" Gupta's regular announcements include "We will soon be passing through a zone of turbulence," and "We are about to begin our descent into Delhi".
The Indian Airline logo on the fuselage has been replaced by the name Gupta.
Passengers are looked after by a crew of six, including Gupta’s wife, who go up and down the aisle serving drinks and meals in airline trays.
Some of the flight attendants hope to get jobs on a real airline one day and regard it as useful practice.
"Some of my passengers have crossed the country to get on this plane," said Gupta.
At least they don't have to worry about air sickness.
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