Overweight and unrelenting!

This blog-post of mine is to educate some of my fellow Indians. Having worked at the airport for the past 2 years now, I am always inundated by people requesting me to help them with their check-in at the airport. Suffice to say, I work for National Aviation Services more popularly known as NAS. Our primary role at the airport is to provide ground support to airlines that WE handle and fortunately we DO NOT handle Indian Airlines, Air India or Kuwait Airways (they handle themselves) and as such I have no power as an individual or as part of NAS to help these people that request me for favors at the airport. I have actually stopped telling people where I work because the moment you tell them, they just assume you work behind a check-in desk and you can help them sort their problems.

For the most part, people want to check-in excess baggage and want to get away without paying for it. Heaven forbid the airline staff refuses to take the bags on, these people will start ranting about how the airline mistreats them and as passengers they have the right to take on however much baggage they want to.

People, people, people – you’re all idiots to think that you have the right to check-in as much baggage you want. The airplane is a somewhat magical invention that carries tons of weight including passengers and cargo, defies the laws of gravity and transports you from one land to another in a matter of a few hours. Wonder of wonders, the airplane (as magical an invention as it is) has a payload capacity and you have to find it in your good hearts to forgive the airline staff for not checking in your 80 (extra) kgs. Indians in particular have had the reputation of transporting their entire households on one flight and they continue to do so. Believe me people, it’s perfectly normal. Perhaps it would be wise to use a freight forwarder to move your goods (just in case you absolutely HAVE to transport your entire household) to India instead of yelling at unfortunate staff that have the unforgiving job of reasoning with dumb-ass passengers on their inability to accept their excess baggage.

And one last thing – those of you who know me, don’t even dare call me and ask for a favor when you’re traveling. I’ll end up ripping your bags, shredding you vacation clothes and giving you a wedgie! Bon Voyage!

The reality that is Dubai

I couldn't get too many days off work so I decided to go to the closest "quick vacation" spot around - Dubai. I guess spending time with my girl is the best time spent as far as I am concerned but that is not the point of this post.

Now I've been to Dubai about a zillion times before and I've noticed that things change almost in a flash. Whats annoying is that the people are getting more and more artificial every time I go there. The fake accents, the fancy restaurants, the designer clothes and night clubs seem to be a facade. I'd rather live in a place that has a little more heart. Like Kuwait!

I know what most of you will be thinking. Kuwait? And heart? The truth of the mater is I was born here and have spent a considerable amount of my life here. Perhaps it's the comfort level, perhaps it's the people. Or my familiarity with the roads and the ever changing rules for expatriates that change in a flash (much like the skyline of Dubai). But on the whole I think the people in Kuwait as rude or incompetent as some of them may seem) still have a kind of innocence. That innocence has been lost in Dubai which is now turning to be a well-oiled corporation.

Do I like it in Dubai? Yes, I do. I like the pace of business and the profesionalism people display there. I like the recreational avenues, the malls, the bars and the nightlife. But would I live there? I don't think so.