My experience at new airport terminals at Tiruchirapalli & Pune Airport

While one was a breeze to navigate and leagues ahead, the other was a royal pain and my experience here was far from satisfactory.

BHPian vigsom recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Introduction

This is a quick account of my experiences at two new airport terminals in India - the lesser-known Tiruchirappalli (code TRZ), and the great headache, also known as Pune (PNQ). One was a breeze to navigate, while the other was a royal pain. Read on to know more.

How did I get to use the all-new terminal at Tiruchirapalli (TRZ)

A few facts about the Tiruchirapalli Airport are contained here. I had to make an official trip to Hubballi. Rather than go to Bengaluru by a slow train, and then find my way from there, I discovered that there was this early departure to Bengaluru connecting to Hubballi after a five-hour wait.

Highlights of the trip:

• Experiencing the all new Terminal of Tiruchirapalli International Airport
• Taking a super short flight into Bengaluru
• Experiencing a super long wait at Bengaluru
• Taking an ATR72 aircraft to Hubballi

Experiences at Tiruchirapalli International Airport

Getting to the airport early in the morning needs some planning. Most local folks rely on the Red Taxi aggregator service, but I played it safer by booking a cab via Best Track, another service provider. I got an immaculately maintained WagonR which took me there in less than 20 minutes. For those of us who have used this airport earlier, it was the old terminal operating until a few months back. The new terminal promised that little step up in style, but it turned out to be quite a fast passage too. From entry to my gate, I was done in less than 10 minutes.

What I liked

• New terminal minus the crowd
• Not overdone at all

What could have been better

• Bins at security check are almost the micro kind - just about hold a 14" laptop
• Check in can be a hassle if there are three or four international departures bunched together

 Entry - note the top of the "Gopuram" visible at departures level

Motif

Walking towards check in - this quite resembled the Chennai's old International departures (I think it is called Terminal 4 now)

Walk post Security - hardly any passengers at that time

Gate 2

More gates

View of the tarmac

Wanna catch forty winks? Tucked away in one corner

Old terminal (now Cargo), as viewed from the new one

An A320 passing by a parked ATR72

So near the aircraft, yet so far. I always wonder why passengers cannot just walk across to the waiting aircraft (a normal practice in Pune)

Continue reading vigsom's airport experience for BHPian comments, insights and more information.