Leh to Jammu
We had had a few decisions to make. By road approx 680km & somewhere between 10-11 hrs of driving time or a short flight. Also the travel insurance implications with the Aust Govt travel warnings. After the flight it was approx 90km & around 2hrs to the border. We bit the bullet & the line of least resistance was the flight.
Air India AI449-IXL-IXJ 5E & 5F A320
Officially left 14min early, arrived 10min early with flight time of 1hr 4min.
Early flight out of Leh but an easy 10 min drive from the hotel & we were walking into the terminal - a new terminal is not yet complete or in use.. This was our first domestic flight in India since 2007 but we have had quite a few international landings & departures so we thought we were well prepared. We had paper copies of the itinerary, boarding passes, visas & other flights, passports, boarding passes on our phones etc but still got caught up in confusion.
We were only carrying a backpack each so we lined up for security - but no, we needed a paper boarding pass from another line in another corner. Walking back to security we also stumbled onto a previously unseen & unmentioned desk where we signed to say we were exiting Ladakh - who knows where all of the bits of paper go where our details were recorded. There was plenty of jostling & scrambling at security - absolutely everything out (double adaptors, power chords, torches, powerbanks etc) and then with way more lines than there were scanners it was impossible to keep an eye on your stuff. We had plenty of time but security didn’t feel secure!
Things settled as we found a seat & the mood lightened as a yelling tom cat moved through the terminal - made more interesting because he only had 3 feet!
This article looks at some interesting facts about the airport.
Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport - The Leh Airport - Discover Leh Ladakh
Boarding was pretty civil as we were loaded onto multiple buses for a short ride to the plane. My seat back was broken but with a pretty full plane I wasn’t going to cause a fuss & tried not to slip back. Staff were pretty lax anyway re flight mode with loose items in the plane & haphazard service missing rows when handing out water. The views certainly made up for the service shortcomings!
Jammu terminal was very modern, signage excellent & we were quickly out & wandering to the carpark where Magan & Chandra were waiting as per arrangements! I think the “mafia” upset Magan with their collection of a parking fee (maybe the Rajasthan number plate was a target) & then another double check as we exited through the security arm.
The complaints Dept!
