Heightened sense IndiGo's inaugural flight from Delhi to Pune & Bangalore on Thursday sported some very welcome and simple solutions for the benefit of disabled people everywhere. One wonders why nobody thought of these before. First, the transit bus had a hinged flap which drops out of one of the middle doors to form a ramp with which the wheelchair can be rolled in and out, as well as secured. Next, the forward boarding gangway had been replaced with a two-stage covered ramp, through which passengers can be rolled up right to the aircraft door.
Best of all, the so-called 'VIP' seats in row-1, with the extra leg space, have been set aside for wheelchair-assist passengers, and the front toilet door is large enough for an airline wheelchair to be just about rolled in. Removing the ovens from their A-320s provides for more leg room, as well as these facilities. Interestingly, IndiGo seems to have chosen to go for a very low-key launch, concentrating on getting paying passengers on board rather than spending on public relations exercises. Even their senior management, travelling incognito on the inaugural flight, chose to board with regular tickets, with the rest of the "public." More interestingly, they were scattered all around the fairly full aircraft. Doing it quietly At the AGM of a large telecom company in Mumbai recently, the chairman was asked for details of his philanthropic expeditions. At which, other shareholders began narrating his activities here. "It's surprising to see the details people give about what I do, when I myself don't know much about these," was his brief comment. Unusual humility, but welcome. URL: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=137202 To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
