Boarding Pass... Or Fail?
Brunch|July 29, 2023
Airports have descended into a new hell. Waiting lines are longer, the food is worse. The tech, dated. A few manage to surprise
VIR SANGHVI
Boarding Pass... Or Fail?

I find it hard to believe that there was ever a time when I looked forward to going to airports. And yet, strangely enough, there was indeed such a time: I used to regard airports as exciting places.

In the 1970s, if you went to the departure hall of the old Santa Cruz airport in Mumbai, you would find family groups who had come to see off young men or women off to America to find a new life/to take up a job/to study/to get married. The delegation would bless the departing passenger. Garlands would be proffered. Mithai would be distributed. And licensed airport photographers (Do they still exist, I wonder?) would make them line up for group photos.

The opening scene of Richard Curtis's Love Actually is set at Heathrow's arrival area as families and friends welcome passengers with hugs and affection.

I don't know if Curtis could shoot that scene any longer. When I land at Heathrow these days, all I see are bored limo drivers holding up name cards. Sometimes I see the odd passenger- relative who is looking worried because it is taking so long for the person he or she is waiting for to emerge. ("But the flight landed three hours ago").

Esta historia es de la edición July 29, 2023 de Brunch.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición July 29, 2023 de Brunch.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE BRUNCHVer todo
Let's tri all the angles
Brunch

Let's tri all the angles

BFFs falling for the same girl, kidnap twists, murders, bromances. These 10 three-way love stories play with geometry and our feelings

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 09, 2024
Should you Q up for this?
Brunch

Should you Q up for this?

Audi's luxury SUV, the Q8, has had a refresh. But a sleeker grille and headlight tech don't make up for what's still missing

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 09, 2024
How to plan a great escape
Brunch

How to plan a great escape

It's getting colder. It's already hard to breathe. Why not plan a winter vacation that's a world away but not too far away?

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 09, 2024
Kababs, yes, but khandvi too
Brunch

Kababs, yes, but khandvi too

Mughlai cuisine has as many vegetarian dishes as meaty ones. A new translation of a 16th century manuscript shows how we ate, and why modern labels are pointless

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 09, 2024
I can be your hero
Brunch

I can be your hero

Gurfateh Pirzada, only afewroles old, is the green flag we didn't know we needed. He's learning from women. He wants to be more thana lover and a fighter. He's hoping we all do better. No wonder everyone's crushing on him

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 09, 2024
Meet the export experts
Brunch

Meet the export experts

Khadi crop-tops in Spain, faux-leather hoodies in London, fairytale wedding gowns in the UAE. See how some desi labels are killing it on foreign shores

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 09, 2024
Why we're all feeling Blue
Brunch

Why we're all feeling Blue

Coco Mellors's new novel is about grief, sisterhood, and of course, addiction and unlikeable women. How does she make it work?

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 09, 2024
This week, we're...
Brunch

This week, we're...

Changing the momo game, listening to kids, starting a new business, and supporting pro waxxers

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 09, 2024
Rohit Chawla
Brunch

Rohit Chawla

Photographer, artist, @RohitChawlaPhotography_

time-read
1 min  |
November 02, 2024
Congratulations, it's a goal
Brunch

Congratulations, it's a goal

Lakeside vows, pastel palettes, bayous, backyards and boats. These celeb weddings are what modern fairytales are made of

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 02, 2024