The Kempegowda airport in Bangalore opened in May 2008. It was probably the first modern airport in the country with a large terminal. It had several escalators to move passengers and also a modern food court, which is now a standard feature in all new airports. The special feature of this airport was that the authorities had started a bus service to different locations in the city, which is 35 kms away. The services were regular and touched all important points from where passengers could take alternative transport facilities to reach their destinations. The prices were fixed and reasonable and provided comfortable journeys to passengers.

Enabling such facilities was important, as all new airports have tended to be located away from the main cities so as to have larger structures to accommodate more flights and passengers. Also, it is believed that having such airports in the outskirts can reduce congestion within the cities. However, once airports shift to the outer circles of cities, the challenge for passengers is to reach them on time. Often the time taken to reach the airport would be longer than the flight time, excluding the mandatory two-hour advance check-in, which is insisted upon by airlines. Therefore, easy connectivity is a prerequisite for ensuring smooth travel, especially so as airports charge passengers a fee for using the facility.

The famous terminal in Delhi, T3, has an airport express, which can take passengers to the centre of the city in less than 20 minutes, and one........

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