Fortunately, besides the long name, the airport has improved dramatically from the hollow shell that it once used to be. An ongoing development is recreating the interior to make it a world class airport.
The sister airport, also known by the exceedingly long name, formerly known simply as the Santa Cruz Domestic Airport, has transformed from an ugly stepchild to a wonderfully spacious and first class airport facility.
Most of this redevelopment has occured after the semi-privatization of the airports by the Government Of India. About time, considering the presence of India on the world stage.
However, the development is far from complete and this is obvious at the checkin counters. For starters, the construction is obvious, not so much by the fashionably colorful floor to cieling wooden boards all over, but by pails of concrete, ladders and dust near by.
In India, prior to checking in your bags, you have to get them sealed with a plastic strip. A rather large machine operated by a crew of a half dozen men screens and then places a strip around the bag. While it appears to be a security measure, in reality, it's probably a mechanism to keep those men employed. Most airports have three or four of these machines. That's 24 people with a job.
Typically, if you are unaware of this procedure, you will likely find out, much to your frustration, after having stood in line for some time and finally reached the counter, only to be sent to the back of the line.
The Continental Airlines counter is basically an Air India counter with Continental printed cards all over. On the day I traveled, service had only been a week old, and the staff were only just being trained.
There were several personnel from the US overseeing the Indian personnel. While they tried to be discreet, it was next to impossible as the average black or white male is quite a bit larger than the average Indian male, let alone an Indian female.
Security was tricky as I was part of the education program for the staff. The Indian guy asked me a battery of questions with an obvious lack of surety in his eyes, and then cross checked with someone who it turned out was the chief of security for the flight.
Since they haven't started advertising the flights in India, the flight was almost empty and checkin was smooth.
One note is that only one hand luggage is allowed, regardless of the airline's own policy. This is an Indian rule that's enforced in a very ad hoc fashion. It appears women can take up to three bags without being questioned whereas men can't. While being highly irregular, it's very annoying so be warned.
