Indian Airlines comes through.

Late last December my son and I were booked on IA from Varanasi to Agra. The flight was cancelled. IA put us on a flight to Delhi, promising to bus us to Agra. The bus never showed. We took a taxi -- over seven hours through heavy fog.

The next day I e-mailed complaint to IA.

Over three months later I received an e-mail apology, along with an offer to reimburse me for the cab fare.

As instructed, I sent IA photocopies of our air tickets and taxi receipt.

Nearly a month after that IA e-mailed me that reimbursement was approved, but that it could be made only in rupees and had to be sent to an address in India.

As it happened, I had the e-mail address of my tuk-tuk driver in Jaipur. The father of four young children, he is illiterate -- never having been to school -- but one of his friends, the owner of a cybercafe, types and reads messages for and to him. I e-mailed him and asked for a postal address.

On Friday I received an e-mail from the driver. He had received a Rs8,500 cheque from IA. I am surprised, if not amazed, and the driver is jubilant. This is the best thing I have ever heard about Indian Airlines.

'better late than never' appears to be the modified punch line!

Ned, are you letting the 'tuk tuk' driver keep the money?

That kind of money can make a real difference to his life.

That sounds good.

On our last trip to India my wife had her medical scissors removed at the flight gateway check in at Singapore. We were to collect them at Delhi from the collections counter after showing our reciept. On arrival at 1:00am we found that five minutes before we arrived someone claimed the scissors and left theirs for us. After spitting the dummy and telling the official there that they were responsible for the security of those scissors and to get off his arse and find the person who took them. He scarpered, we eaited for 30 minutes, I think he was having chai.

Anyway back at Singapore I made a formal complaint to Singapore Airlines and jumped up and down to great effect, about a month after returning home I had an email on the matter and after a few back and forth we received a cheque for AUD$300.00 in replacement for a pair of engraved midical scissors presented to my wife when she qualified about 20 years ago. Great investment. It does 'pay' to complain.

That's good, nedhopkins ! And its nice to see someone bothering to highlight the positive aspects of Indian Airlines.

Hello, Steven Ber.

Yes, I'm letting the driver keep the money.

I have a great admiration for him. At age seven he went to work -- this according to him -- as a bus boy in a restaurant. He learned English beginning with his service in that restaurant and then in a hotel. He saved enough money to buy a pedicab.

Married and raising four children on what he can make squiring tourists around Jaipur, he shows more initiative that nearly anyone I know -- and more determination than anyone period.