I went after about 8 years, a lot has changed. It was a very memorable trip because I got to meet a lot of family that I haven't seen for 8 yrs. India itself has changed quite a bit in the past 8 years. There are malls everywhere just like the ones we have here, mcdonalds and other fast food restaurants are all over the place. Bars, lounges, nightclubs, themed restaurants, they have it all. I was even working out at Golds Gym in India. It isn't the India it used to be 8 years ago, there's a lot more development. A lot more jobs and a middle class now exists. Of course coming from America you need to keep an open mind as things are different out there. The strangest thing for me was how respectful everyone was, even if you go to a restaurant the waiters are very respectful and I wasn't used to that being from New York.
I traveled within India on Spice Jet and Kingfisher, after talking with the crew I realized how much more respect the Captain gets from everyone. It seems like the Captain has a lot more authority there then we do here. When I asked about jumpseating, the Gate agent told me the Captain has full authority over that and they really just do whatever he says. Oh yea and they say ''Commander'' for the Captain.