I recently returned from a 3 week trip to India visiting family and friends.  Looking through recent developments during my travels from the perspective of a corporate lawyer, and former business consultant, I made some several interesting observations, some of which I hope to recap in this and following blogs.  As always, take everything I say with a grain of salt...

During our stay, my wife and I accompanied my brother and his wife to Goa from Mumbai)  To anyone who loves a beach holiday you owe yourself a visit the Goa.  It was a 1.5-hour flight and to add to the excitement, we were traveling with my 4-month nephew on his first airline trip. 

The trip was uneventful. We had a car pick us up at home (in Midtown) and we were at the new domestic airport in 50 minutes.  At the airport, we grabbed a cart, loaded our luggage, went through the initial security screening. Checked in electronically at a kiosk and went through the passenger security screening. At our gate we grabbed a latte and I helped my brother on diaper duty at the airport's baby care center before boarding our flight (which was 5 minutes late) (it was one of the many low-cost carriers flying brand new planes).  When we arrived at Goa, we picked up our luggage at checkout, and jumped into the car that we had waiting for us..that’s it.   WOW!!!!

Now you might ask, what’s the big deal?  Let me tell you it is a huge deal because about 4 years ago that entire last paragraph would have been a fantasy...let me explain:

1)  It would have been highly unlikely that we would have been able to co-ordinate a car/taxi to pick us up at the right time - the ubiquity of the cell phone now makes it possible for the driver to contact us if he was running late, make alternative arrangements. In addition, the recent growth of private taxi services in Mumbai, offer customers several premium options over the omnipresent yellow and black cabs.

2)  40 minutes to the Airport - are you kidding me!  My trips to the airport as a child averaged something close to a 3 - 4 hour ride from Southern Mumbai, replete with a packed snack and water bottle.  The new sea bridge now cuts that time by at least an hour and a half (though there are some hiccups - more on that later).

3) That entire sequence of events at the airport would sound like science fiction to an older generation of Indian travelers.  The new domestic airport is gleaming, but it's the processes that are the real revolution here, not because they are different or quicker than any other airport in Europe or the U.S but because they are the same or close to the same.

What I was seeing was technology and processes helping a city run smoother.  What made it more memorable was that I was seeing the before and after pictures and believe me it looked more impressive than one of those before and after 50 pounds overweight and pale to buff and tanned pictures you’ll find in a magazine. 

Now before you start heckling me for saying things were perfect, let me tell you they were not (far from it).  Mumbai has some processes that run brilliantly and others that are terrible (more on that later), but what I was seeing was a combination of factors that is revolutionizing business travel in India.  Getting to your clients, business collaborators, sources etc. at very short notice efficiently and in a non-disruptive manner is key for a business.  Meeting them face to face, is often preferred and sometimes necessary in India.  For a growing business in a country whose economy is on a meteoric climb, this often means expanding what was often a localized business (in terms of sources and collaboraters), to other states and provinces while retaining the need to get to these partners quickly.  The growth in local aviation, the focus on the development on roads and bridges, and the ubiquitous use of simple cell phone devices are all making things easier for businesses in India to do work with each other. These changes also help ease the trepidation of foreign companies and investors to explore more business opportunities in India. Keep your eye on this one.