Air India

[davidge]

I posted in my Biz thread in Advanced but thought I might get more responses here.

I’ve always ruled out flying Air India but for a trip in June/July I’m seeing very cheap Biz fares on dates that suit me. My usual preferred airlines are quite expensive and there aren’t usually late offers for flights at that time of year. I’m looking at about £1550 for Air India compared to £2800 for Qatar or £3400 for EVA. Etihad currently about £2400 though I’ve not flown with them.

I’ve read a number of reviews etc online and my impression is that they have started improving since being taken over by Tata. They’re purchasing a lot of new aircraft and are changing the Biz cabin to a much better layout - but this isn’t likely to happen before June I don’t think.

As far as I can tell, the only differences between the special fare and the more expensive ones are on change fees and points accrued.

It looks to me as if it would either be one of the other Star Alliance lounges at LHR & BKK or free access to one of the paid ones, but I can’t find out which.

The current hard product is probably a 5 or 6 out of 10. 787 on LHR leg with 2-2-2 lie flat seating. A320Neo on BKK leg with 2-2-2 recliner.

The soft product is maybe a 7 out of 10. Service seems to be good, amenity kit etc good, food probably not to my taste but survivable, and IFE poor.

It also sounds as if they often have low numbers in Biz so upgrade people from Economy at last minute.

My main concern is transit. I’ve read lots of very bad reviews mentioning long queues and awful staff. I would probably be travelling via BOM on way out and DEL on way back, due to the flight times suiting me.

 

Anyway, after that very long preamble I’ll get to my question 😊

Does anyone have RECENT experience of flying with Air India and the transit experience at BOM and DEL.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[BuckDefiant]

@wolfgang68 just did the route and gave a pretty comprehensive assessment of the trip in the Flight Prices getting stupid thread.

[davidge]

25 minutes ago, BuckDefiant said:

@wolfgang68 just did the route and gave a pretty comprehensive assessment of the trip in the Flight Prices getting stupid thread.

Thanks, I didn’t see it but I’ll look now.

[bangna]

I saw a video a couple of days ago, business class was 2 3 2. Not sure when it was made though.

[davidge]

11 minutes ago, bangna said:

I saw a video a couple of days ago, business class was 2 3 2. Not sure when it was made though.

They have 2-3-2 on some of their 777s but they use the 787 on the LHR flights I’m looking at and the A320 on the BKK route. 

I think the 777s are the first of the current aircraft that they’re upgrading to the new Biz layout.
 

[ChiFlyer]

5 hours ago, davidge said:

I posted in my Biz thread in Advanced but thought I might get more responses here.

I’ve always ruled out flying Air India but for a trip in June/July I’m seeing very cheap Biz fares on dates that suit me. My usual preferred airlines are quite expensive and there aren’t usually late offers for flights at that time of year. I’m looking at about £1550 for Air India compared to £2800 for Qatar or £3400 for EVA. Etihad currently about £2400 though I’ve not flown with them.

I’ve read a number of reviews etc online and my impression is that they have started improving since being taken over by Tata. They’re purchasing a lot of new aircraft and are changing the Biz cabin to a much better layout - but this isn’t likely to happen before June I don’t think.

As far as I can tell, the only differences between the special fare and the more expensive ones are on change fees and points accrued.

It looks to me as if it would either be one of the other Star Alliance lounges at LHR & BKK or free access to one of the paid ones, but I can’t find out which.

The current hard product is probably a 5 or 6 out of 10. 787 on LHR leg with 2-2-2 lie flat seating. A320Neo on BKK leg with 2-2-2 recliner.

The soft product is maybe a 7 out of 10. Service seems to be good, amenity kit etc good, food probably not to my taste but survivable, and IFE poor.

It also sounds as if they often have low numbers in Biz so upgrade people from Economy at last minute.

My main concern is transit. I’ve read lots of very bad reviews mentioning long queues and awful staff. I would probably be travelling via BOM on way out and DEL on way back, due to the flight times suiting me.

 

Anyway, after that very long preamble I’ll get to my question 😊

Does anyone have RECENT experience of flying with Air India and the transit experience at BOM and DEL.

Thanks in advance for any help.

I do not qualify on your "RECENT" request.

About 20 years ago I worked in India for the better part of a year. Suffice it to say that I was/am not a huge fan of the sub-continent. Whenever there was an Indian holiday (there were a lot of them), I would try to pair a few vacation days as well as a few work remote days with said Indian Holiday. Usually, I would go over to Bangkok for these trips. I have the following negative comments about Air India at that time.

• Since I was based in India, my flights tended to originate there. At that time all of the Indian Airlines charged non-nationals a significantly higher price for flights originating in India.
• At that time the Air India planes were in a poor state of maintenance. A buddy of mine (whom I believe) said that he witnessed a passenger waiting for a rest room lean against a cabin separator and said cabin separator collapsed. It collapsed because it was being held in place with duct tape.
• I found all of the Indian airports to be poorly managed. Delays were common (more so than Western countries). Planes occasionally were directed to a gate other than the one (which was open) where the passengers were waiting. This caused multiple security clearances and missed connections.
• I found a lot of the Indian pilots to be cowboys using unnecessarily steep approach shots etc.
• Alcohol was not served on domestic flights. It is a big country. Where I was located at the time did not have direct flights to Bangkok, so I had to connect through one of Mumbai, Delhi, or Chennai. btw - international to domestic connections were a pain in all of these airports and I had a one year work permit.
• The flight departure times board throughout the airports were frequently wrong.

Like I said I was not a fan. My buddy, whom I mentioned earlier, once said to me -> "The good thing about working in India is that you are not in Pakistan". I would not know about Pakistan, but I was advised not to visit Lahore by my Indian coworkers.

One last comment is that I was very impressed with the work ethic of my Indian co-workers. I did IT work at the time.

[davidge]

9 minutes ago, ChiFlyer said:

I do not qualify on your "RECENT" request.

About 20 years ago I worked in India for the better part of a year. Suffice it to say that I was/am not a huge fan of the sub-continent. Whenever there was an Indian holiday (there were a lot of them), I would try to pair a few vacation days as well as a few work remote days with said Indian Holiday. Usually, I would go over to Bangkok for these trips. I have the following negative comments about Air India at that time.

• Since I was based in India, my flights tended to originate there. At that time all of the Indian Airlines charged non-nationals a significantly higher price for flights originating in India.
• At that time the Air India planes were in a poor state of maintenance. A buddy of mine (whom I believe) said that he witnessed a passenger waiting for a rest room lean against a cabin separator and said cabin separator collapsed. It collapsed because it was being held in place with duct tape.
• I found all of the Indian airports to be poorly managed. Delays were common (more so than Western countries). Planes occasionally were directed to a gate other than the one (which was open) where the passengers were waiting. This caused multiple security clearances and missed connections.
• I found a lot of the Indian pilots to be cowboys using unnecessarily steep approach shots etc.
• Alcohol was not served on domestic flights. It is a big country. Where I was located at the time did not have direct flights to Bangkok, so I had to connect through one of Mumbai, Delhi, or Chennai. btw - international to domestic connections were a pain in all of these airports and I had a one year work permit.
• The flight departure times board throughout the airports were frequently wrong.

Like I said I was not a fan. My buddy, whom I mentioned earlier, once said to me -> "The good thing about working in India is that you are not in Pakistan". I would not know about Pakistan, but I was advised not to visit Lahore by my Indian coworkers.

One last comment is that I was very impressed with the work ethic of my Indian co-workers. I did IT work at the time.

I worked in Saudi and flew Saudia about 25 years ago. I assure you Air India and Indian airports wouldn’t have been worse. 

[Bonkabit]

This is a repeat of a post I have made before, but think it was 2 or 3 years ago:

A voyage via India

 

I’d booked to fly Pan-American (now vanished) from London to Australia. At London airport check-in the clerk said, “The PanAm plane is over-booked. We will switch you to Air India”.

That was fine by me; the TV advertising theme for Air India was “Your Maharajah’s Palace in the sky.” This was a bit of an exaggeration – a B747 packed with families of Indians, each with several giant plastic bags plus screaming kids.

 

I was seated in the centre aisle seat against a forward bulkhead so had good leg room. My immediate neighbour was an Indian man with his English-born wife in a sari with two children. I introduced myself to my neighbour and enquired his name.

 

“Do you not recognise me? I am the famous cricketer, Uglioogleban,the best bowler in the world?”
“Of course, “ I apologised, “It’s just being in the plane.”

 

The truth is I take no interest at all in cricket and his name meant nothing to me.

 

As we descended towards Delhi, my new friend asked if I would carry his bag of cricket bats and bags off the plane so he could attend to his wife, children and their mountains of baggage.

 

Down the steps we went and there was a TV crew to interview the famous bowler. Several times I attempted to pass him his bag but he just waved me away and continued his interview in Hindi. I  put the bag down and walked to the Arrivals hall where I was at the end of a long chaotic queue for processing. My friend was escorted to the front, ignoring me as he passed.

 

I did not have any Indian money; the exchange booths were all shut for some reason. Anyway I collected my own suitcase and waved down a taxi, an ancient Morris Oxford local copy. The passenger side-door would not open; I got in the other side and sat down, avoiding the springs sticking through the upholstery. “To the Intercontinental Hotel”, I directed and off we went past fields with squatting locals having their morning poo onto the ground.

 

We turned off onto a dirt road and  stopped outside a whitewashed house. “My cousin’s guesthouse, very good for you,” the driver announced, getting my case out of the taxi’s boot.

“No, I have already booked the Intercontinental, drive on.”

 

I refused to move and after much argument threatened to summons the police. This worked and we proceeded to the big shiny Intercontinental.

At reception I asked them to pay the taxi fare, eighteen rupees.

“It is usually ten or twelve rupees from the airport.’ said the receptionist.

I briefly explained what had happened. An enormous muscled Sikh doorman was given just ten rupees, we went to the taxi and paid against the driver’s protest. The Sikh slammed the door on the taxi driver’s leg and then had to push the taxi to get it to start and drive off.

 

A big comfy room for an afternoon nap and then a swim in the hotel pool. In the evening I went downstairs for a drink to be followed by a mild curry. “My mind is going. I cannot find the bar”,  I thought as I wandered about, searching.

The concierge explained, “Today is Sunday, so no alcohol can be served, only for registered alcoholics”. He got out a pad and looked expectantly at me; a tip quickly secured a certificate that I was indeed an alcoholic. The door to the bar was opened and I enjoyed a couple of gin and tonics, chatting with fellow tourists. There were a couple of locals there, sprawled drunkenly on a sofa.

 

Next morning was for a bit of exploring; first priority was to cash a travellers’ cheque for a stock of Indian rupees. (Travellers’ cheques had two signatures; the first one when the issuing bank gave you the cheque and the second one when the redeeming bank cashed them). I went into a big bank just down the road with the cheque and my passport to prove identity, and signed in front of the bank clerk. “Your cheque is not valid”, he pronounced, “The signature at the issuing bank has a full stop after your initial. The signature you have just written does not have a full stop. We cannot accept it”. I walked out quickly before the Fraud Squad arrived, went into another bank a few doors away and had no problem there.

 

Flying out a few days later to Singapore to continue to Australia I was reminded of my father’s words about India after several years there in the army during the 1939-45 war, “I stood on the deck of the ship as we left to return to England, watching Bombay sink below the horizon, the finest sight of my years in India. I never wanted to return.”

 

 

 

[Gonetothedogs]

11 hours ago, davidge said:

I posted in my Biz thread in Advanced but thought I might get more responses here.

I’ve always ruled out flying Air India but for a trip in June/July I’m seeing very cheap Biz fares on dates that suit me. My usual preferred airlines are quite expensive and there aren’t usually late offers for flights at that time of year. I’m looking at about £1550 for Air India compared to £2800 for Qatar or £3400 for EVA. Etihad currently about £2400 though I’ve not flown with them.

I’ve read a number of reviews etc online and my impression is that they have started improving since being taken over by Tata. They’re purchasing a lot of new aircraft and are changing the Biz cabin to a much better layout - but this isn’t likely to happen before June I don’t think.

As far as I can tell, the only differences between the special fare and the more expensive ones are on change fees and points accrued.

It looks to me as if it would either be one of the other Star Alliance lounges at LHR & BKK or free access to one of the paid ones, but I can’t find out which.

The current hard product is probably a 5 or 6 out of 10. 787 on LHR leg with 2-2-2 lie flat seating. A320Neo on BKK leg with 2-2-2 recliner.

The soft product is maybe a 7 out of 10. Service seems to be good, amenity kit etc good, food probably not to my taste but survivable, and IFE poor.

It also sounds as if they often have low numbers in Biz so upgrade people from Economy at last minute.

My main concern is transit. I’ve read lots of very bad reviews mentioning long queues and awful staff. I would probably be travelling via BOM on way out and DEL on way back, due to the flight times suiting me.

 

Anyway, after that very long preamble I’ll get to my question 😊

Does anyone have RECENT experience of flying with Air India and the transit experience at BOM and DEL.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Flew TYO - DEL in biz last year. Perfectly fine, flat bed, a little bit worn around the edges but I slept 8 hours and missed the food service. The plane I flew in hadn’t been refurbished recently and was I think a 330. 

[davidge]

Thanks for the feedback so far. I’ve read plenty of recent reviews online so will book it. Honestly, the price is too good to miss. It means I’ll get my summer trip on Air India and my November trip on Gulf Air for the same cost as just one return trip on EVA.

If I’m very lucky they might even have started using one of their new A350s on the Heathrow route by then but, if not, then the 787 will be ok.

I was concerned about the transit, it will be DEL each way for the flights I’ve chosen, but I can book VIP Transit with buggy for about £60 so that should help.

[Joeleg]

It’s not the aircraft, the seat configuration etc, it is sub-standard mannerism of the staff , both ground and fight crew. Just spoils your journey. And the passengers add to it by constantly ringing the bell the moment the seat belt sign is off shortly after take off. 

I was in Business class and the security at the gate told me only one carry on bag. I had to take the flight as it was an urgent assignment on short notice and no other flights available. 

[davidge]

I know that since the takeover 2 years ago Tata have been retraining crew as well as buying new aircraft etc. The recent reviews I’ve seen have all been very complimentary about onboard service.

Airports are another matter. It has been my biggest concern from the start so I won’t be expecting much. I’ll see how it goes.

[KyleReading]

Surely a premium economy on Eva would be better and less than £1550  (£1265 just looked)

Non stop and plenty of leg room as well

[davidge]

Absolutely not. Premium Economy is nothing at all like Business, it’s just a little bit better than Economy. 

[KyleReading]

On 25/02/2024 at 09:46, davidge said:

Absolutely not. Premium Economy is nothing at all like Business, it’s just a little bit better than Economy. 

I didnt say it was like business but I said it was much cheaper and non stop

Even if I was a multi millionaire I wouldnt fly business (but would premium economy)

I've been upgraded multiple times this last 34 years but have never seen the attraction. I never sleep anyway so yeah its a bigger seat and food on china plates

Whats biz these days from London Bangkok on average ?? £2500 I guess

Economy £600 give or take

Best part of 90.000 Baht saved. I can do a lot with that in Thailand

 

[Jinxedlad]

air india and lufthansa are the two of the worst air lines in operation today. I am on air for 10-12 days, internationally, in a month, so I am speaking from my experience. Better use Qatar or etihad.JAL is highly underrated. It works with an accuracy of citizen eco drive watch and I haven’t seen any air line that takes ownership and responsibility like jal does.