Review of Air India Business Class - LHR-BKK June 2024

[davidge]

I’d always ruled out using Air India due to the poor reputation in recent years of both the transit airports and, especially, the airline. I was aware of the takeover by Tata and I’d seen some more positive reviews of recent flights as they try to improve the airline, though the new aircraft weren’t expected to be in service on the LHR route in time for my flights and there are still plenty of bad reviews around.

When they had a sale the fare was only £1548.09 so I decided to take the plunge and expand my flight experiences! It was much cheaper than alternatives - eg EVA was £3400 and Qatar £2800 at the time I booked.

I could choose my seats for no extra charge (2-2-2 layout) as soon as I booked and the ticket includes lounge access.

There were a few minor changes to the schedule between booking and travelling (between 10 and 30 minutes per flight) and I was notified by both text and email each time. I did contact them on social media 2 or 3 times to clarify some information and the response was excellent. Quick and actually answering the questions properly each time. They also sent reminders by email and WhatsApp when online check in opened.

Air India is part of Star Alliance so they use Terminal 2 at LHR. My flight was at 09.45 and I stayed the night at a Heathrow hotel and went to the terminal by 06.05. 

Check-in was open (Air India opens 4 hours before flight) and I was dealt with immediately. They have a member of staff to put luggage on the belt for you.

Fast track security was very quiet and I was through everything by 6.20. Check in said I could use either the United or Air Canada lounges (Singapore is closed at the moment) so I chose United.

After the usual long trek in the tunnel, the Lounge is opposite Gate 46 and up a level. Scanned boarding pass on entry and in to a large, comfortable lounge. There are different types of seating areas, a large bar, a soft drinks/coffee area and a food buffet area as you enter the lounge. There are showers and five individual toilets that were very busy. There was usually a queue and although a cleaner was standing outside waiting she could rarely get in to clean, so they weren’t in the best condition. 

There was the sort of choice at the food buffet you’d get at a hotel breakfast buffet. Not top of the range but pretty good and a choice of full English, pastries, fruit etc and the slowest toaster I’ve ever encountered. The plates are very small so not the best photo. Potato scones were dreadful and I left them but the rest was fine.

Sorry, not many photos of the lounge as I don’t like taking photos with other passengers unless I can blur faces and there were just too many people in the lounge.

The flight was from Gate B44 so not too far from the lounge, just the other side of the shops. Air India sent an email and WhatsApp with the gate number. I’d been checking the flight recently and the gate opens 2 hours before departure, boarding is an hour before and they’re starting to close the flight 40 minutes before. It was the similar today. I went down to the gate about 80 minutes before departure time.

Boarding is seldom well organised and smooth at LHR but this was good. Gate staff ensured Biz boarding was easy and Economy passengers were organised into a single queue, unlike the scrum I’ve often encountered with Eva at LHR. They starting organising people for boarding 70 minutes before departure and boarding started an hour before. I had a chat with the gate staff and they said the flight was almost full in both classes. In the event, there were 2 empty seats in Business and one of those was next to me. 😃

They just used the middle door for boarding but it was quick. There was a warm welcome from the cabin crew and they took my hand luggage and out it in the overhead locker.

They use a Dreamliner on this route with 2-2-2 seating in 3 rows, so 18 seats in total.

Obviously an older plane and showing its age but lots of leg room. Fully lie flat seat that was plenty wide enough. No USB to charge devices though there is a socket if you bring a plug. There was a bottle of water already at the seat as well as headphones, quilt, seat padding, blanket and pillow. They came around with fruit juice soon after boarding and then handed out Tumi amenity kits.

The IFE was very poor. Only 10 English movies and the music section was minimal as well. No classical music which is what I generally listen to on flights. I’d brought a couple of books so just settled down with one of those.

Before take off they handed out menus and then a hot towel and pyjamas.

As I’d eaten in lounge I just asked for a croissant and a cup of tea for breakfast. They just took the breakfast order after take off and the dinner order before the second service.

One member of the cabin crew did all the service so it was a bit slow, not that it made too much difference with only 16 passengers. Everything was brought in a single tray, including for those that ordered more of a breakfast. The croissants were cold and not very good. I wouldn’t usually use the butter but these needed it. The tea wasn’t hot either, just warm. As she had put fruit on the tray I did eat it and enjoyed it.

We took off on time. Flight time was 8 hours so we arrived at Delhi ahead of schedule.

A couple of hours into the flight one of the cabin crew checked the IFE in the seat next to me and a woman in the front row moved to watch a movie. Her IFE obviously wasn’t working. She left all her stuff with her husband so no big deal.

A little over 4 hours into the flight they started the second service, much earlier than I expected. I was asked if I was ready for lunch and said I’d like to wait, which was fine. In any case the same one member of cabin crew was doing most of the service again so it was going to take a while. Around 45 minutes later I ordered and decided on the cod followed by the cheese plate, accompanied by a glass or two of St Emilion. I didn’t order an appetiser but was brought one anyway. Not too keen on the smoked chicken but there was plenty of Parmesan on the plate to go with the lettuce.

The cod was fine and I enjoyed it. Not spectacular and no ‘wow’ factor but ok.

I really enjoyed the cheese plate, especially the Shropshire Blue. It’s the first time I’ve tried Quince jelly but will be looking for it when I get home 😊

By the time I’d finished eating there was just over 2 hours left to landing and the time passed uneventfully. They brought a hot towel, I finished my book and got ready for Delhi Airport.

As it was my first time using DEL and I didn’t know what to expect I’d booked the transit service with Encalm, which cost about £60. I was met at the gate and there was also a buggy. As the gate was right next to the International Transfer security there was no point using the buggy. I was accompanied to the security and helped through the process. They check passport and boarding card first at a desk then you go to the usual security. I was first there so it didn’t take too long. They weren’t exactly keen, eager and moving at the speed of lightening so I can see it could be slow if there a number of people in front of you.

I was then handed over to another Encalm staff member to be taken to the lounge. We had to go through the shops etc and round to the right (signposted Gates 1-26) then up in the lift to level 3 to get to the lounge. Air India use the relatively new Encalm Prive Lounge at Delhi. It is for airline business class passengers (of numerous airlines) and higher tier frequent flyer members only. There is a separate Encalm Lounge on a different level for pay-for-entry or Lounge Access clubs. There was a queue to check in to the lounge but the Encalm helper just went round that with my boarding pass and checked me in. To use the wi-fi you have to scan your passport at a machine by the entrance and get a voucher. This can be used on up to 2 devices. She arranged to come back and collect me from the lounge later and that she’d bring a buggy as the gate was quite some distance away. Although the stopover was just over 3 hours, boarding started 1 hour before departure so I had around 80 minutes or so in the lounge.

It is a large lounge with lots of seating of different types. There is a circular bar in the middle, a couple of coffee/soft drink stations and a fairly large food area at the back of the lounge with chefs. I didn’t want to eat anything but went to have a look. There was a wide range of Indian dishes at the main chef area but no other options there. There was another area just in front of it that had desserts, a couple of non-Indian soups and some rolls. There are meant to be showers so I suppose they’re down at the far end. I’m guessing there are toilets there as well as the ones not far from the food area were quite small. I did go down the other side of the lounge and there are much bigger toilets there. I’m not sure what’s down there altogether as it seemed to go and on.

The Encalm lady came back as promised and we went back down to level 2 and on to a buggy. She was right about the gate. It was a very, very long way. I got there at the announced boarding time but it was clearly delayed. There were a few seats left at the gate but not many. Not the best gate area tbh. Boarding started about 45 minutes before departure. Passport and boarding card were checked at the gate, as usual, then again just before entering the air bridge and then for a third time before getting to the plane. I guess it’s a way to keep people employed.

They use an A320 on the BKK route with 2-2 seating in 3 rows, so 12 seats in total. It is as really showing its age and the seats were poor.  Little legroom for biz though seat width was just about ok. No IFE. Recline seats, quite hard and uncomfortable. Nothing at seat apart from a warm bottle of water and a cheap looking pillow. Blankets were provided on request but no amenity kit, seat pad etc.

Fruit juice was offered before take off but no one wanted any, then cold towels were given. Menus were handed out and service was available at any time during the flight. 

I didn’t want anything anytime soon so said I’d just have the appetiser as close as possible to decent. A bar service was also offered but I stuck with water. In the end I didn’t bother with any food.

Boarding finished just at scheduled departure time. There was only one empty seat in Biz and it was next to me. I just planned on trying to sleep for most of the flight if I could. I did manage to get some sleep and the flight passed quickly as a result.

We took off a little late, flight time was 4 hours so we were still due at BKK ahead of schedule. The fasten seat belt sign was on frequently during the flight. I guess airlines are being more careful now. Cabin crew were very pleasant and friendly throughout the flight.

We got to the gate (E6) at 7.25am. As usual, I’d booked buggy, porter & taxi with the same company. The buggy was waiting for me at the gate and it was quite a long way to immigration. The first immigration area looked very quiet when we passed and he stopped by Fast track. He spoke to the staff member at the entrance to Fast track and I went in. I was the only person in that area and was immediately processed by a very friendly IO. Usually, the porter would be waiting the other side but there was no sign. I made my way to the luggage belt and called the number for the company. They took my details and the porter arrived in a few minutes. We waited for my bags and then went through customs and outside through exit 5. The taxi was already waiting for me at the pick up area. This area is usually busy but only 2 cars waiting there this time. I was in the taxi and leaving the airport by 7.55am.

We arrived at my hotel in Pattaya just before 9.30am and they let me straight in to the room - the hotel is obviously very quiet. I was exhausted but happy to be back in Pattaya.

Having used Air India for just one reason - the price - do I regret my decision? On balance, no. I didn’t have high expectations but it wasn’t a horrendous experience. The hard product is very dated and in desperate need of change. The first of their new A350s are now in service but it will obviously take some time to make a significant difference. It’s probably unlikely the Bangkok flights will change much for several years at least. The soft product is also well behind many other airlines in terms of food, amenities etc. The positive about Air India was definitely the staff, I found them friendly and pleasant on both flights. Delhi Airport was also ok, though I’m glad I booked the Encalm transit service. 

So, would I book them again? Almost certainly not, but I wouldn’t completely rule it out if the fare was so much cheaper than alternatives again. I would be extremely reluctant though. I’ll see how I find the return journey and if my feelings change in retrospect.

If Eva and Qatar flights I’ve experienced have been between 7 and 10 out of 10, this was between 2 and 5.

[pattayaplayer]

Nice, detailed review.  Thanks for posting.

[Snowbird99]

Thank you for posting this. Had wondered about using Air India, you’ve saved me from an experience I wouldn’t enjoy. The 2-2-2 layout is just not acceptable. 

I’ve used three airlines from Europe to BKK, EVA, SAS and Etihad

SAS were dismal on all sorts of measures. 

I like EVA and if they were price competitive with Etihad it would be a coin flip between the two. 

Travelling in late July and it’ll be Etihad. Cheaper. The other consideration for me is the stopover. Possibly unlike most people, I quite like breaking the journey into two sectors. Two six or seven hour flights is, for me, a bit less of a pain than one twelve or thirteen hour leg. 
 

 

[Kandinski]

Very well written and very detailed report, thx for sharing. 

[Gonetothedogs]

Those “old fashioned” business class seats are miles better than the modern “suite” ones that narrow down at your feet. 
 

interesting report, thanks 

[cheetzie]

2 hours ago, davidge said:

So, would I book them again? Almost certainly not, but I wouldn’t completely rule it out if the fare was so much cheaper than alternatives again. I would be extremely reluctant though. I’ll see how I find the return journey and if my feelings change in retrospect.

If Eva and Qatar flights I’ve experienced have been between 7 and 10 out of 10, this was between 2 and 5.

Thanks for the report. Your ticket price of £1548 return is really cheap. Best I can find at the moment is £1950 with Finnair LHR - BKK but goes up much higher depending on time of the year. 

I vowed not to fly through India to BKK again, based on my horrendous transit experiences last time of very slow moving queues and red tape. The Dreamliner flight between LHR - Delhi seemed good though for the money. The rest not so good.

[Kandinski]

2 hours ago, Gonetothedogs said:

Those “old fashioned” business class seats are miles better than the modern “suite” ones that narrow down at your feet. 
 

interesting report, thanks 

The seats looks very similar to config on (most) Turkish  longhaul flight. They are spacy yes but unfortunately zero privacy

[Gonetothedogs]

51 minutes ago, Kandinski said:

The seats looks very similar to config on (most) Turkish  longhaul flight. They are spacy yes but unfortunately zero privacy

The last few TK business flights have been on are the pretend suites type. So uncomfortable due to the tiny leg space and can’t sleep on side. Would always pick comfort over these new weird seats 

[ChiFlyer]

6 hours ago, davidge said:

 

So, would I book them again? Almost certainly not, but I wouldn’t completely rule it out if the fare was so much cheaper than alternatives again. I would be extremely reluctant though. I’ll see how I find the return journey and if my feelings change in retrospect.

If Eva and Qatar flights I’ve experienced have been between 7 and 10 out of 10, this was between 2 and 5.

Excellent report and thank you for the effort.

As we have discussed a little before, I once upon a time worked in India for the better part of a year. Your report does not surprise me at all. I have flown significantly on several different Indian airlines. My experiences are quite dated, occurring about 20 years ago. Still I find a consistency in what you have written.

Some additional comments, based on 20 year old experiences:

• Do not route through India during the Monsoon season (June to September). There is a good chance you will experience travel delays, possibly significant ones.
• At the time alcohol was not served on domestic flights.
• I found the Indian pilots to be cowboys, especially during the Monsoon season.
• At the time, a non-Indian citizen was charged significantly more for a flight that originated within India. I got burned once, expense report wise, and then made sure that my flight plans were originating in BKK. Maybe I should send a thank you card.

[bangna]

@davidge I remember when you first posted the price, I searched for online reviews. Only found a few outdated ones, not very informative.

Thank you for a thorough review, unfortunately the price has risen a bit now.

[dontpanic]

3 hours ago, Kandinski said:

The seats looks very similar to config on (most) Turkish  longhaul flight. They are spacy yes but unfortunately zero privacy

Turkish food and service is way better than what the op describes. Istanbul airport is pretty good too. I would give Turkish a solid 7 and sometimes an 8 depending on service. Would not consider Air India.

[davidge]

13 hours ago, cheetzie said:

Your ticket price of £1548 return is really cheap. Best I can find at the moment is £1950 with Finnair LHR - BKK

They had a sale for about a month at the time I booked. Outside of that they were around £1950 when I was looking at flights. Etihad were often showing up at around £2200 so, for that price differential, I’d have booked with them.

I’ve booked Gulf for my November trip, I booked very early as Gulf seem to have some cheaper fares when dates are first released before they go up again. I paid £1970 at the beginning of January.

[mercmanrob]

Great report,  thanks for taking the time to do it. After reading I don't think air India would be for me....

[cheetzie]

3 hours ago, davidge said:

They had a sale for about a month at the time I booked. Outside of that they were around £1950 when I was looking at flights. Etihad were often showing up at around £2200 so, for that price differential, I’d have booked with them.

I’ve booked Gulf for my November trip, I booked very early as Gulf seem to have some cheaper fares when dates are first released before they go up again. I paid £1970 at the beginning of January.

Etihad are well worth £2200. I’ve flown with Gulf Air before and they are ok. 

[pentire]

Thank you, nice detailed report.

Price is similar to what I’ve been paying lately for premium economy with Eva from LHR-BKK however, I do prefer non-stop.

[Trevor]

Thanks for taking one for the team! 
Great fare but the product looks to be somewhere between premium economy and business class of the more usual carriers.

[KyleReading]

Good report

I'm on that exact same flight out in the Autumn albeit in Economy. Been Delhi twice before and security was very tight

It was this flight out of Heathrow previously that I had the "money dog" all over me indicating lol

[jmukh]

I was also curious (though skeptical) if the new Tata version of Air India was going to turn things around. Thanks for this review. So far, most of the higher-income Indians I know in the US seem to be sticking with Emirates or Qatar for flights home.

[davidge]

One big plus for Air India today. Their communication and replying to my messages has been excellent throughout and I’ve had to contact them again to try and change my flights to go home a few days earlier for a family funeral. Not very close family but I’d like to get to the funeral if possible.

I used the direct messaging on Twitter and they responded very quickly. They took some details and then asked for a number to call me on.

Given it was a cheap Web Special fare I was expecting it to be too expensive to change but they said they’d do it for free. It was a real surprise. There were no seats on the early flight from DEL to LHR so I’ll have an extra 4 hours in the airport - the lounge does have nap rooms though. It also means I’ll be on a different aircraft a 777-200LR which has 2-3-2 seating in 2 Business cabins. Not ideal but I can hope to have empty seats next to me again. I’ve booked an aisle seat in the front cabin and the 2 other seats are empty at the moment.

I have to say I don’t think many airlines, if any, would have been so helpful with the changes.

 

[davidge]

Decisions, decisions.

As a result of changing my flights the DEL-LHR leg now has a First Class cabin. I just got an email from Air India offering an upgrade for £355.

I’ve no experience of this so don’t know if I’d get it cheaper at check in or if they’d offer a lower cost in a couple of days??

Biz is 2-3-2 on the flight so it is tempting and it’s probably the only chance I’ll get to fly in First (even if it is Air India). Also, I leave BKK on my birthday so it would be a nice present to myself. Just wish it was a bit cheaper.

I’ll think about it.

[Big_H]

1 hour ago, davidge said:

Decisions, decisions.

As a result of changing my flights the DEL-LHR leg now has a First Class cabin. I just got an email from Air India offering an upgrade for £355.

I’ve no experience of this so don’t know if I’d get it cheaper at check in or if they’d offer a lower cost in a couple of days??

Biz is 2-3-2 on the flight so it is tempting and it’s probably the only chance I’ll get to fly in First (even if it is Air India). Also, I leave BKK on my birthday so it would be a nice present to myself. Just wish it was a bit cheaper.

I’ll think about it.

Do it & let us know how it was with a review of the airline 

[davidge]

3 minutes ago, Big_H said:

Do it & let us know how it was with a review of the airline 

want to make a donation? 
 

Difficult to find many reviews online but I think AI First will be similar to Qatar or Eva Business, with worse food. Only 8 seats in a 1-2-1 and a door for privacy. Service should be good at least as I think First is usually pretty empty. 

I’m going to try and get some sleep at the airport, as I’m now there for 10 hours, then shower and change so it will effectively be a day flight for me. I’ll decide by the end of the day.

[Shuggy]

34 minutes ago, davidge said:

want to make a donation? 
 

Difficult to find many reviews online but I think AI First will be similar to Qatar or Eva Business, with worse food. Only 8 seats in a 1-2-1 and a door for privacy. Service should be good at least as I think First is usually pretty empty. 

I’m going to try and get some sleep at the airport, as I’m now there for 10 hours, then shower and change so it will effectively be a day flight for me. I’ll decide by the end of the day.

If its on one of the ex Etihad  777's its definately worth it. 

[Gonetothedogs]

On 10/06/2024 at 09:27, Trevor said:

Thanks for taking one for the team! 
Great fare but the product looks to be somewhere between premium economy and business class of the more usual carriers.

180 degree lie flat beds is pure business class. Nothing about it is premium economy 

[davidge]

18 minutes ago, Shuggy said:

If its on one of the ex Etihad  777's its definately worth it. 

It’s a 777-200LR. As far as I can tell some have been with AI from new and others started out with Delta. AI refitted some a couple of years ago when the brought back First.

Layout is 2 rows of First, then 2 rows of Biz, then doors and galley, then another 3 rows of Biz before Economy starts.