Air India

I flew Air from Sydney to Delhi and return because it was a non stop flight. On entering the aircraft it looked old and I found that my touch screen did not work. The toilets were disgusting smelt and were stained. Some panels were hanging loose. The floor was awash. On return the aircraft looked newer but the toilets were still disgraceful. I had to fly via Melbourne which was a pain in the neck as we had to disembark in Melbourne and go through a stringent security check again. On take off the cabin crew did not do a safety check of passengers and we took off with one passenger asleep across three seats unrestrained. One passenger had tray table down and that was what I could see from my seat. The cabin crew avoided eye contact at all times. During the long overnight flight from Delhi children were allowed to run amok. Food mediocre. Would never use again.

Chicago (ORD) to Delhi (DEL). February 2015. I booked ticket on website and went to the airport with check-in and carry-on bag. I got a surprise at the counter the person told that I can carry only 4 Kg carry-on baggage. This was unexpected. Finally moved some luggage from one bag to other on airport and took receipts of the bag. Onboard: The crew served snacks and water but I needed more water I was searching for crew but couldn't find them. The crew returned after some time and served more food and drinks. On a 14 hours non-stop flight this should be their practice. Food was good - in taste and quantity. Entertainment was okay. Seat was comfortable with enough legroom a very important thing for 14hr non stop flight. What didn't work: 1 or 2 restrooms ran out of tissues towards the end of the journey. Though it was a long journey crew should have done something to improve this. Overall: Apart from the restroom issue I didn't feel that anything went wrong. Overall flight was a very good experience with plenty of foods drinks good seating okay entertainment.

Flew from Heathrow to Amritsar in January this year. First they cancelled my 1.15pm flight due to bad weather in Delhi however the connecting flight from Delhi to Amritsar was still going ahead! What about the bad weather in Delhi? I was put on an evening flight the same day. Landed in Delhi at 11.50 am and my connecting flight was now scheduled for 7.30pm. Had I been put on my previous flight I would have landed in time to catch my connecting flight to Amritsar. The flight was again delayed by 3 hours and no explanation was given to us. I have heard that the airline overbooks the seats. Cabin staff don't bother when you ask them for a coffee instead of tea. I asked them for water twice but still didn't get any. They hardly smile and seem very frustrated. We vow never to fly Air India again!

Flew DEL-BOM-DEL on A321 both ways (AI865 and AI888) and was very happy with the AI experience: flights on time cabins relatively clean with the IFE working good hot meals provided both ways and - contrary to some previous reviews - the cabin crews were very good. On BOM-DEL sector we loved the chicken and after telling this to a female flight attendant she soon came back with more chicken and was very happy to serve us more. Absolutely delightful! However the "signature coffee" on AI remains very weak year after year but all the rest was excellent on these two domestic flights. Maybe the competition on this trunk route including the new Vistara Airlines keeps Air India alert and they have to put some extra effort to keep their loyal customers coming back.

AI984 GOI-BOM 9 March and AI342 BOM-SIN on 10 March. Check in was quick as I had arrived at the airport early. Both flights left on time. The first flight was short and uneventful/unremarkable. The crew on the second flight were friendly and helpful responding to passengers with a genuinely caring attitude. Meals served and cleared quickly enabling passengers to get some shut eye on this overnight flight. Kebabs served with cut fruit and dessert for the midnight "snack". All in all a good experience.

Traveled on TRV-SHJ sector during January 2015. The aircraft operated was an Airbus A320. Check in was smooth and hassle free. The inbound aircraft was delayed from MAA (as its a MAA-TRV-SHJ flight) and the departure hence got delayed for around 45 minutes. Frisking by Air India group security was done prior to boarding. The interior seats were comfortable and clean. The attitude of the cabin crew as usually complained was poor. One of the aged crew was serving food even without asking whether non-veg or veg. Few of the passengers including myself had to ask her to change as she simply gave the non veg without asking.It seemed they ran out of veg meals. Flight managed to land 30 minutes late at Sharjah and the baggage delivery was prompt as well. Overall experience was good.

My group flew from Chicago to Delhi on 2/20 and from Delhi to Chicago 2/28. Absolutely the worst experience we have had on an airplane. We never saw the fight crew except when they served hot meals and a drink before the meal on a 14 hour flight. This was the only contact we had with the crew. We actually saw the crew sleeping during the flight instead of serving the customers. The crew never came around and offered drinks or snacks however drinks and peanuts and sandwiches were at the service stations and we basically served ourselves. Never have we seen or experienced such a thing. The entertainment was pretty good however many of us in our group had consoles that didn't work and remotes were not functioning either. The bathrooms ran out of paper and the cleanliness got worse as the flight continued. After 14 hours you can imagine the results of a lack of hand towels and toilet paper in an airplane. Basically there was no such thing as cleanliness. Let's talk about the seats. Where we sat was like a rock! The bottom was hard and the back you could actually feel the frame. Numbness was a way of life for 14 hours. Eventually we got creative and figured a way to make our seats "comfortable". Some used their pillows from home for their back others used the pillow and/or the blanket from the airline for cushioning. Basically these seats were the worst!

LHR to MEL via DEL and return on deeply discounted ticket. Flight from New Delhi to Melbourne delayed in 1 hour increments with no final departure time given. Air India ground staff had no idea when the flight would eventually leave and weren't bothered about it either. After about 5 hours in an attempt to force Air India respond to the situation the other passengers began physically preventing the one remaining ground staff at the gate from leaving and then blockading the other Air India gates in the terminal to prevent boarding. By this tactic several other flights were delayed amid lots of shouting and chanting of slogans. Eventually a crew was taken off a Hong Kong flight to operate the one to Melbourne and we departed 9.5 hours late. The on-board service was mediocre and the IFE not fully functional on two flights. The seats folded into a horizontal flat bed (B787 aircraft) and were quite comfortable. Given the delay in New Delhi and the manner in which it was handled there is no way this airline can be recommended no matter what the ticket price.

FRA-DEL/DEL-KAT/KAT-DEL-FRA - Were told at check-in in FRA that there was a delay of 1 hour but gate was closed at scheduled time! Waiting time of one full hour in FRA before taking off! No service or drinks for 4 hours during flight. Breakfast served last minute. Crew on all legs not really interested in customer and service. Dreamliner with lot of space and good fresh air full flat beds really comfortable. Food ok but cheese platter served after dessert. Champagne before taking off but no wine offered on return-flight. Flight to Kathmandu and back: time change and delayed return for 1.5 hrs. Service pathetic no smile the only question was "veg or non veg" without any "please". Air India has to improve service to get competitive.

Flew Chennai-Mumbai. Aircraft was an old A-319 still sporting the old Indian colors. Faded but clean interiors. Energetic cabin crew. Hot meal served on board. They ran out non-veg selection after a while and when queried by one of the passengers the answer given was that they had loaded more veg meals with the assumption that not many people would take non-veg on a Thu. Overall Air India is a cheap option to fly from point to point if one is not bothered about in-flight service and entertainment.