Air India

New Delhi to Srinagar and back. While in the past I have had reservations about flying Air India I found their overall performance better than I had previously anticipated and expected. There are two newer perks with flying Air India. The first is the new Terminal 3 at New Delhi which is modern efficient and clean a huge improvement over the previous Delhi airport. Flying in an out is a breeze with the newer terminal offering a large selection of amenities. The second is the membership of Air India with the Star Alliance making earning frequent flier points possible. The DEL-SXR sector was served by an older A320 - comfortable seats in one class configuration with no special amenities in an older layout. Service consisted of hot beverages with biscuits - not exemplary but adequate for a short flight. Srinagar had been affected by floods at the time of my departure so the Air India staff graciously allowed us to leave the city three days before our scheduled departure. The plane was a A330 with modern seats offering excellent legroom with tasty refreshments. The aircraft sported a modern looking interior with restrooms under the main cabin - something I had not seen before - with no inflight entertainment but perfectly adequate for a short flight. Air India may be one of the more underrated airlines out there. Despite its financial difficulties their inflight product has improved markedly over the years and their Star Alliance membership and modern hub in Delhi makes them attractive to fly with both on short haul and long haul flights. My expectations were low but I was more than satisfied and I would consider flying with them again.

The Dreamliner flight from Sydney to Delhi was a disappointment. 1) Seats were very cramped. Not adequate leg space for such a long flight. 2) Toilets were dirty and toilet tissues were not replaced. 3) The entire economy seating area smelt. 4) A snack and a drink was very much needed before landing. Just two meals for a 13 hour flight was not adequate. 5) Fruit juice and diet drinks were not available after the first meal service. 6) A wet wipe or steamed towel should have been provided at the end of such along flight. We had to disembark even without being able to freshen up. Definitely not up to international standards.

CDG-SYD (via DEL and MEL). Check-in was a mess at CDG - told to leave executive line and wait to the side - then told to get back in to executive class line after waiting for several minutes to the side. AI use Cathay lounge for this flight at terminal 2C and its really nice. 787 Dreamliner for both legs. My overall impression is that this plane is massively over hyped from a customer aspect anyway - there is really nothing special about this plane - the windows are the most noticeable difference- and while this is nice during the couple of minutes during taking off and landing - you don't notice it for the rest of the flight. Everything is plastic on this plane - the toilet door feels like an ice cream container lid. The seat is comfortable in bed mode it is wide and well padded - but there is no Z-mode for relaxation - you can put the backrest back and the footrest up but the seat remains flat at all times - its not really that comfortable for relaxing/watching TV. A sat in cushion and a larger cotton pillow are provided - which are very comfortable in addition to a duvet and a thin blanket - which makes a great sleeping experience. IFE screen is large and high definition - there is a reasonable choice of (both Indian and Western) movies and television shows - but not quite enough to stretch out for the 12 hour flight. Food was variable. No menus provided - options were stated by staff at the time of meal service. Out of CDG the supper was lobster with champagne sauce - it was dry and tough - but definitely still lobster which is great in business class. Otherwise all the other meals were curry and sandwiches were offered on the Melbourne to Sydney leg - really this should be a proper breakfast. An announcement was made that no alcohol could be served on the domestic leg from MEL to SYD - what they actually mean is no duty free alcohol can be served - its pretty cheap to stop serving alcohol just because you have to pay the duty on it. Almost all passengers immediately removed their shoes and socks immediately upon boarding - so be prepared for the feet. The staff are a mixed bunch - some are fantastic - friendly smiling communicative and anticipating requests - these staff were all female. Unfortunately the male staff were some of the most surly resentful and unpleasant people I have ever encountered in a business class cabin - attendant call button was met with a "yes" and a glare from these men. The lounge at Delhi was interesting - I was there at from 9-12 am this is a big lounge with many comfortable chairs but limited food and drink options. Showers were available. Wifi was difficult to access staff seemed disinterested and resentful of requests for assistance - there is clearly no customer service mentality about this place. Overall this was a very average experience and certainly the worst business class flight I have ever taken - however the price was very reasonable and I would consider booking it again and I would cautiously recommend Air India.

Trying to get to Delhi from Bombay for a 6pm wedding. Our 1pm flight - cancelled till 2.30pm. 2.30pm flight - told at counter it was over-booked and is now full. The next available flight is at 5pm - delayed till 5.20pm without prior notice. 5.45pm - begin takeoff procedures. 5.55pm - electrical failure. Plane comes to a standstill. Lights and AC continue to be switched on and off. 6pm - captain announces "there has been an electrical failure and out technical team is on their way to trouble-shoot". No further explanation offered. No beverages offered. If you got up to ask for water they did oblige by giving you one small glass. 6.45pm - herded like animals and packed like sardines onto a stationary bus on the tarmac. When asked what was happening and where we were going we were told "nowhere. you can not stand on the tarmac so you must sit on the bus and wait while we do final checks onboard. The buses were over-packed and we were locked inside while staff and drivers disappeared. 7.15pm - finally start to re-board passengers. We decide not to get back onto an aircraft that has electrical failures. We demanded our luggage and a full refund. The ground staff obliged however sent us wondering around the airport unescorted in search of the duty manager. This whole process took until 8pm. After 7 hours all delays and cancellations sitting around the airport on the plane on buses and being spoken to in a patronising manner by everyone from ground staff to on-flight staff we did not end up flying to Delhi and we have missed our friends wedding. I will never fly with or recommend Air India.

AI 667/668 between BOM-TRV-BOM. A319. Check-in quick and efficient. Flights clean and comfortable. On time one way slightly delayed the other. Good breakfast service cabin crew helpful. Quickly disembarked both times. No complaints. Ticket was about 35% cheaper than the nearest competitor.

I travel Air India 3-4 times a year. This time I was travelling from Delhi (DEL) to Kochi (KOX) on an A320 the seats were not comfortable at all. The TV on the flight was not working. The food was horrible.

Traveled on New Delhi to Dubai sector AI 995 on brand new B787 Dreamliner. Check in was easy and hassle free. Boarding too went smoothly. Flight departed 10 minutes early. Aircraft was brand new fresh. Cabin was spacious and seating arrangement was a comfortable 3-3-3 layout. Contrary to expectation the seat width was not wide enough and there was a general discomfort in seating. Inflight entertainment was excellent with a wide range of movies and shows. There were 5 regional movies available in my native language an experience never found in any other flights. Food as usual was very good though the crew were asking passengers whether they are strict vegetarians as they were running out of veg meals due many passengers pre ordered veg meals. Landed 20 minutes before scheduled arrival time. The overall travel experience was excellent and B787 Dreamliner is one perfect aircraft to fly.

Booked just a day early on AI to take the very early morning flight from DEL to MUM last week. Very reasonable fare (even for last min) great aircraft 787 and good service.

Took a late night flight on AI from DEL to BOM recently. Aircraft was a 321 and the flight was over booked. Yet service was excellent great food. The aircraft was in decent condition. Flight slightly bumpy but that can be blamed on the rains around Mumbai.

Flying to the Maldives via Mumbai from Ahmedabad on Sept 14th. Checked in and were told flight was on time. We were to have a 5 hour break in Mumbai giving us plenty of time to catch connection on Sri Lanka Airways. The flight never arrived and was 4 hours late taking off although AI personnel insisting we would make our connection. Never did no help from AI personnel in Mumbai and worst experience on a flight ended up in transit at the airport for over 26 hours.