Air India

After 2 flights with Jet Airways from Bangkok to India in their poor quality business class my company booked me on Air India and this was a pleasant surprise. New planes (Dreamliner) good seats fully reclining friendly and attentive attendants reasonably good food and average entertainment system a reason for me now to continue flying on Air India with the bonus of the Star Alliance mileage.

London-Delhi-Sydney in Business. Was the cheapest business one-way so I didn't have too high expectations but I would use them again. London-Delhi full 777 which was well maintained and the seats spacious. Cabin crew were all very pleasant food nice if you like curry. Seat turns into a reasonable flat bed. Transit at Delhi much less painful than I feared. Lounge pretty ordinary with limited food and drink and leaking showers despite being fairly new. Flight to Sydney (via Melbourne) left an hour late and on 787 Dreamliner which was very new with more spacious seats and cabin less than 1/4 full. Food again decent curries very friendly service slept for about 8 hours. Inflight TV hopeless on both flights unless you are into Bollywood so take an iPad. Only negative was that there was a lot of confusion as to whether you need to get off in Melbourne (we did in the end) and a long wait for transit security.

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.

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.

Flew the Dreamliner from Singapore to Frankfurt via Delhi. They had their new (plated) catering on board but still the choice and quality disappointing and the service average which is a shame as Indian food can be outstanding even the curry option was very disappointing. The cabin crew in business on whole do not seem comfortable or confident and are usually older. I mention the age issue only because I think that they have been used to a different type of service which no longer is the standard for business class. I appears that the business cabin crew are chosen on seniority and Air India needs to change this and use younger crew who can bring a new attitude and freshness to the service. Having said that the seat for sleeping was excellent with nice large pillows and good quality cotton quilts. The Dreamliner definitely delivers a much better cabin comfort and had a major affect on jet lag. We had 1.5 hr scheduled transit in Delhi which was a worry we ended up with 60 mins to complete the transfer which we did ok as we had already been issued boarding passes in Singapore. Having said that value for money is excellent. I know many have disliked the decor and I have to agree that it doesn't come up to Cathay's but its ok. If they can just up their game with cabin crew and food Air India could become a great airline.

Overall the service on the flight was inline with other international carriers. The food was acceptable curry was the only option and I suggest that all passengers opt for the "veg" option. Entertainment is mainly aimed at Indian audiences and I expected and agree with this. I suggest taking a tablet loaded with your favourite movies or shows - but I would do this on any airline. The 787 is by far much more comfortable that the 777. Very impressed with the 787 (Dreamliner) - leg room is normal the seat pitch is incredible the cabin environment is lovely and the atmospheric conditions are noticeably better on the 787. (I didn't think this after the outbound journey which consisted of two 787 sectors. The return journey was a 777 sector followed by a 787 sector this is when you notice how great the 787 really is). Transit via Delhi: Information around this process is extremely hard to find on the internet with mixed reviews on sites such as this. If you are an international transiting passenger (i.e. you have landed in Delhi and are connecting with another Air India flight within 24 hours) then you do not need a visa so long as you are not exceeding 24 hours and are not leaving the terminal. There are two options inside the terminal for accommodation. I have done both. Eaton Smart Hotel - transit hotel - This is the option for a transit greater than 4 hours. If you stay here you can also leave the hotel and access any facilities in the terminal - just keep you passport and boarding card with you. Sams Pods - Ideal for less than 4 hours. $10US/ hour. You have access to a bed TV and desk in a small pod in the terminal building. No access to wash facilities other than those provided in the terminal. If you have a flight with Air India and have a long transit it would be well worth you questioning your ability to get a hotel paid for by the airline. I paid for mine as advised for by my flight centre agent. All other passengers on my flight managed to get this included in their ticket free of charge. If you pay for it you are looking at $190AUD.

Udaipur to New Delhi. The flight left 30 minutes early - I hope everyone was on board. The flight attendant's were vey good but we did not eat the meal. The other 6 business class passengers who were Indian asked what the meal was and would not eat it. Overall the flight was comfortable and we would fly Air India domestically again.

Bom-Jaipur-Bom on A319. I was surprised to receive breakfast outbound and snack inbound. There was no choice and they only served tea/coffee/water as beverages but what they served was pretty good. The cabin attendants were pleasant legroom was good. There was seatback IFE but it appeared to only have one channel playing some Bollywood farce. Both flights were quite good for a short domestic hop.

Melbourne to Delhi. The new Dreamliner 788 is a great plane a lot quieter more room to move about cleaner air and large windows. Left and arrived early. Business class half empty so the service was very good not quite as good as the Asian airlines but more than satisfactory. Seat comfort was fine and the lay flat bed made sleeping easy. The entertainment was good watched 2 movies in English. Ordered special food which was my mistake and cannot blame the airline for the disappointing food. The snack between meals (smoked salmon) was most enjoyable. The extras included a nice travel suit better than Qantas pyjamas duvet and pillows were comfortable and travel socks and eye masks supplied. Second leg Delhi to London plane service and entertainment as good as the first flight. Food. Gave up on my special meals and ordered from the menu. Breakfast (Poached eggs) was fine and the dinner (Supreme of chicken) served just prior to arrival as good as any meal I have had on a plane. Fresh fruit to finish. Extras - none which for a 9 hour plus flight was surprising bnot even travel socks.

My mother left on AI 43 MAA-DEL connecting AI 101 DEL-JFK on May 2 2014. Flight was slightly delayed from Chennai. She is 82 years of age and had a broken vertebra 6 months back and after my trip to SYD/MEL last Oct-Nov I decided that the transit is pretty good at Delhi and my mother could go unaccompanied in Business Class. The flight arrived 45 mins ahead of schedule at JFK and being a passenger in a wheelchair she was absolutely thrilled with the care the AI staff bestowed on her. The only issue I faced was getting a wheelchair at Chennai airport as the AI counter was closed and I was not allowed inside - but security staff were kind enough to offer a seat for my mother and advised me to get an AI staff and fetch a wheelchair. My mother informs me that the connection in Delhi (to AI 101) was very smooth and she was well taken care of. She was full of praise for the cabin staff. AI has definitely turned over a new leaf and there has been a tremendous improvement in their attitude as well as service - their hub at T3 Delhi is much better than what prevailed in Mumbai and the ground staff are wonderful at Delhi!