Air India

My wife and I flew from Dubai to Goa and back. Check in Dubai was pleasant and the lounge offered average. On the flight to Goa there was no entertaining system available and very limited selection of beverages. Flight back from Goa via Mumbai to Dubai was however a complete nightmare. Check-in in Goa was very slow and there was no lounge facilities available. The flight it is self was OK but on arrival to Mumbai passengers from economy class rushed forward thus generated a chaotic that crew did not have the capabilities to manage. On arrival to Mumbai (3 hour stopover) we headed to the lounge offered but were not allowed to access as check in staff in Goa had not given us lounge access slips. After half an hour we were finally allowed to enter. On arrival to the gate we were informed that the aircraft had been dispatched from the gate and we would have to be re-routed to another flight. We now were asked to leave the departing area as it was necessary in regards of our rebooking and we had meet up with a duty manager. This process took 1.5 hours and finally we met up with the station manager. We did not have any other option than to buy a new ticket for the following day.

Its been 20 years since I flew Air India and absolutely nothing has changed - the airline is still awful. I took a short hop DEL-JAI and a 40 minute flight turned into a 3 hour ordeal. Arrived DEL airport and check in staff said flight was on time. Went to gate and no plane or agent to ask questions. Told by uninterested ground staff flight was changed to different gate. Went to new gate and waited for 90 minutes and finally asked what time boarding would begin. Told flight was delayed by 1 hour due to late arrival of incoming aircraft - no announcements no information nothing. Ground crew stood around chatting on their cell phones as passengers got annoyed and angry. Finally boarded 90 minutes late and hustled into seats. After 30 captain says airport at JAI Is closed waited another 60 minutes then abruptly push back fro gate. Flight to JAI uneventful crew had a few smiles.

AI 301 3 Feb 2014. Flew MEL-DEL. Chose Air India as it has a direct connection Delhi-Chandigarh. A friend was raving about the new Dreamliner. End up disappointed. Nothing special other than the fancy lighting on its windows and interior. The remote did not work thank goodness for touch screen TV. Food choice was either veg or non veg only both Indian cuisine. Portion was small ended up asking for a snack 3 hours after lunch was served. Cabin was messy by end of flight too many children on board unfortunately. Good points: Cabin staff were attentive to requests. The female crew uniforms are an old style definitely need a modern design. Also ground support staff were very good to ensure elders all received wheelchair support.

We arrived at check-in for AI302 the Dreamliner non-stop to Sydney 4 hours before departure only to be told our flight was overbooked and we must take the next flight 24 hours later. They made no attempt to warn us beforehand so we had no opportunity to remain elsewhere. They made no attempt to book us onto associated airlines towards our destination. Instead 2 hours later we were bussed to a hotel miles out of Delhi City. Having eventually boarded the next day's Air India flight to Australia we then sat and waited 2 hours on board with no service and only a single (late) announcement as to the reason. Something about late incoming connecting pax. So we eventually departed 2.3 hours late from Delhi arrived 2 hours late in Melbourne 1.8 hours turnaround there eventually arriving at our final destination Sydney. Rather than the Sydney direct flight we'd originally booked for the previous day we ended up at Sydney 30 hours late.

Out LHR to DEL on Boeing 777. Return COK to DEL (A321) and LHR (Boeing 777). All sectors on time with DEL to LHR arriving 30 mins early. Air India staff looked after us well. On return met at domestic terminal by ground staff and escorted to international terminal. Many aspects of the service were good but not consistently good to rival better carriers. Choice of English films/music very poor with virtually no new films or music available. Meals (we are vegetarian) variable but unimaginative and not at a standard acceptable in business class. Staff generally attentive and good but not on domestic sector. Both journeys from and to LHR only half full in business. Whilst the overall product is not the best it is still good value and the low cost.

Traveled from Frankfurt and Delhi and back. New large aircraft very comfortable. Good food good service. Left on time. Efficient ground staff and cabin crew. Highly recommended.

AI 672 from Chennai (MAA) to Mumbai (BOM) by VT-SCT (A319). The only flight I had until now which departed 15 mins before the scheduled departure time from Chennai and arrived 30 mins before the scheduled time in Mumbai. South Indian snacks were given as a veg-option and the IFE was working. Though the movie started halfway when we boarded the aircraft. Cabin crew were very acknowledging.

Business class (AI 302) returning to Australia. I had read the poor reviews but the schedule was good it was non-stop the price was OK and I wanted to try out the new B787 Dreamliner. We were very pleasantly surprised. First the plane: it lives up to the hype. It was quiet and I can believe the pressurisation and humidity are closer to life on the ground. We slept well and felt good on arrival. The lie-flat seats were fabulous with cleverly designed spots to store your things. It was on time. Cabin service was fine if not notable. Ditto entertainment. One quibble: they served a large curry "supper" just before landing in Sydney early in the morning. Everyone else serves breakfast.

I have used Air India for my 2 trips in 6 months for Sydney-Delhi flight. Even though planes are new and spacious with good legroom unfortunately 6 month old planes are falling apart too quickly components are broken in toilets inflight entertainment remote broken water seeping out of toilets on carpets service light not working or erratic tray tables dirty with no effort to collect rubbish during or at end of flight. Entertainment: Not much to watch / listen. Food: Nothing exciting again. If you are lucky to take off on time you will get a quick round of drinks. Staff will whack the meal on your tray table. As soon as meals are served you will see cabin crew coming at 100 miles/hr with tea / coffee pots. Next cabin crew are back with trolleys to collect your trays even though half of the plane is still finishing their meals. Staff: Pilots: No updates / Announcements. Cabin Crew are uninterested uncaring and rude. Overall hopeless and frustrating airline.

Flew FRA-CCU-FRA in January 2014 changing planes in Delhi both ways. All sectors by new 787s except for CCU-DEL which was on a respectable old A321. All flights reasonably on time. FRA-DEL delayed 45 minutes but as there was nothing much to do in transit in DEL I didn't care and DEL-FRA delayed by 30 minutes as waiting for a connection but we still made our train from FRA with 10 minutes to spare. Check-in personnel friendly and helpful in both FRA and CCU all plane interiors clean including toilets pleasant food. Excellent in-flight map display on the 787s. A few niggles: on one of the 787s my AC power socket didn't work and the audio feed to my seat was dead.