Any recent Air India experiences?
 

Did a board search & read real bad posts from 2007. Only one post in early 2008.

Has it improved in customer service at airport & onboard? I'm wanting 1st or business, not coach.

I understand the food is bad - for the price I can live with that.

Understand the checkin line was out the door - is that only a coach class problem?

How about the IFE? Individual for 1st or business or everyone watches the same movie? ORD - FRA is long, don't usually sleep, so IFE is important.

On their site, I'm not sure whether I get to select our seats or not? Not ready to go thru the credit card info yet.

Any feedback, opinions, etc. are appreciated.

Thanks, Julie

Air India stinks! Give Jet Airways a try ....... their flights could easily match any of the best.

RE Air India - I would actually think the food is one of their strengths ..... it's usually the delays etc etc., that is still a major problem.

Would never fly them!

There's an Indian macho silliness of badmouthing Air India.

From my experience of its business class, its food's not at all bad. Bit boring (sort of stuff you'd have got in a provincial English Indian restaurant in the 60s), but perfectly OK.

On a flight 18 months ago, there was no queue for checkin at LHR, and a 2-deep queue at Bombay. No idea about the films - but each business seat obviously had an individual screen, and they seemed to be working. Can't remember about seat selection, though I think the site tells you anyway how this works. All the seats were so roomy, it was a bit of a non-issue anyway.

The staff were sensational. Proper middle-aged, sensible women of the sort you'd find running your local Save the Children collection, with the characteristic attitude to booze and business class passengers of practically all Commonwealth airlines ("ply 'em with as much as possible till they're comatose". Timekeeping was poor.

Economy looked a great deal more dismal, but the opened up competition on Europe-India routes seems to be sending all the hedge fund wannabes onto Jet or Virgin, so Air India business class was half-empty, and solicitously managed at every stage from London checkin, through the lounges to a near-blissful, if slightly shabby, flight.

They are a 3 Star airline just like the U.S. airlines that fly international. On the bright side, you won't be flying on a 757 aircraft with just one isle.


www.airlinequality.com/Forum/air_india.htm

If you go, get the Indian meal. I ordered something else, and I was sick the whole way coming back.

Julie,

Have you seen their website? www.jetairways.com check out their first or business products on the site. Air India can never compare.

Jet Airways currently flies via Brussles to India from both JFK and Newark. I think they either have started or going to start (not sure) service to SFO via the Far East.

Jet started BOM-PVG-SFO on 5/5.

This site has some great flight reviews, there is one for Air India JFK-DEL in Coach Feb 2008, lots of photos inside plane etc, but shows Coach seats, meals IFE etc

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-fo...d.main/125437/

This is Jet Airays DEL-JFK in March, also Coach

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-fo...d.main/123034/

From the www.airliners.net link in this thread:

"Jaja. Seriously. What a great alcohol policy. Why would any sane person fly an airline that charges for alcohol?! Ok, so after a super awesome beverage service, it is time for dinner. Menus are distributed (another nice touch – and remember, this is Y) and contain a pretty decent selection of 4 options (not bad for Y again – I mean, that is more than NWA or KE J!). See photo of menu below. I chose the decadent Murg Charminar, which is absolutely wonderful. The chicken is rich in flavour, and the bread and the Indian cracker (papad? – Indians, help!) are both warm and perfect. Truly world class cuisine. During dinner, and just after it, there are two more beverage runs. After my fifth bloody-mary, I feel content to watch a movie and dozz off."

Yea, Baby!

On the link below, you will see that people flying from Chicago to India on American Airlines received two cold meals only.

www.airlinequality.com/Forum/am_aa.htm

yes, I have a very recent experience. I booked my flight from Newark to Paris back in january for a flight on June 4th. I just received an email from them today, saying they're changing my flight 24 hours! A day earlier. which screws up all my plans. I haven't called them yet - I need to calm down first!