Has anyone tried the new Air India flight that goes non-stop from NYC's JFK to Mumbai?
I've heard a couple of people say good things about this particular flight, but wanted to get more feedback before I decide which ticket to purchase. I've avoided Air India since the mid-80's, the last time they were any good.
BTW, I hear very good things about the new Jet Airways flights to NY from Mumbai. They fly via Brussels though, at a time when most people are trying to fly direct to India.

I heard that it's very empty. So, you have a good chance of having 3-4 seats for yourself to lay down. [Well, probably not during Christmas vacation time.] Load factor was abysmal during the first 3 months of its operation.

DL flies JFK-BOM non-stop and CO flies EWR-BOM non-stop. You can try those, though expect much fuller flights.

The aircraft AI is using is probably FROM the 1980s so you will feel right at home....I am not really kidding, either. I avoid them, even though I travel to India about 1-2 times a month. I always take another airline, which coming from Hong Kong inevitably requires me to change in Bangkok, KL or Sing, rather than the non-stop AI, which shows how much I dislike AI. I do try them once a year just to make sure they have not improved; my last trip was about 7 months ago, and I swear, in business class, my headphones were the hard plastic kind that go under your chin. Three channels to choose from, and the channel-changer was the little round thing in the arm rest. No leg rest, seat barely reclined. (This is why I believe the aircraft is from the 1980s and even a little earlier.) I can only imagine coach, although in a plane that old, there may actually be more legroom than on the newer planes....

Their on-time record is not good, that is another big issue for me. The generally get the best time slots for arrival and departure in India (the state-owned airline after all), that is about all you can say for them

Jet Airways is really, really good. Best food anywhere, even better than Singapore, but you have to like Indian, esp Indian vegetarian. Also look at Emirates, transiting through Dubai would not be bad, it is generally at 2 am, however.

Actually, for the JFK-BOM flight, AI is using their brand new 777-200LR.

How nice. I still would not take them.

this is a bit off but we just did the roundtrip on the EWR-DEL Continental nonstop and thought it was great - in particular, the spacing of the seats in coach and overall comfort on the brand new planes was excellent. Of course, they have the individual video screens for each seat. One of the best coach international flight experiences we have had in years.

Two of CO's 20 777-200s were delivered this year. Two other were delivered in 2002. The remaining 16 were delivered between 1998 and 2000. While all have individual screens, right now only 3 have AVOD (and 110V power). The rest are being converted.

DL currently is using their 777-200ER for JFK-BOM. But once they receive their brand new 777-200LR, this route will get the new plane.

Alas, Continental's direct flights from EWR are mostly full already (I'm departing ~Dec. 10th). But really glad to hear that the US carriers are improving their act. My rule so far was to avoid the US airlines for int'l travel. They were almost as bad as AI.
Since Jet is around $450 more expensive than AI & not direct to Mumbai, I may have to take one for the team & try AI after >20 yrs. London requiring transit visas has made British Airways & other flights through London really inconvenient.

I did hear that the Air India plane is brand new & that they've spruced up service on premium routes.
I promise to report back.

On the topic of U.S. Airlines...last month we went from Vancouver to Mumbai with KLM/NW..The KLM sector from Vancouver was alright...but the Amsterdam to Bombay portion with NW was abolutely fantastic....I was very surprised as we always avoid U.S. or Canadian aircrafts when we travel...

The flight attendants were very good and the aircraft was very clean, the bathrooms were spotless and the food was really good...I would infact use NW again!!

NW has been providing a pretty decent international product for a while. And the hardware on their new Airbus 330 is nice. Problem is with their 747-400 with no personal video screen.

Their domestic product is a different story.

The hubs at DTW, MSP and AMS are also better places to connect than the competition at places like ORD or LHR/CDG.

Just got back from my trip to India aboard Air India's new NYC JFK to Mumbai direct flight. I had been advised by some outside this forum to try this new flight despite the general view that AI is horrible. The flight was an absolute DELIGHT!

Air India uses brand new Boeing 777s for this particular flight. The service was impeccable- very polite & thoughtful (was really impressed with this)! I flew in Economy- ample legroom, huge personal TV screens (may be the biggest I've seen on any airline), great in-flight entertainment.... food was good and overall, this has been one of the best flights I've ever taken to India.

That being said, I've been told that Air India has improved the JFK-Mumbai non-stop flight only & their other flights still leave much to be desired. In addition, the chaos of India greeted me at the airport right here in NY - boarding began 1.5 hrs ahead of departure & with good reason. Discourteous passengers refused to go through security gates in lines, pushing through whenever they found an inch. Officials at the airport were equally frustrated & inefficient.
By the time I got to the gate, it was almost departure time!

Upon return to JFK I was stuck in Immigration for 1:42 minutes. Of the 50 or so booths at Immigration, only around 14-15 were occupied at a time when jumbo flights from Air India, Thai Air, El Al, South African, Emirates and others arrive together (~7:00 am). There were easily over thousand people waiting in the Immigration line (between citizens & visitors). Meanwhile, a "polite" homeland security officer was yelling at passengers "Shut off your cell phones NOW" leaving people no way of letting their families know that they were stuck in Immigration (not including baggage claim & Customs) for nearly 2 hours despite arriving on time.

Air India cannot be blamed for lapses at the airports. In summary, a travel experience full of ironies - Air India pleasantly surprised me while US airport management, Homeland Security & general disposition of officials & some passengers continues to worsen.
(Also posted to the Airlines forum).

mdn, please tell us about your trip.

Well, I was visiting family there. So I didn't do any touristy stuff. But I visited Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad on this trip.
General thoughts:
1) Mumbai is still the most dynamic & exciting place for business but perhaps not as interesting for tourists
2) Pune has worsened considerably since my last visit there. Traffic, pollution and disregard for civility are now acute problems
3) Impressed with Hyderabad's progress. Of all the cities in India, they've really done a good job in keeping the city in step with the growth of industry there. I understand it is now the 2nd biggest city in India in terms of land.