air india--reviews?

mongo_jones

hello all,

i have never flown air india--based mostly on horror stories from the early 90s. is this aversion well-founded? or is it an airline you would recommend for more than the lower price?

thanks!

pkalra

food is good for sure :-)

mongo_jones

is this all you're willing to say...? is that answer enough?

markhyd

Air India is good fun, all part of the India experience.

bobjohn93

I've flown Air India twice from the Middle East to India (Delhi once, Kochi once). No different than any other airline I've flown except, the only thing that is odd is when you buy your ticket you or your travel agent has to take the first leg coupon and turn it into Air India BEFORE you go to the airport! I've flown airlines all over the world and none of them does this except Air India. That is the only quirk I've found with them.

Amber

I've heard Air India's International service has a different quality than their domestic service (it is much better).

I flew domestic Air India once and hopefully, I will never have to fly them again.

The highlights:
-leaking water from overhead bin onto another passenger
-rude air hostesses
-half eaten candies and another such goodies in the seat pocket
-the sudden dip and drastic dip the plane took right after take-off

Jet has much better service.

markhyd

Are you sure this wasn't Indian Airways? I've flown Air India domestic recently and it was great, (a little odd though, a 747 from Mumbai to Hyderabad with very few people on it). From my experience Air India is in a different league than Jet (although it is far more expensive)

Amber

Duh on me! You are right I flew Indian Airways, not Air India.

Disregard all I said

mongo_jones

being indian the whole india experience thing doesn't hold much charm for me in and of itself...

my concerns are things like dirty toilets, seats in poor repair, roaches, bad service, crappy inflight entertainment, unpredictable departure times, lost luggage etc. all of which i've heard stories about. it is cheaper than many airlines but i'm trying to figure out if the lower price is worth it. so, i'd appreciate it if people who have flown air india internationally recently would confirm or deny if they encountered any of the things listed above or anything else in those genres.

sillylilly

I have flown Air India at least 7 times and have had only one bad experience. In Dec. 2003, my flight was delayed by a whole day and nobody from the airline called to inform me. I was supposed to drive from Philadelphia to Newark to catch the flight and was told in the morning of the day of the flight that the it was on time. When I called just before leaving at 3pm, they said, sorry mam, your flight leaves tomorrow, same time 9:15 pm. The following day, I called in the morning and they said, yes mam, you are booked for 9:15pm. At 1:30pm, they called my friend in New Jersey (whom I had made a contact for AI) and told her I need to be at Newark airport ready at 4pm for checkin to the 6:15pm flight. Of course, I had to drive 85 miles madly down the NJ Tpk to make that flight. I gave them a piece of my mind at the airport.

I like the fact that on AI, there is no long stopover in Europe when you fly from USA. Also, the food is decent. The airhostesses are okay. I found them as indifferent as those on British Airways and Air France. On Air France flying from Paris to Mumbai, I was always worried the air hostess would strangle me with her flying scarf. The entertainment not so great because the seat backs don't have those little personal TVs. On the whole, you get what you pay for plus dirty toilets.

pkalra

well , you get what you pay for , may be fly Business or first and they'll take good care of u :-)

Mandsaur

My experiences with them have been good. They were on time, cabins were clean and comfortable, cabin attendants friendly, and they had best airplane food I've had (which on a long flight is a nice thing.)

mongo_jones

thanks to all who posted constructive replies (i will take the suggestion that i fly business or first under advisement...).

as for cabin crew, only singapore has people who are consistently nice and friendly--the worst i've encountered were on lufthansa. but i don't need hyperattentive flight-staff; clean toilets and no roaches is important though --i am not a fan of the dirty toilet; may be willing to pay $100 more to be sure to get one that is clean.

will have to think about it and weigh all options. but if more people have experiences they're willing to share do please post.

williaam

Just flew on Air India a little over a month ago. I too had heard numerous horror stories as was kind of concerned. To my surprise, however, everythnig was great. Granted two of our flights were delayed for 2-4 hours but I don't really hold the airline responsible for that, everytime I fly no mater what airline there always seems to be delays. My biggest complaint, which I am sure is someone else's biggest praise, was that they hold the plane for late arriving passengers. After we boarded the plane we had to sit there for an additional 2 hours while they waited for the late arrivals to board. I travel with patience but this was odd for me, I always thought if you weren't there too bad. Once again though, we arrived at the airport nearly three hours before departure and just caught the plane due to the long, slow moving line. So give yourself plenty of time when checking in.

One more thing, try and request an aisle seat if you are interested in watching the movies. It is nearly impossible to see the subtitles on the screen if you sit anywhere else.

From my experience Air India was great. All airlines have their quirks but their's were nothing more than I anythnig I have experienced.

Merchant

Air India is as good as any other airline. I've flown it many times. The only consideration I can offer is that since it caters primarily to Indians there tend to be lots of children on the flight. This may or may not be a good thing, depending on your point of view.