Air India

Minnesota

I flew Air India to / from LAX about a year ago. They were more or less on time taking off at both ends, the food was acceptable, and the service was ok (not perfect, but no worse than I've experienced, say, on Lufthansa or United or...). I'd heard horror stories and was a bit nervous, but our flights were smooth.

On the other hand, the plane did not seem well-maintained and many small things were broken.

I'd fly Air India again, if they happened to be the cheapest (again).

capt_mahajan

I have flown Air India maybe 30/40 times, and will not think twice before flying with them again.

Agreed, their service is not the best, but I have witnessed worse in many other more reputed airlines.

Agreed, their punctuality record may not be too good.

Agree with goancanuck on the 'flying coffin' statement.

sejjoe

We flew Air India from Delhi to LA. IT was a good thing that we came from India and that we were used to not-so-clean transportation! The pillows had blood stains on them, and the seats were slashed with the stuffing coming out. Better yet, all the sound system controls on each seat were falling out. We discovered that Air India had bought their jet from Air Canada because all the signs were written in french and english. I guess Air India gets all the throw-away jets!

But on a more positive side, you get plenty of food fit for a king. And since the quality of the aircraft is so bad, no one flies Air India so you get a whole row to yourself!

crvlvr

I recently go the best of both worlds. A cheap Air India fare and great flight on Malaysian and Singapore. A lot of the Air India tickets are "code share" tickets. Which means you recieve an Air India ticket but you fly on the code share partner's flight. Here is a list of Air India's code share partners http://www.airindia.com/page.asp?pageid=145

kumaran

Air india or Indian are not so bad as made out to be . I fly them quite a few times within and out of India . Food is palatable and infact better than many reputed carriers , flights on time most of the time and delays are not unusual with airlines ofcourse with some exceptions .

invidious

I've only flown it once from BOM to CDG, paris. No complaints with the aircraft or the landing/take-off and flight. But the in-flight service was just about adequate. They need a customer service course. Air India has 22 unions within it and the employees act as if they doing you a favor. Would never be first choice. I'd take it over Air Malawi, Biman or PIA though - which is not saying much.

ISN

Might as well swim to your destination...
Aug 12 '07

Pros
Not dying, free alcohol to numb your senses

Cons
B.O., Ghetto plane with duct tape, incompetent staff, Homemade movies, ICE CHUNKS!

The Bottom Line
Are you kidding me? The words Air India and recommend should never appear in the same sentence.


Full Review
What I can't understand is how this company is still functioning. It was by far the worst airline experience I have ever had. Not only that, good luck ever telling anyone in customer service about your complaint. NO WILL EVER ANSWER THE PHONE! I've been trying for the past month and a half to talk to the airport manager in Chicago and he's never there and won't return one of my numerous calls or faxes. I've filed a claim with the Better Business Bureau and even they haven't gotten through to them. Ridiculous.

For us, we were denied boarding when a connecting flight of ours was late getting into New York. Although it was 40 minutes until the plane actually took off and we had physical tickets in our hand, we were denied boarding and forced to stay in New York for 24 hours. We were not allowed to get our bags, because they were supposedly locked up and "no one" had the key to get them. We were not offered another flight nor a hotel room. We missed a continuing flight in London and had to pay 500 bucks to book another one at the last minute to Athens.

On our flight back, we were delayed 2 hours because we were, and get this, waiting for other passengers to get through immigration!!!! Wouldn't wait for us on the way there, but we waited for those in immigration. Then not to mention while we were waiting, ice chunks were falling from the ceiling on my wife and the back of her chair. After one big chunk hit her in the head, by this time her seat and back were soaked, I stood up and asked what the heck was going on. The stewardess said, and I quote, "IT MUST BE HAILING OUTSIDE." Handed us a few paper towels and left.

I know everyone has had a bad experience with Air India and it's time to join together.

I've created a website with the sole purpose of stopping innocent people from flying with Air India. Post your stories and spread the word.

http://www.freewebs.com/airindiasucks/

Recommended:
No


Checkout more review

http://www.epinions.com/trvl-Airline...ific-Air_India

http://www.mouthshut.com/product-rev...925004441.html

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/airline/air-india/reviews/

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Indian Students Network http://www.IndianStudentsNetwork.com

crvlvr

A questions for everyone who think Air India is OK or better.. Have you ever flown in a 5 star rated airline like Singapore Airlines? People experiences with airlines are relative. A first time flyer might think Air India is great. Air India might even be ok compared to American doemstic airline standards.

But, it is far far worse than the best airlines out there. apparently it used to be one of the best airlines in thw world when it started out and was privately held. Then the Indian govt took over. The rest, as they say, is history.

Minnesota

I think most people who take Air India do so because it's cheap. Obviously, if money is no object, then one can pick the "best" airline, with Jeeves-like service and the shiniest planes. But when you need to save money, that's not always possible.

I've flown a lot of different airlines on long haul flights. No five-star companies, but a number of four-stars.

Air India was comfortable enough and virtually on time, and the service I experienced much better, than on, say, Lufthansa (not a US airline, mind you, and a four-star ranking).

Lots of folks have horror stories with AI, but my experience was pretty dang good -- especially considering the price.

vpsingh

I have flown twice with Air India on Delhi-London route. Fortunately I have had no problem with the flight or their service. Infact, I got great deal on fares and food was brilliant (much better than Swiss International atleast). However on both of my trips fellow passengers were a nuisance. They were carrying huge bags as hand-bags. I am certain each one of them weighed more than 15kgs and like all Indians they talked a lot. On the other hand this is good for those who have loads of baggage, Air India seems to be quite lenient on this aspect.

__________________
Don't follow the herd, grass is already eaten!!

invidious

A friend is a pilot in Air India and usually upgrades me to first-class. I asked why he continues working for an airline which is so ill-reputed. His prompt reply was "job security". No one can fire him; if he can't fly because of an accident the airline must pay him full wages till the age of 60. The perks apparently are too good. To be honest, I have flown British Airways once and the service was far more horrendous than Air India. Delta too has absolutely no sense of customer service. Within India, I recommend Kingfisher - it is excellent. They will be flying international soon. Within USA, I found JetBlue to be the best and among the European Airlines - I found the now defunct SwissAir (Swiss now) and Air France to be the best. My worst experience so far has been Cathay for a LAX to Bombay flight with stops in Hong Kong and Bangkok. In the economy, there was one armrest for 2 people - for a freaking 15 hour flight. It was the most uncomfortable flight ever. Air India for all its woes, is slightly better than many other carriers.

capt_mahajan

Let me list the carriers I remember having flown which I would put in the same league or worse than Air India as far as general service and punctuality was concerned.

Swiss (not Swissair but its present avatar)
Silk Air (amazing how different this was from Singapore Airlines, its parent)
Korean Air
Kenya Airways
Aeroflot
Alitalia
Varig
Saudi Arabian airlines
Air China
Yemen Airways
A two seater aircraft which flow me to Townsville in Australia

I have probably missed a few, including one in Venezuela who's name I can't remember.

I have not included food here, to my Indian tastebuds Air India's meals are better than most, with the possible exception of Singapore Airlines and Emirates and maybe a few others.

ISN

“No one can fire him”; that is one of the foundations for bad service, no airline can have 100 percent service record, but ratings are based on how many customers are happy. Looks like you don’t understand the meaning of ranking.

WORLD AIRLINE STAR RANKING

http://www.airlinequality.com/StarRanking/ranking.htm

http://www.jdpower.com/travel/rating...ines/index.asp

http://www.aqr.aero/aqrreports/AQR2007full.pdf

ISN

Air Traffic Controllers Honored for Skill in the Tower

When things go wrong in an airplane cockpit, a few words from an air traffic controller can save the day.

On a clear day last July, Scott Dittamo was training at the Newark Tower when he spotted an Air India flight with 409 passengers on board making its final approach. But something didn't look right. The Boeing 747's landing gear was still up as the plane was a half-mile from landing.

"Air India 145 heavy, check gear down, gear appears up," Dittamo radioed the plane. Colleagues quickly congratulated him on the "great catch."

Michele Norris talks to Dittamo and Ken Hopf, who are among the 12 controllers being honored today for helping prevent tragedies in the nation's skies.

They will receive the National Air Traffic Controllers Association's Archie League Medal of Safety for extraordinary vigilance and skill on the job. The medal is named for the man who is widely believed to be the world's first air traffic controller.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=4654062

capt_mahajan

83 people died in this Singapore Airlines crash.

A '5 star' airline, btw.


http://www.airlinesafety.com/editori...ngapore006.htm

My point? Nothing really, I thought we were just swapping sensationalist stories about airlines.