Air India is currently undergoing a massive transformation, as the airline has been privatized, and billions of dollars are being invested into improving the operation. The goals are impressive, from taking delivery of hundreds of new jets, to overhauling aircraft cabins.
As you’d expect, an airline won’t magically change overnight, though the hope is that some number of years down the road, the airline will be totally recognizable. Unfortunately the current experience that many Air India passengers are getting leaves a lot to be desired, so here’s the latest example of that…
In this post:
Air India’s “worst first class” goes viral on Instagram
An Instagram user with nearly 200K followers took to the platform to share his recent experience flying Air India first class, on the 15-hour flight from Chicago (ORD) to Delhi (DEL). He claims this ticket cost either $6,300 or 250,000 miles (and it’s not clear how he paid).
The video is narrated, and contains lots of “evidence” of the issues. Here’s the caption of the video, which gives you a sense of the problems:
I recently endured a 15-hour non-stop flight from Chicago to Delhi, and it was far from pleasant. I had heard negative things about Air India in the past, but I was hoping the recent changes under new management would improve the experience — unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. There was no Wi-Fi, and the in-flight entertainment was down for the entire flight. First class was in poor condition — unclean, with leftover food and trash still in the cabin, and everything looked worn out or broken. It was a pretty frustrating experience overall. Be aware if you’re flying with them.
You can see the video for yourself below, and it does indeed look pretty awful, if you ask me. The cabin is largely being held together by tape, the entertainment system is broken, many of the food options aren’t available because they catered just one per cabin, and the cabin just looks downright filthy.
As a follow up, the traveler claims that Air India refunded his ticket cost, after seeing the post on social media. Of course I suspect the average traveler wouldn’t get that type of treatment, and rather this is due to the amount of attention that this story received, plus the number of followers he has.
This is what concerns me about Air India’s changes
I’ve given Air India a lot of praise for the changes that it’s making, and have also acknowledged that we need to be patient, because an airline can’t totally transform overnight.
However, regardless of how old cabins are, one thing you can immediately do is to try to improve the condition of cabins, and maintain them as well as possible. This includes fixing things that are broken, and also maintaining cabin cleanliness. Even with old cabins, there’s nothing stopping Air India from trying to keep its cabins looking as presentable as possible.
Based on the reports I’ve heard, even some of Air India’s brand new Airbus A350s are already showing a lot of wear and tear, with the airline not doing much to maintain them.
I do hope something good comes of the bad publicity Air India is getting for this, and that the airline commits to doing a better job maintaining its cabins. Because while you can’t install new cabins on all planes overnight, you can start to maintain them better.
Bottom line
Air India is getting some negative attention for the sad state of its aircraft cabins, especially those used on routes to the United States. Air India’s 777 first class might just be the worst first class product in the world. While I can’t fault Air India for having older interiors (since the airline has a plan to update them), the lack of basic maintenance is inexcusable, in my opinion.
What do you make of this Air India “nightmare” first class flight?
The state of AI is such a shame. Travel to India and you can stay in some amazing hotels with some of the best service you'll find anywhere. Great hospitality standards very much exist in India and the airline would be a perfect way to showcase this - even if it means higher fares.
It's also embarassing as someone of Indian origin to see a few Indians in the comments get defensive about this....
The state of AI is such a shame. Travel to India and you can stay in some amazing hotels with some of the best service you'll find anywhere. Great hospitality standards very much exist in India and the airline would be a perfect way to showcase this - even if it means higher fares.
It's also embarassing as someone of Indian origin to see a few Indians in the comments get defensive about this. Air India is an embarassment and until and unless Tata changes this it should be referred to in this way. They're the usual type who act like any criticism of anything India related is some sort of victimhood.
Hope was the "professional" Tata Management vs the government/public sector style would result in upleveling of the experience. Unfortunately, equipment issues can't be mitigated by simply changing ownership, but basic amenities and civic responsibilities should be. Disappointing. Since there is lack of competitive pressure on AI due to the Russian airspace being closed for US carriers, they can cock a snoop and get away without any commercial impact.
Here's what I don't get: how are airlines so far apart on the cleanliness bit? The flight in question departed from ORD, so I assume it used an outsourced cleaning crew, not AI's own cleaning staff. How can that crew do such a bad job on an AI plane, but perfectly fine on all the other flights that depart ORD that they also clean?
I trust this random flyer's review more than anything Josh Cahill puts out.
I flew Air India business class in March of this year using Turkish miles before devaluation from JFK-BOM on B777-200 (Delta suite) and DEL-JFK on 700-300 (Etihad retrofit) and the experience was night and day in terms of both hard and soft products. From JFK-BOM it was the new Tata experience with delicious food, comfort and customer service however the return flight was the old Air India experience. I know The transition will take a...
I flew Air India business class in March of this year using Turkish miles before devaluation from JFK-BOM on B777-200 (Delta suite) and DEL-JFK on 700-300 (Etihad retrofit) and the experience was night and day in terms of both hard and soft products. From JFK-BOM it was the new Tata experience with delicious food, comfort and customer service however the return flight was the old Air India experience. I know The transition will take a few years and until then the experience is going to be a hit or a miss.
The only think Mohan got going for him is that he isn’t pre-emptively blaming Boeing
Planning on SFO -DEL round triip in first in February. I have read that this route will be on purchased Delta One planes. Hopefully for the best.
It’s the non stop piece that gets everyone as Indians are likely to be treated very poorly at any intermediate airport especially if there are issues. Non stops out of SFO into BLR, DEL and BOM are generally at a premium when compared to the one stoppers. And if you are vegetarian AI certainly understands that.
I hear AI contemplating on stops into MAA and HYD which no doubt will also sell at a...
It’s the non stop piece that gets everyone as Indians are likely to be treated very poorly at any intermediate airport especially if there are issues. Non stops out of SFO into BLR, DEL and BOM are generally at a premium when compared to the one stoppers. And if you are vegetarian AI certainly understands that.
I hear AI contemplating on stops into MAA and HYD which no doubt will also sell at a premium should that come to Pass
Still I would recommend either the Asian carriers or the ME3 flying into India for the foreseeable future
Imagine the inside of the plane looking like that i wonder how the plane is even maintained... I will have so much anxiety flying them
I get air India has a poor product but endured? Come on! You flew on a commercial airplane for 15 hours with your own personal flat bed seat. That’s better than most people will ever experience in their life. Get a grip.
This is a story about a poor first class experience, not about "most people" and what they may or may not ever experience.
Now come back and comment from that perspective.
And he paid much more than what most people will pay for an airline ticket, so yes, he does deserve, at minimum, a reasonably hygienic seat.
First class is supposed to be the very highest level of comfort and customer service that an airline can provide. This appears to be Air India's current limit. Providing a clean, well-maintained cabin, working inflight entertainment, and enough catering for every paying passenger to eat and drink what they want is the bare minimum anyone should expect in premium economy, let alone first class.
Indians do not pay $6300.00 for airline Tickets period!
You are underestimating Indian spending power? It has some of the highest amounts of billionaires and UHNWI outside of US. At the same time, a lot of cities in US that are connected to India are travelled by pax with high pay. You are forgetting SFO, NYC and ORD are full of high income Indians working in tech and upper managements
Lol the person who bought the ticket also has a 10k Louis Vuitton suit he wore I'm sure Indians also don't "pay" $10k for a suit.
The 10K suit is from Thailand (Fake), Indians are some of their biggest customers.
Paid by Tech Companies or miles!
When you say based on reports you’ve heard, why don’t you link or share them? Your style of reporting seems to just add fuel to what can only be considered as rumours!
You talk as though the American carriers run spectacular aircrafts! At least Indian aircrafts don’t drop parts off while flying and you’re talking so much about maintenance!
You acknowledge that change isn’t an overnight occurrence especially for a legacy carrier like...
When you say based on reports you’ve heard, why don’t you link or share them? Your style of reporting seems to just add fuel to what can only be considered as rumours!
You talk as though the American carriers run spectacular aircrafts! At least Indian aircrafts don’t drop parts off while flying and you’re talking so much about maintenance!
You acknowledge that change isn’t an overnight occurrence especially for a legacy carrier like AI that has suffered for a long time at the hands bad government management.
Write better!
"You talk as though the American carriers run spectacular aircrafts!"
Tell us this is your first visit to OMAAT without telling us this is your first visit to OMAAT. :rolleyes:
This are ignorant comments and articles are mind boggling. Specially on a travel site. Its well known that Air India was a mismanaged Government airline. Its also well known that they were taken over by private ownership a few years back. Air India's new management has already stated that they are going to spend USD 400 million on refurbishing existing legacy aircraft.
But refurbishing aircraft in these times with supply chain disruptions takes time. They...
This are ignorant comments and articles are mind boggling. Specially on a travel site. Its well known that Air India was a mismanaged Government airline. Its also well known that they were taken over by private ownership a few years back. Air India's new management has already stated that they are going to spend USD 400 million on refurbishing existing legacy aircraft.
But refurbishing aircraft in these times with supply chain disruptions takes time. They cannot shut shop while that happens. So they have to operate legacy out of shape aircraft till then.
If you want a great experience on Air India try the A350s on the LHR and JFK route. Another option is the ex-DL 772LR's on the BOM-SFO, BLR-SFO and one flight on the DEL-SFO route.
I traveled on the BOM-LHR ex EY 773ER recently. And the experience was amongst the best in the world. Heck they even provided us with TUMI pajamas for a flight that happened entirely in daylight. But those pajamas were so welcome on a 9 plus hour flight even during the day. The service, the food, the TUMI amentiy kit, the drink options were all top notch.
@Manny - ignorant, really? Of course, it will take a long, a really long time to refurbish all of hundreds of Air India planes. But even considering that, the flight experience described is totally unjustifiable.
Dirty cabin - just clean the cabin after the flight. How would JAL and ANA keeping their planes spotlessly, even after flying the same route as Air India (Japan to India)?
IFE malfunction - there are airlines flying...
@Manny - ignorant, really? Of course, it will take a long, a really long time to refurbish all of hundreds of Air India planes. But even considering that, the flight experience described is totally unjustifiable.
Dirty cabin - just clean the cabin after the flight. How would JAL and ANA keeping their planes spotlessly, even after flying the same route as Air India (Japan to India)?
IFE malfunction - there are airlines flying a jet with an IFE system that is as old as AI original 777's, and they at least try to fix them after the problem has been reported.
It's no rocket science to conclude that this was nowhere close to being an appropriate intercontinental first class product. With this situation, I would hesitate to experience this exact product, even if it was sold for a price of economy class.
Don’t forget EK and EY with their dozens of daily flights to India and spotless cabins. AI has no excuse here to do basic cabin maintenance and service requirements
Dude it doesn't take 400million to get a cloth with soapy water to clean the seat.
I see a lax syd via del with AIr India for a good price in biz and unfortunately I will not take it given the awful reviews I have seen.
This explains why I see people paying for F on AA JFK-DEL
I flew Delhi to San Francisco in Air India first class back in December. Literally everything he is saying is spot on. It was absolutely awful for 15 hours.
I think you all know what I have to say about this
Dim Tunn?
I took AI F and the hard product and inflight experience is same pathetic but only thing overboard was 3 people escorting in transit at DEL and one attending me exclusively all 3-4 hours in lounge asking if I need anything else every 15 minutes
One of three lugged my carry on roller luggage and that was his only job.
This is not an issue with Air India, this is true with most transportation in India. People need to change. I hope AirIndia makes it premium cabins truly premium without selling cheap upgrades
Makes me think we should give some doubt over that Wells Fargo executive for his behavior.
He probably didn't intend target a fellow passenger.
He was probably so pissed with the flight he literally pissed.
Um it's an airline from India...is this really that shocking lol.
Exactly.
True lol
Internal Corporate Culture. The first step in solving a problem is admitting you have one. I suspect they've simply written off the older cabins and won't spend on their maintenance. but what will they do about staff culture? When I see negative coverage of Longhaul Premium Cabin AI flights, it's not just the ductape and broken IFE. I'm guessing the strategy is: new planes first, staff upheaval second. Or worse: no change in staff.
The company culture is simply a reflection of Indian culture as a whole. Cleanliness never seems to be front-of-mind, for some unknown reason.
I would really love to see India succeed in quashing this stereotype, but alas… it is what it is.
If it's that bad in F, how shabby is it in coach??
Incredible India...
Imagine.
https://i.insider.com/65ce39bda610a9069d59412d?width=600&format=jpeg&auto=webp