Review: Air India Business Class Airbus A350 (LHR-DEL)

For the next portion of my Iceland to The Residence via Cambodia trip, it was time to fly Air India’s Airbus A350-900 business class on the 9hr10min flight from London (LHR) to Delhi (DEL).

I can’t even say how excited I was about this flight — Air India has obviously been trying to reinvent itself since being privatized several years ago, but it has been a very slow process. My long haul flight was operated by one of the carrier’s new A350s, which the airline is very proud of. I was familiar with the hard product (since I had flown it on Turkish Airlines), but I was curious about the soft product, given all the investments that Air India is making.

So I’m happy to report that this was a really stellar flight, and Air India sure has come a long way when it comes to amenities, food, drinks, and service, all of which I thought were excellent. If Air India could consistently deliver at this level, then I think the Gulf carriers should be worried, because there’s no reason for Indian travelers to connect in terms of product quality.

How I booked my Air India business class ticket

I booked my Air India business class ticket using Air Canada Aeroplan points, as part of a larger itinerary. Specifically, I booked the following for 80,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points plus $398.23 in taxes & fees:

10/31 AI112 London to Delhi departing 1:00PM arriving 4:00AM (+1 day)
11/01 AI2384 Delhi to Kuala Lumpur departing 12:55PM arriving 9:10PM

Unfortunately the cash component was so expensive because of the steep UK Air Passenger Duty. That’s because this ticket was technically originating in the UK, even though I had only arrived from Iceland a few hours earlier, in Icelandair’s A321LR Saga Class. However, since these were separate tickets, I was on the hook for that expense.

Air India business class lounge & boarding

Air India operates out of Terminal 2 at London Heathrow. While the airline doesn’t have a dedicated lounge, you’re spoiled for choice in terms of which lounges you can use. In line with Star Alliance lounge access policies, you can use the Air Canada, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, or United lounges, all of which are quite good.

I won’t be reviewing any of those lounges this time around since my layover was fairly short. My flight was delayed a little bit in advance — due to avoiding Pakistani airspace, the inbound flight took longer than scheduled. So while departure was initially scheduled for 1PM, it was delayed by a little over an hour, until 2:05PM.

At around 12:30PM, I watched the inbound aircraft arrive, as I’d be flying on the two-year old A350 with the registration code VT-JRE. This was my first time seeing Air India’s new livery in person, and I’m a fan! Okay, it’s not the most original livery on earth, but I think it’s a massive improvement over the old one, and feels a lot more modern.

My flight was departing from gate B36, and boarding ended up starting at 1:30PM, with wheelchair passengers and business class customers being invited to board first.

Air India A350 business class cabin & seats

I boarded through the forward left door, where I was greeted by the exceptionally friendly crew, and pointed right into business class.

Let me start by saying that while this is an excellent product and beautiful cabin, it wasn’t actually designed for Air India. That’s because this A350 was initially intended for Aeroflot, but due to sanctions, Aeroflot couldn’t take delivery of several of these planes. So you’ll find some of these flying for Turkish Airlines, and you’ll also find half a dozen of these flying for Air India.

With that out of the way, Air India’s A350 business class cabin consists of 28 seats, taking up the entire space between the first and second set of doors. The cabin is spread across seven rows, in a 1-2-1, staggered layout. For those keeping track, this is the Collins Aerospace Horizon product, and so far you’ll only find these seats on the A350s that were intended for Aeroflot (and the airlines flying them now).

The first thing that stands out about the cabin is how open it feels, due to the lack of overhead bins in the center section. I know this is controversial, since it’s a tradeoff between more overhead bin space and a more open-feeling cabin.

The configuration varies based on which row you’re in. In odd numbered rows, the center seats are in a “honeymoon” configuration, meaning the seats are close to one another and far from the aisle, which is ideal for couples or families traveling together. Don’t worry, even if you’re traveling alone, there’s a partition that can be raised for full privacy.

Meanwhile in even numbered rows, the center seats are closer to the aisle and far apart. Those would be my last choice seats, since you don’t have the benefit of sitting right next to a travel companion, and also aren’t by a window.

Now let’s take a look at window seats. The seats in odd numbered rows are closer to the aisle and farther from the windows, so these would my less preferred window seats, given the option.

Meanwhile the window seats in even numbered rows are the best seats in the house, as far as I’m concerned. That’s because they offer privacy and separation from the aisle, and it’s easy to look out the window.

I assigned myself seat 6A, the window seat on the left side in the second to last row.

When it comes to seat features, there’s a console on the aisle-side of the seat, where you can place things during the flight.

To the side of the console you’ll find the seat controls, plus an entertainment controller that can be removed and held in hand (though it’s not really necessary, given that the monitor is touchscreen).

In this area you’ll also find an enclosed storage area with a mirror, a shelf, and a hook on which you can hang headphones.

The headphone jack and power outlets are located immediately underneath the storage compartment. Charging options include both AC and USB-A, though there are no USB-C outlets, unfortunately.

There’s an additional enclosed storage area underneath the side console, which is maybe big enough for a pair of shoes, or some charging cords.

Across from that is a closet of sorts. The catch is that it’s really not deep at all, to the point that you’d be hard pressed to even hang a coat in there.

The tray table in these seats folds out from underneath the entertainment screen, and is stored at an angle. So it’s easy to move back and forth, and as a result, it’s also possible to get up during the meal service by simply pushing it forward a bit.

The tray table is immediately above the footwell, which is a good size.

This product also has a door, which can easily be opened and closed during the flight.

There are two other nice things about the product worth pointing out. For one, there are individual air nozzles, which I’m always delighted to see, given how much they can help with not feeling warm while trying to sleep.

Next, I also find it elegant how rather than the typical manual window shades, the cabin has ones that go down automatically — if you push it once, you get shades, and if you push it twice, you get blinds.

All-in-all, I find this to be an excellent hard product, and I rank this as being among the 10 best business class seats out there. Suffice it to say that this is in a completely different league than Air India’s old business class!

Air India A350 business class entertainment & Wi-Fi

Air India’s A350 business class boasts a high definition 21″ seat back monitor, so that’s plenty large! I found the system to be easy to use, with an extensive selection of movies, TV shows, audio, games, and more.

Due to the way that content is organized, I couldn’t count exactly how many options there were, but they were in the hundreds. While I wouldn’t put Air India’s entertainment selection in the top tier among global airlines, travelers should have no issues staying entertained for the entire flight.

As an aviation geek, of course my favorite features were twofold — the tail camera, and the customizable map feature, allowing me to keep track of the progress of the flight.

Air India’s A350s also boast Wi-Fi, in partnership with Panasonic. Impressively, Wi-Fi was free for all passengers. I believe this was marketed as a limited time thing, but it has stuck around since, so that’s very nice!

Connecting was easy enough, and just required entering the confirmation code or ticket number, last name, email address, and phone number. Speeds were excellent as well, which I wouldn’t have expected.

Air India business class amenities

Air India sure has invested in its business class soft product, and that’s most evident in terms of the number of amenities offered.

Waiting at each seat upon boarding was an impressive selection of bedding, Including a thick pillow, a duvet, a mattress pad, and a day blanket. Not only were they all super comfortable, but I also loved the design, reflecting both Air India and the country of India as such.

The menu and drink list for the flight were also waiting at the seat — Air India sure has its branding down!

During boarding, the crew came through the cabin to offer pre-departure drinks, with the choice of apple juice, orange juice, or champagne (Laurent-Perrier was on offer!). While we’re at it, I should also mention that the incredible cabin manager came by each business class seat to welcome everyone onboard, familiarize them with the seat, and to tell them to call on the crew if they need anything.

A short while later, warm towels were distributed.

After that, colorful amenity kits were handed out, which even came in a pouch with a Maharaja keychain.

The amenity kit contained eyeshades, socks, earplugs, a dental kit, and some products from Ferragamo, including hand cream, body lotion, and lip balm.

Pajamas were then passed out. While I found them to be comfortable, they didn’t feel particularly high quality to me. I believe some time back, Air India had a partnership with Tumi for pajamas, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore (I always found that to be a bit odd — while Tumi is a respected brand, it’s not exactly known for pajamas!).

Some flimsy slippers were also passed out, ideal for being able to visit the lavatory without having to put on shoes.

Passengers were also offered headphones, which were good quality, and came in an Air India branded bag.

Last and least, bottled water was offered.

Honestly, not a bad selection, eh?

Air India A350 departure from London Heathrow

The whole boarding process took quite some time, given that the flight was packed. I didn’t mind, since there wasn’t much commotion in business class, and I also sort of dig Air India’s boarding music.

Boarding wrapped up by 2:10PM, at which point the captain made his welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our flight time of 9hr10min, and our cruising altitude of 39,000 feet. At 2:15PM the main cabin door closed, and the very fun safety video was screened. Air India is really doing a phenomenal job embracing its roots, and every aspect of the experience features an element of Indian culture, which I appreciate.

At 2:25PM we began our pushback, and five minutes after that, we started taxiing.

We had a rather short taxi out to runway 27R, and then got in the brief takeoff queue.

At 2:40PM we were cleared for takeoff, and rocketed into the sky.

We made a turn to the south shortly after takeoff, which made for some great views of the airport (of course with the beautiful A350 engine and Air India branded wingtips).

We had a smooth climb out, and the seatbelt sign was turned off just five minutes after takeoff. I took note of how the after takeoff announcement script included mention of how passengers should use waste bins to dispose of waste when in the lavatories. It’s really sad that has to be said, but…

Air India business class lunch service

On this awkwardly timed flight, the main meal was served after takeoff, and then a snack was served before landing. You can find the main meal (lunch) menu below.

You can find the drink list below, including wine, spirits, soft drinks, and more.

The crew came around to take meal orders after takeoff, and also kindly checked in with each passenger to explain that Wi-Fi is complimentary, and to ask if they need help connecting.

Service was a bit slow to get started, but that didn’t really bother me, given the early afternoon departure time. The first round of drinks was served around an hour after takeoff — I opted for another glass of champagne, and it was served with some mixed nuts.

Around 80 minutes after takeoff, starters were served. Of the two choices, I opted for the spiced watermelon with whipped feta and honey, barley, grapefruit, mint salad, and olive tapenade. While there was a lot going on with the dish, it was excellent, very spicy, and nicely presented.

The only disappointment was the bread roll — there was no choice, it was hard, and it should’ve been warmer, so this seems super mismatched for an Indian meal.

There was then a brief pause between courses, and around 20 minutes after the starter was cleared, the main course was served. One thing I noticed is that there was only one set of cutlery for each passenger for the entire meal, so the dirty fork and knife from the appetizer were placed back on the tray. It seems like that should be replaced, if they’re going for more of a restaurant style dining experience.

Of the four main courses options, I chose the malai paneer kofta, described as Indian cottage cheese dumplings simmered in a rich sauce, served with rice pulao, mixed spiced vegetables, tempered yellow lentils, cucumber, and mint yogurt raita. I love basically all Indian vegetarian food, and this was very good.

Once main courses were cleared, a selection of desserts were offered, with the menu consisting of two sweet dishes, a cheese plate, and a fruit plate.

I asked for the rajbhog with rabdi, described as Indian fresh cheese dumpling served on a bed of cardamom flavored reduced milk, and I also had a cheese plate (for the picture, mainly, as I was stuffed!).

To finish off the meal, I had a cup of chamomile tea, served in an adorable maharaja mug.

Despite a couple of minor shortcomings (lack of cutlery change and stale, cold bread), I thought this was a stellar meal. Admittedly I love Indian food, and I also think it makes for great airplane food, given how well it reheats.

Air India A350 business class lavatories & bar

At the conclusion of the meal, the crew set up a little bar display in the galley behind business class. While not quite the Emirates A380 bar, it’s a nice setup, at least visually. I’m not sure how functional this is, since I can’t imagine the airline wants people pouring themselves straight liquor, as that seems like it might not end well, so perhaps the intent is that the crew helps. Either way, there are also some packaged snacks that passengers can grab.

When it comes to lavatories, there are two of them at the front of the cabin, located in front of row one, with one lavatory on each side. The lavatories are pretty basic, and don’t have any special amenities.

I was pleased to see that they stayed reasonably clean throughout the flight. It would be nice if they added some premium amenities, to differentiate it a bit from economy, though.

Air India A350 business class bed

With around 6hr20min remaining to Delhi, I reclined my seat into bed mode, and tried to get some rest. I found the bed to be comfortable, thanks to the fairly spacious footwell, privacy door, and good amount of personal space. I will say, the seat doesn’t feel particularly wide if you’re a side sleeper. I’m not saying it’s tight, but it’s just not overly spacious.

While sleeping conditions were quite good, I just wasn’t all that tired, unfortunately, given the early departure. So I tried to rest for a bit, and probably actually slept for maybe an hour. I then tossed and turned, and with around four hours remaining to Delhi, while approaching Kuwait, I decided to just get up. After all, I had a transit hotel booked during my long layover in Delhi, so I figured I could sleep then.

As a light airplane sleeper, one thing I noticed that I found kind of frustrating is how loud and long the announcements were when the seatbelt sign would go on. Unless you have earplugs in, expect that they’ll wake you up (and personally I don’t like earplugs because I sleep with a very loud white noise machine at home).

Within minutes of waking up, a crew member was at my seat to offer me a drink. I wanted a coffee — since Air India only has powdered cappuccino and no espresso, I ended up just ordering a drip coffee, which was served to me with some tasty cookies.

Air India business class pre-landing meal

Around three hours before arriving in Delhi, while flying over the UAE, all of the cabin lights were turned on for the pre-landing meal. With a scheduled 4AM arrival, I really can’t make sense of why the service is offered so long before landing, and also, why all the lights are turned on, rather than just serving it to those who happen to be awake. I of course didn’t mind, since I was awake anyway.

Below you can find the menu for the pre-arrival meal.

The pre-landing meal was more of a midnight snack than a breakfast in terms of the type of food. Essentially you could choose from two sandwiches — a vegetarian and non-vegetarian option — and then those are accompanied by several sides.

I opted for the chicken shawarma and tahini sandwich, which was served with curried couscous and cauliflower, fish cakes, cauliflower fritters, and sweet potato and chickpea falafel. Then there was a dessert consisting of saffron phirni with gulab jamun.

I definitely preferred the first meal, but I still enjoyed this.

Air India business class service

I give very high marks to the excellent crew on this Air India flight. I had a nice chat with the cabin manager, who was ex-Vistara, and had been at the airline for 10 years.

There were four flights attendants working business class, and they were all friendly, and really seemed to take pride in Air India and the company’s turnaround.

Obviously Air India’s transformation has been really slow, but I think one thing the airline really has going for it is how invested employees are in the company’s success, and how delighted they are by the improvements that are happening. They’re a huge asset to the company.

Air India A350 arrival in Delhi

After the meal service was done, there were still around two hours remaining to Delhi, so I got some work done on my laptop. It’s quite interesting how roundabout eastbound routings to India are nowadays, due to the Pakistan airspace situation.

Before I knew it, we were starting our descent. 30 minutes out, the captain was the on PA to give us updated arrival information, and at the same time, the crew was asked to prepare the cabin for landing. The seatbelt sign was turned on around 15 minutes out.

We ended up touching down in Delhi at around 5:15AM, on a somewhat foggy morning. These tail cameras never get old!

From there, we had a roughly 10-minute taxi to our arrival gate…

…where we pulled in at around 5:25AM, 85 minutes behind schedule.

From there I headed to the airside Holiday Inn Express Delhi Airport T3 for my extended layover, prior to connecting to Air India’s A320neo business class to Kuala Lumpur.

Bottom line

I finally had the chance to fly Air India’s new A350 business class, and it didn’t disappoint. Talk about a world of difference compared to Air India’s old product.

This flight had lovely seats, good entertainment, free Wi-Fi, endless amenities, very good food and drinks, and friendly service. For flights like this, Air India has gone from an airline worth avoiding, to an airline that’s actually quite competitive with the best of them.

I will note, there were some minor areas for improvements, but they’re small in the scheme of things. We’re talking things like not changing cutlery between courses, not having espresso, very loud seatbelt sign announcements, and a pre-landing meal that’s served illogically early.

All-in-all, I was very impressed by Air India, and I’d gladly fly with the airline again, and look forward to seeing the continued evolution.

What’s your take on Air India’s A350 business class?