Air India J DEL-SYD - Quick Trip to India

[somebol]

Ah yes, no pyjamas or mattresses. But the seat is really comfortable for both lounging & sleeping. We were travelling with our 9 month old son, so slept in turns. I managed two rounds of 3hr uninterrupted sleep.

 

[Mattg]

Interesting trip report, thanks for posting. I would hate to think what this trip might be like in Y!

 

[Sprucegoose]

Great trip report but disappointing that AI can't seem to modernise their service to match their equipment. Almost soviet bloc style.


I will be CX all the way for me...l

 

[cmon0005]

Good Trip report, and thanks for being the AFF guinea pig for AI's 787 service, your report just reinforces why I never want to fly AI if I can help it. Just the colour of the seats is off-putting enough!

 

[SeatBackForward]

Thanks for the TR. Sorry it turned out to be cough on AI, at least they're consistent at that.

 

[haydensydney]

Thanks for sharing... not the best show from AI. Don't think i'll be itching to fly them anytime soon!

 

[PineappleSkip]

So would I fly AI J again? To put it simply NO.

My own recent experience of AI. Forgive me borrowing your thread; my experience is in a similar 'never fly AI' vein.

Booked on AI for 5 Aug flight KBL-DEL, connecting flight 6 hrs later on CX. 2 August I get this email

Please note flight AI 244 of 5th Aug'13 has been cancelled, you may travel on 6th Aug'13 with the same ticket. Your booking has been changed from 5th to 6th Aug'13.

:shock::evil:

I ring up (several times over the next couple of days) and email back to get them to cancel this sector. Rebook on RQ. At least I get J for not much more than AI Y, although my stopover now 12 hours. Never confident that they have actually cancelled, although I get all sorts of assurances, including advice to cancel after the return flight.

Return flight AI 243 DEL-KBL, CX kindly checked my bags through from preceding BNE-HKG-DEL sectors. Try web check in at HKG. Error, no flight. Check timetable, flight has disappeared. No advice from AI at all.

:shock::evil:

Too late to uncheck through luggage I am advised at the Pier lounge at HKG. However CX kindly met me at the airbridge at the DEL end and sorted this for me. CX are everything AI is not.

More unhelpful phone calls in the middle of the night and next morning. Go to DEL airport, buy single ticket on RQ again at their check in counter. RQ advise I need to go to counter near checkin row 8. Long wait at that counter and AI send me to supervisor at Row 5 (I think it was). Another wait, row 5 supervisor sends me back again. This time I refuse to leave without cancelling and getting the all important stamp of cancellation.

Can't say I hadn't been warned. They are scheduled to fly DEL-KBL-DEL 6 days per week, but they constantly cancel, which means they are constantly avoided. They constantly cancel without notifying PAX - my advance warning on the flight out was unusual - so you usually find out at the airport. And of course they are the last flight of the day on the KBL-DEL sector so you are left high and dry. On the week that I returned, the online schedule showed 3/6 flights. Not sure they all took off.

Naturally, based on my 0/2 flights experience I will steadfastly avoid ever flying AI. Can't say 'never again' because I never actually got on a flight.

A redundant call, but I would of course strongly advise everyone else to avoid them like the plague.

Couple of pics below of RQ J seating - plenty of availability as you can see - and RQ's J meals. they make no pretence of anything better than Y, because their J meals are identical to Y. What me worry, the fare was only $120 more than a Y fare, not bad for a last minute purchase. And RQ do honour their schedule...

Cheers skip

 

[anat0l]

I know that all of the Indian carriers are in some depth of trouble (some more than others), but it behooves one to think of how a government funded airline can do so poorly and yet be sustained so well....

Maybe it's just a Western society thing. Maybe Indians are much more indifferent about all of this, let alone other cultures of nations which are served by the network of AI.