Air India

Can’t speak for the low reviews others have left but my experience with Air India was top notch. Nothing special but not bad either. I guess I am inspired by the unique approach they take to air travel. In flight Chicken Vindaloo, informal uniforms, Bollywood movies and other fun stuff. A flight is more like going to a pavilion at EPCOT Center than anything else. I felt like it was a cultural experience! Air India’s planes are old 747’s from the 1970’s or 80’s. That didn’t make me feel very confident, however the captain seemed very enthusiastic and professional. The entire flight crew’s attitude was very genuine and sincere, unlike ‘others’, like air NBP, um I mean BA and (Un)United Airways. I have to give Air India 4 stars because I feel like they made an effort to make the best out of very little. I had fun and genuinely enjoyed the flight.

Well, i was waiting for my 666^th review to write about the worst airline i have ever flown on, but i can’t wait any more … so number 66 it is.
The first experience.
I was drinking some whisky, and was about to ask for a second peg. The person next to me had finished his beer, and he asked for a second one. He was flatly refused. I was stunned. I preserved my dignity and did not bother asking them for anything else.
I was sufficiently «impressed» by Air India by this one experience and didn’t really want to fly with them again. But due to some extenuating circumstances, i needed to purchase a one way ticket from London to Bombay and no other airline would give me a decent quote. So i was back on this airline, on what was supposed to be a direct flight to Bombay.
The second experience.
When i reached the airport i found out that they had changed the route and had made it a 1 stop flight via Ahmedabad, significantly altering the ETA, without bothering to inform the passengers. Add to this the usual delays, and the guy seated next to me missed his domestic connection in India.
If you want to fly to India directly from the UK, take Jet or Virgin or Kingfisher … even BA if you are so inclined … but i strongly advice you to stay away from AI.

Air India often have the cheapest flights to Canada and the seats are roomy enough, often moreso than their competition, that is really where the positive stops.
Their website is useless and no-​one seems to answer the phones, so you’ll need to book through an aggregator site like Last Minute.
Their curry is dry and unpleasant (I thought so and I eat more curry than most Indians, the same feelings were expressed by the Indians sitting next to me). Take a sandwich!
Unless you are into Bollywood, or Indian TV, there is no in flight entertainment, so pack movies on to your IPhone!
Security is much tighter than with any other airline flying out of the UK. They take photocopies of your passport when you get on and you have double the number of security check. Great for safety, terrible for morale.
Then again, when I flew, the flight was half the price of Air Canada or BA.

I’m surprised I made it to London alive on an Air India flight. Our in-​flight meal was a botched curry that made me ill, our in-​flight entertainment was a VHS recording of Joey, followed by Air Bud and a 1970’s variety show in which people were playing flutes with their bellybuttons, most of the time out of focus and said «TRACKING» while the audio was cut. The plane looked like it was manufactured in the 1700s and I felt about as safe as I would riding in the backseat of a Ford Pinto (google, for the non-​Americans).
I’ll pay twice as much for a Virgin or BA flight from now on… Lesson learned!

As far as international air travel is concerned, Air India not worth the value of its flights. Often at the last minute, these are the only flights available that go directly to India. However, the Indian state carrier is badly in need of ungrading its style and service.
The planes are pretty average, other than the kitsch motif on the windows. The airhostesses wear bright orange saris, and a lot of their cleintele tend to be politicians enjoying a free international ride with their families at the government’s expense. The food is ok, edible but not very tasty. Unless you need to fly with them out because of time or other constraints, choose another airline. Jet or BA also offer direct flights.