Budget Travel - Air India

I am trying to get a flight for 2 of us from Cincinnati, Dayton or Columbus to London in June. Right now the least expensive fares by far ($200/pp)are through Air India. I've been warned not to fly on them, but would appreciate any information, thoughts or advice on this.
Would I be better flying on Zoom out of JFK and booking separately to get back and forth from JFK at approximately the same price or should I pay extra to stick with a bigger name airline (Northwest)?
We fly a couple of times a year but don't really accrue a lot of FF miles to worry about.

Air India is an OK airline - not great mind you, but OK for the price.

I suggest that you have a look at some passenger reviews:

http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/air_india.htm

I am trying to get a flight for 2 of us from Cincinnati, Dayton or Columbus to London in June. Right now the least expensive fares by far ($200/pp)are through Air India. I've been warned not to fly on them, but would appreciate any information, thoughts or advice on this.
Would I be better flying on Zoom out of JFK and booking separately to get back and forth from JFK at approximately the same price or should I pay extra to stick with a bigger name airline (Northwest)?
We fly a couple of times a year but don't really accrue a lot of FF miles to worry about.

200 per person...I bet that's the base price, before taxes and fees are added on. I'm sure once you figure the obscene LHR/LGW landing fees and London taxes, this fare will be not much lower than that of Delta or other airlines. However, sometimes airlines like Air India or Kuwait do have better fares and if you only care about getting there and not about a ton of amenities, then why not?

200 per person...I bet that's the base price, before taxes and fees are added on. I'm sure once you figure the obscene LHR/LGW landing fees and London taxes, this fare will be not much lower than that of Delta or other airlines. However, sometimes airlines like Air India or Kuwait do have better fares and if you only care about getting there and not about a ton of amenities, then why not?


Thanks for the input, I guess I wasn't clear - it was $200/pp difference in total cost. For example, I can book Columbus on Delta (1 and a half hours from home) to JFK, then Zoom from JFK and back for $1740 total for 2 of us. Or I can book Cincinnati (45 minutes from home) to London changing planes in Detroit all on Northwest for $2334 total. There is a lot of uncertainty in my mind in booking Zoom and also doing the other flights separately. I guess I just don't travel enough, especially internationally, to know if I think it is worth $600 to book on one well-known carrier vs. going budget all the way. I was just hoping to get some thoughts.
I could also do Air India from Columbus for a little of $1800 total but have not heard good things about Air India.

This is a prime candidate for an award redemption. Do you have any miles saved up? With the open skies agreement, a ton of award seats to LHR will be opening up on US/CO/NW as they each innagurate LHR service. If you don't have any miles to spend, keep an eye out for a fare sale. Another option is to fly west to go east ie LAX/LAS/SEA/SFO which all will have non-stop service to LGW/LHR. Alternatively, you can investigate flying to MAN/GLA/DUB and hopping a LCC or train over to London.

I am trying to get a flight for 2 of us from Cincinnati, Dayton or Columbus to London in June. Right now the least expensive fares by far ($200/pp)are through Air India. I've been warned not to fly on them, but would appreciate any information, thoughts or advice on this.


Regards,Merchant lynx

I few AI from JFK-LHR as part of a package deal and it was the cheapest option the travel company offered. I was 19 at the time so first class BA wasn't happening. The flight to LHR was a 747 with AI logos on the exterior and Korean Air logos inside. It was past its prime, to say the least. Either the AC barely worked or the crew didn't turn it down because it was hot for the entire flight. The return flight was better...newer plane with seatback IFE. All-in-all, the service is ok - no major complaints there (though I was yelled at for not having a pen to fill out immigration forms) - but the overall product is lacking. At least you'll have stories to tell!

Just FYI, on Orbitz, Virgin Atlantic has the same prices listed as AI. Which one would you choose?