Originally Posted by
aquafina
Having flown almost every major airline between US and India (including Lufthansa, British, Delta, Emirates, Air France, Continental, Etihad,..), I recently had taken the Air India direct flight from New Jersey to Mumbai. This was the "shortest" flight I had ever taken from US to India. the flight reached Mumbai in a record 13 hours. Excellent leg space compared to most american and european airlines. Food was really good too. The main advantage was the timing of the flight. The flight took off from Newark at 4:30pm and reached Mumbai at 3pm India time. It was the first time, I landed in broad daylight in India while flying from the US (almost every flight from the US to India lands at midnight causing inconvenience to people coming to receive us at the airport). I feel this is an excellent flight for anyone connecting to a domestic flight in India. A friend of mine had recommended this flight and he too said that it was an excellent flight.
Yes, it is pretty convenient timing from the east cost. Personally, I prefer arriving at the odd hour because it means less traffic and I can get home quickly. But I can see how it would be inconvenient if relying on family/friends for transport.