emcampbe

AI is part of *A, 9W is not. So AI in any class will get you access to their lounge if you are *G though I've never been inside, so can't comment. Buying business on either will also get it. AI will also give you PQM, though the lowest fares will only get 50%.

I've only flown AI and Indigo domestic, so also cant comment on 9W though consensus in the India airlines forum is they have gone quite downhill over the years. I was scheduled to fly them earlier this week, but had to cancel and AI was better for the day I rebooked.

Honestly, for the short duration of pretty much any domestic flight, I tend to book pretty much based on price schedule. AI/Jet (mainline - not JetLite) will give you food (free - it's actually usually pretty decent on AI, but will be Indian food, obviously - veg/non-veg options) and IndiGo/SpiceJet/GoAir will sell it. More difficult to book tickets on the last 3 if you don't have an Indian-based credit/debit card sometimes, and need to do it through their site or an Indian-based OTA, but Indigo in particular tends to have a much more frequent schedule between major centers, IME, so I've flown them most. For < 2 hours in the air, it doesn't really bother me either way who I pick.