Sankaps

Havethe option of choosing between Jet, Kingfisher,and Air India for an upcoming BOM-LHR flight in business class. All other things (fare, schedule)being equal, which of the three would you recommend? Want to be able to both work and sleep comfortably on the flight.

Thanks,
Sankaps.

d3vski

I would say Kingfisher based on the following:

1) J class is the highest on IT, therefore the best service on the plane would be in IT J while Jet and AI have to dilute it to make sure that F stands out.

2) They serve Dom.

3) on board bar with nice cocktails.

4) Crew wearing short skirts.

aniruddh77

Agree with most of d3vski's reasons ;-) However, you will need to consider:

Jet has 2 flights at 10.05 am and 9.05 pm
KF has 1 flight which is at 8.25 pm
AI has an 8.45 am flight (direct) and a 9.30 pm flight (via Delhi)

I usually pick Jet because of the later departure, which gives me a bit more time at work or for the trip to the airport, particularly on weekdays. And of course, miles and status tiers !!!

d3vski

The times mentioned in the quote are for lhr-bom.

The times for BOM-LHR are:

AI 0200hrs
9W 0130hrs and 1230 hrs
IT 1200hrs

Im not sure of the exact hours but the above are approx the time slots they depart.

aniruddh77

Sorry yes, I got the routing in reverse order. In effect, Jet continues to work better for me particularly since I'm from MAA, and taking the last flight into BOM means that I still reach LHR a little before AI (not counting irrops that are normal for AI). IT doesn't work because it is a midday flight, though I'd love to take that some time when I'm on vacation... ;-)

avm2806

IMHO - Jet all the way.
While IT's product has the flash and show, I am not a fan for the following reasons
1) Inexperienced cabin crew
2) Very poor catering availability (last flight on IT KF from BOM-HKG my order for main course was taken, and no appetizer brought to me because I "didn't ask for one" - crew told me they were only serving them on request due to limited uploading - come on guys!).
3) Lack of privacy when compared to 9W's herringbone
4) Pathetic IFE selection (9W's isn't great but between AI, IT, 9W - Jetscreen is the best of the lot by a longshot).

SR 103

I will most likely be posting a trip report on my Kingfisher First (BOM-HKG)experience this weekend, so you can see for yourself (pictures and all) what they offer on the A330.

1. IT
2. 9W
3. BA (I know they are not on your list above but...
4. AI (If you must!)
I found their J seat to easily be one of the most comfortable business class seats of any airline around. I have not flown Jet Internationaly though to do a fair comparison but I have absolutely zero complaints when it comes to Kingfisher's seat.
I remember hearing that not too long ago about Jet's International service. The crew I had on BOM-HKG were absolutely wonderful. They were most certainly inexperienced but they tried much harder to please and that is something I can not fault them for. Domestically (where I have flown both 9W and IT) I prefer Kingfisher's crew to Jet's. We all have our different opinions however.
I flew BOM-HKG in Nov and I got the appetizer, but they gave me the Western appetizer on a Thali (Indian) main course selection which did not blend very well together. Also the only reason I took the thali was becuase they ran out of the Western option. Eight passengers in business class and they run out of my first option when I was one of the first to be asked. Kingfisher definately has some work to do in the catering department.
I absolutely detest the herringbone design and layout. Feels very cramped, plus its very uncomfortable to look out the window which I like to do.
I agree, 6 English and 6 Hindi movies is a joke for such an airline as Kingfisher. However the IFE worked flawlessly and the BOSE headsets were a nice touch.

Savage25

Check my Kingfisher LHR-BOM trip reports in the Trip Reports forum. I like IT on the day flight on the way back as well.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ip-report.html
http://picasaweb.google.com/FTSavage...FebKingfisher#

sven60035

I finaly managed to get my opinon about Kingfisher online, maybe that helps you making your decision:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...hin-india.html

Aisle Seat H

Kingfisher First is a superb product.

Limited films, and if you sit on the side aisles the person in the window seat has to climb over you to get in and out, but otherwise its as good as J gets (as they are going for an F like product).

Seats fully electric etc and are very comfy - slept like a baby personally!

The two occasions I flew it recently the staff and crew were absolutely marvellous.

Oh, and one single return in J on it will now earn you King Club Silver status.

SR 103

Kingfisher First to Hong Kong (Trip Report)

runrorun

Having flown the route both with Kingfisher and Jet, I would honestly have to say both are great choices, but I found Kingfisher's service and hard product better overall.

Keyser

this post may be a little late for the op but may help anyone looking to pick this route (or any other route to/from india) in j class in the future....i regularly fly with all 3 airlines on the international route in business....

air india positives:
attitude of the staff in business class is amazing....
food is very good....
new aircrafts have very comfortable seats....
prices on j are normally the cheapest on air india....
good route options (they fly to all the major points in the world)....

air india negatives:
flights often get late....
redemption options not good....

kingfisher positives:
fantastic seats....
bar in the kingfisher first section....
new aircrafts....
good choice of food....

kingfisher nagatives:
inexperienced staff....
in-seat video entertainment is limited....
very bad international connectivity (they fly to just 5-6 international routes)....
to upgrade using vouchers you need to buy the expensive economy ticket first....

jet positives:
great seats in business (perhaps among the best business seats in the world)....
great food....
in-seat video entertainment is fantastic....
flight crew is great....
good route options (while not as many as air india, they still fly to all the major points in the world)....
they are very generous with upgrade vouchers & plat members are eligible for an upgrade on even the basic/lowest economy fare....
they have great promotions & upgrade options available all the time....

jet negatives:
they have very few routes with first class (although this makes business the top most class & all business passengers get treated very well)....

at the end of the day, my pick would fall in this order:

jet
kingfisher
air india

ekartash

Does Jet serve Dom in J on international routes (LHR- BOM)? how are the pillows and blankets?

aniruddh77

See this thread...seems to be variable...