Flight Review Thread - Air India
Jul 6, 2013, 6:31 am
#91
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The aircraft which operates SIN-DEL usually continues on to domestic routes, and parks at the domestic area of T3. Arriving passengers need to pass through customs and immigration, which takes place in the international area, so bussing is necessary.
Jul 10, 2013, 4:55 pm
#92
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CDG to SIN via Delhi and Chennai
I am returning from Paris on Friday night. Can those in the know with regards Delhi tell me what terminal(s) these flights will come into and out of? Will I have to change terminals like I had to on the outbound flights. Thanks.
Jul 10, 2013, 4:58 pm
#93
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The flight from CDG continues on as an international flight, so the only terminal you will transit through in DEL is T3i.
Jul 16, 2013, 1:37 am
#95
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Kris, here is Part 2 of my SIN-CDG trip.
Flew out of T2C at CDG.
Checked in with Air France staff. Boarding passes were printed for CDG-DEL and DEL-MAA, however AF's computers would not print BPs for MAA-SIN. More about that later. AI passengers use the AF lounge at CDG T2C - it was fairly useless. It was quiet but had no showers and the seating was not that comfortable. There was an ample supply of drinks, including alcohol, but poor food - nothing other than a few small packets of nibbles. AF needs to lift its game.
Boarded and left on time. Again it was on the new 787. What a great plane - especially at the pointy end. Flight was excellent. They even had the IFE loaded with maps which was an improvement on the flight over.
Arrived in Delhi in T3. Checked through immigration and security and spent a couple of hours in the AI lounge upstairs. Nice looking lounge with good shower facilities and reclining chairs. They were the only good points. Cons: No alcohol, no WIFI but they let me use the first Class PCs. Didn't eat the food being offered after the milk I added to my cornflakes turned out to be putrid. Almost vomited! Asked AI staff in the lounge to get me a boarding pass for MAA-SIN. They said they couldn't. I made the mistake of not going downstairs to the AI check-in desk to see if they could. More about that shortly.
Flew to MAA on an A320 which was only slightly better than the A319 on the SIN-DEL flight on the way to Paris. Cabin staff were OK, can’t remember whether a meal was served. Departed and arrived on time.
Now for the nonsense! Because we did not possess a boarding pass, we were not allowed into Chennai’s transit area and were not allowed through immigration without a visa, which we did not have. I was fortunate enough to grab an Air India employee who was walking by and I told him the situation. He took our passports and itinerary, went to Air India’s check in (he wasn’t allowed to take us with him) and produced boarding passes. He also went to customs and had our Singapore destined luggage to be cleared and loaded onto the MAA-SIN flight. This took over an hour which was quite stressful because we didn’t know whether he would disappear in the airport with our passports and itinerary and leave us stranded in no-man’s-land. My advice – stay clear of Chennai if you are without a boarding pass and/or visa.
Air India’s lounge at Chennai is shocking. It is in the dilapidated Anna terminal which is about to be replaced by a new terminal. The only good point it had was that it was airconditioned. I won’t go through the dozens of cons. We couldn’t get out of Chennai quickly enough!
Left Chennai for SIN on time aboard an A330. It was a reasonably short flight and we had no complaints. One does not want to compare the older A330s with the brand new Boeing 787s, however.
Overall, the trip both ways went fine except for the episode at Chennai. Avoid Chennai like the plague. I would fly business on Air India again but only if I could get the cheap US$1400 fares and the journey avoided Chennai. They are still available on www.kayak.com
Flew out of T2C at CDG.
Checked in with Air France staff. Boarding passes were printed for CDG-DEL and DEL-MAA, however AF's computers would not print BPs for MAA-SIN. More about that later. AI passengers use the AF lounge at CDG T2C - it was fairly useless. It was quiet but had no showers and the seating was not that comfortable. There was an ample supply of drinks, including alcohol, but poor food - nothing other than a few small packets of nibbles. AF needs to lift its game.
Boarded and left on time. Again it was on the new 787. What a great plane - especially at the pointy end. Flight was excellent. They even had the IFE loaded with maps which was an improvement on the flight over.
Arrived in Delhi in T3. Checked through immigration and security and spent a couple of hours in the AI lounge upstairs. Nice looking lounge with good shower facilities and reclining chairs. They were the only good points. Cons: No alcohol, no WIFI but they let me use the first Class PCs. Didn't eat the food being offered after the milk I added to my cornflakes turned out to be putrid. Almost vomited! Asked AI staff in the lounge to get me a boarding pass for MAA-SIN. They said they couldn't. I made the mistake of not going downstairs to the AI check-in desk to see if they could. More about that shortly.
Flew to MAA on an A320 which was only slightly better than the A319 on the SIN-DEL flight on the way to Paris. Cabin staff were OK, can’t remember whether a meal was served. Departed and arrived on time.
Now for the nonsense! Because we did not possess a boarding pass, we were not allowed into Chennai’s transit area and were not allowed through immigration without a visa, which we did not have. I was fortunate enough to grab an Air India employee who was walking by and I told him the situation. He took our passports and itinerary, went to Air India’s check in (he wasn’t allowed to take us with him) and produced boarding passes. He also went to customs and had our Singapore destined luggage to be cleared and loaded onto the MAA-SIN flight. This took over an hour which was quite stressful because we didn’t know whether he would disappear in the airport with our passports and itinerary and leave us stranded in no-man’s-land. My advice – stay clear of Chennai if you are without a boarding pass and/or visa.
Air India’s lounge at Chennai is shocking. It is in the dilapidated Anna terminal which is about to be replaced by a new terminal. The only good point it had was that it was airconditioned. I won’t go through the dozens of cons. We couldn’t get out of Chennai quickly enough!
Left Chennai for SIN on time aboard an A330. It was a reasonably short flight and we had no complaints. One does not want to compare the older A330s with the brand new Boeing 787s, however.
Overall, the trip both ways went fine except for the episode at Chennai. Avoid Chennai like the plague. I would fly business on Air India again but only if I could get the cheap US$1400 fares and the journey avoided Chennai. They are still available on www.kayak.com
Jul 24, 2013, 8:11 am
#97
Join Date: Jul 2004
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Look forward to your report, Kris. Watch out for the one hour connection in Delhi on your flight to CDG.
Jul 24, 2013, 11:39 am
#98
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Well, I finally got to experience CD on IXE-BLR. It was horrible. A delayed, old ATR.
I'll remember to stick to IX or IC next time.
I'll remember to stick to IX or IC next time.
Jul 26, 2013, 11:04 am
#100
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Flight Review Thread - Air India
Due to flight IRROPS I was due to misconnect with SQ 528 SIN-MAA and was put in next morning AI 343 same route.
AI 343 is flown on a 330. Absolutely disgusting. Bathrooms are down a spiral staircase - the urine stench wafting over you as you descend into purgatory.
Leaving MAA on SQ 529 was a major upgrade.
The AI aircraft seemed like a former Indian Airlines aircraft, is that right? Vomit inducing.
AI 343 is flown on a 330. Absolutely disgusting. Bathrooms are down a spiral staircase - the urine stench wafting over you as you descend into purgatory.
Leaving MAA on SQ 529 was a major upgrade.
The AI aircraft seemed like a former Indian Airlines aircraft, is that right? Vomit inducing.
Jul 26, 2013, 12:58 pm
#101
Join Date: Oct 2010
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Due to flight IRROPS I was due to misconnect with SQ 528 SIN-MAA and was put in next morning AI 343 same route.
AI 343 is flown on a 330. Absolutely disgusting. Bathrooms are down a spiral staircase - the urine stench wafting over you as you descend into purgatory.
Leaving MAA on SQ 529 was a major upgrade.
The AI aircraft seemed like a former Indian Airlines aircraft, is that right? Vomit inducing.
AI 343 is flown on a 330. Absolutely disgusting. Bathrooms are down a spiral staircase - the urine stench wafting over you as you descend into purgatory.
Leaving MAA on SQ 529 was a major upgrade.
The AI aircraft seemed like a former Indian Airlines aircraft, is that right? Vomit inducing.
Aug 5, 2013, 1:18 am
#102
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Join Date: Apr 2009
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flew goi-del via bom over the weekend & once again ai continues to disappoint....
got to the airport & asked during check-in if any seats were available in business class & if i could pay for an upgrade....was told there was plenty of availability & i needed to go make the payment at the office behind the check-in counters....
i make my way over to the office & there is only one agent there despite the fact that there is a huge line of passengers waiting to be served....i wait a little over half an hour for my turn, pay the upgrade fee for 2 people, get the revised print outs of our new business class tickets & come back to the check-in counter to get our boarding passes....
the agent has some problem checking us in & calls a supervisor....he also has no idea what is happening so goes to check with someone else....another 10 minutes later he comes back & tells me that they have temporarily suspended the upgrade scheme for the month of august....he then proceeds to go back to the office to refund my credit card....i ask him if they could make an exception since i have already been charged but he refuses....he does give us exit row seats to try & make up for the confusion which is appreciated....
so after wasting close to an hour we get our economy class boarding passes & we proceed to our gate....luckily the flight takes off on time & lands in bom on time as well....by the way, there were 14 empty seats in business class....
there was only supposed to be a 40 minute halt in bom but just around the time we are supposed to take off, we are told that there is some technical problem & we are going back to the gate....we are not allowed to deplane since they say the problem will take 10 minutes to fix....that 10 minutes turns into 3 hours with no information from the pilot or cabin crew on how long it will take or what the problem is....in between they did serve us our meal since they wouldn't allow us to deplane....
3 hours later the passengers start to lose their patience & threaten to get off the plane....those who do not have checked-in bags are allowed to deplane....the pilot finally resurfaces & assures us the problem will be taken care of within 20 more minutes....this time she is correct & about 20 minutes later we are ready to leave....
just before taking off the air hostess informs us that we need to change our seats since the flight load is low & they need to balance out where the passengers are sitting....i refuse & tell her she can make others change their seat....she just walks off shrugging her shoulders & gets some other passengers to shuffle their seats....
we finally get to delhi at 10:45pm....a simple 4 hour journey that took 7 hours & 45 minutes....
got to the airport & asked during check-in if any seats were available in business class & if i could pay for an upgrade....was told there was plenty of availability & i needed to go make the payment at the office behind the check-in counters....
i make my way over to the office & there is only one agent there despite the fact that there is a huge line of passengers waiting to be served....i wait a little over half an hour for my turn, pay the upgrade fee for 2 people, get the revised print outs of our new business class tickets & come back to the check-in counter to get our boarding passes....
the agent has some problem checking us in & calls a supervisor....he also has no idea what is happening so goes to check with someone else....another 10 minutes later he comes back & tells me that they have temporarily suspended the upgrade scheme for the month of august....he then proceeds to go back to the office to refund my credit card....i ask him if they could make an exception since i have already been charged but he refuses....he does give us exit row seats to try & make up for the confusion which is appreciated....
so after wasting close to an hour we get our economy class boarding passes & we proceed to our gate....luckily the flight takes off on time & lands in bom on time as well....by the way, there were 14 empty seats in business class....
there was only supposed to be a 40 minute halt in bom but just around the time we are supposed to take off, we are told that there is some technical problem & we are going back to the gate....we are not allowed to deplane since they say the problem will take 10 minutes to fix....that 10 minutes turns into 3 hours with no information from the pilot or cabin crew on how long it will take or what the problem is....in between they did serve us our meal since they wouldn't allow us to deplane....
3 hours later the passengers start to lose their patience & threaten to get off the plane....those who do not have checked-in bags are allowed to deplane....the pilot finally resurfaces & assures us the problem will be taken care of within 20 more minutes....this time she is correct & about 20 minutes later we are ready to leave....
just before taking off the air hostess informs us that we need to change our seats since the flight load is low & they need to balance out where the passengers are sitting....i refuse & tell her she can make others change their seat....she just walks off shrugging her shoulders & gets some other passengers to shuffle their seats....
we finally get to delhi at 10:45pm....a simple 4 hour journey that took 7 hours & 45 minutes....
Last edited by Keyser; Sep 10, 2013 at 2:51 am
Sep 10, 2013, 2:23 am
#103
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: bombay
Posts: 1,408
See the latest AI trip report posted on airliners:
They do a few things right - website basics, premium check-in, lounge (though it looks like someone's living room) etc.
But that the cabin hardware was in a shambles and that everything was a broken, tatty, hodge-podge of old, new and IC logos should surprise no one. And that J meal presentation on the flagship route is nothing short of horrendous. I suppose that is still the textbook definition of fantastic:
Dinner:
Breakfast:
And, really, Dabur clove toothpaste?
The conclusion is telling, when AI's crew are thought of as their one asset:
"Overall, a poor show from AI. Their biggest asset by far is their crew, but cost-cutting has taken a heavy toll on the in flight experience. Meals and entertainment were shockingly bad, and cabins hadn't been looked after properly. I don't intend to fly AI again until things change, and I'd be surprised if they had many returning passengers not based in India."
They do a few things right - website basics, premium check-in, lounge (though it looks like someone's living room) etc.
But that the cabin hardware was in a shambles and that everything was a broken, tatty, hodge-podge of old, new and IC logos should surprise no one. And that J meal presentation on the flagship route is nothing short of horrendous. I suppose that is still the textbook definition of fantastic:
Dinner:
Breakfast:
And, really, Dabur clove toothpaste?
The conclusion is telling, when AI's crew are thought of as their one asset:
"Overall, a poor show from AI. Their biggest asset by far is their crew, but cost-cutting has taken a heavy toll on the in flight experience. Meals and entertainment were shockingly bad, and cabins hadn't been looked after properly. I don't intend to fly AI again until things change, and I'd be surprised if they had many returning passengers not based in India."
Last edited by jasepl; Sep 10, 2013 at 2:52 am
Nov 2, 2013, 3:56 am
#104
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flew del-auh via bah last night....it wasn't my first choice of airline but there were other people in my travel party who had already booked their tickets on this flight so i didn't have a choice....i decided to upgrade my flight using the 'get up front' scheme....my fellow colleagues however decided against it but i went ahead....got to the airport about 3 hours before my flight....chain of events as follows:
went to international ticketing to ask about the upgrade....there were 5 people at the counter....2 were on their cell phones chatting away....2 more were engaged in a conversation with each other & one girl was helping the person in line before me....i motioned to the others that i was waiting in line & the 2 on their cell phones just walked out still on their phones, while the 2 chatting with each other just turned their backs to me & continued....i didn't make a fuss since the guy before me was almost done....
i gave my pnr to the girl at the counter & was told to first go check at check-in if an upgrade was available....i asked her if they could check on her system but she said she couldn't....
went to the check-in counter to ask for the upgrade....they said i would have to go to ticketing....i told then i was sent here to find out if seats were available....they said there was no need to do that & there are seats available....
went back to ticketing with the info & told her there were seats available....now she has no idea how much the upgrade fee is so she picks up the phone & calls the check-in counter (why couldn't she have done this before sending me to find out????) to find out....they tell her the upgrade fee is $150....i tell her that is incorrect as their website states its $125....she sticks to $150 so i log on to the website on my phone & show her its $125....she then says the website is wrong....i ask her to check with a supervisor & she reluctantly agrees....the supervisor is the same guy on the cell phone who is still busy talking away....he finally comes over & confirms that the fee is indeed $125....i get no apology for being given a wrong rate but they proceed to charge my card for the upgrade....the charge goes through but their printer is not working....she writes down a confirmation number on a piece of paper & tell me to go back to the check-in counter....
i go back to the counter & give them the piece of paper....she is not sure what to do with it so she calls her supervisor....he tells her what to do but the system won't recognise the upgrade....after 5 minutes of trying to figure out what is wrong, they realise thay have only processed the upgrade up till bahrain & not abu dhabi....they then proceed to correct that & finally give me my boarding pass....
i had asked for seat 1d but she gives me 2d instead....i asked her to change it & she says the flight is full....i find that surprising since all 8 business class seats were empty as of an hour ago but i don't argue & proceed to security....the whole upgrade process took a little over an hour....
i get to the lounge & make myself comfortable in one of the many recliner chairs....the time for boarding comes & goes with no information as to when they will board....i ask if the flight is delayed & they tell me it isn't....i go back a couple more times to find out if there is a delay & they keep saying they will start boarding any minute....at the end the flight was an hour late....
finally boarded the flight & got to my seat....turns out i was the only passenger in business....i guess the check-in girl was just too lazy to print out another boarding pass for me & just lied about the flight being full....
rest of the flight was pretty uneventful....seat was ok, food was fine, stopover in bah was quick & painless....got in auh an hour late....
went to international ticketing to ask about the upgrade....there were 5 people at the counter....2 were on their cell phones chatting away....2 more were engaged in a conversation with each other & one girl was helping the person in line before me....i motioned to the others that i was waiting in line & the 2 on their cell phones just walked out still on their phones, while the 2 chatting with each other just turned their backs to me & continued....i didn't make a fuss since the guy before me was almost done....
i gave my pnr to the girl at the counter & was told to first go check at check-in if an upgrade was available....i asked her if they could check on her system but she said she couldn't....
went to the check-in counter to ask for the upgrade....they said i would have to go to ticketing....i told then i was sent here to find out if seats were available....they said there was no need to do that & there are seats available....
went back to ticketing with the info & told her there were seats available....now she has no idea how much the upgrade fee is so she picks up the phone & calls the check-in counter (why couldn't she have done this before sending me to find out????) to find out....they tell her the upgrade fee is $150....i tell her that is incorrect as their website states its $125....she sticks to $150 so i log on to the website on my phone & show her its $125....she then says the website is wrong....i ask her to check with a supervisor & she reluctantly agrees....the supervisor is the same guy on the cell phone who is still busy talking away....he finally comes over & confirms that the fee is indeed $125....i get no apology for being given a wrong rate but they proceed to charge my card for the upgrade....the charge goes through but their printer is not working....she writes down a confirmation number on a piece of paper & tell me to go back to the check-in counter....
i go back to the counter & give them the piece of paper....she is not sure what to do with it so she calls her supervisor....he tells her what to do but the system won't recognise the upgrade....after 5 minutes of trying to figure out what is wrong, they realise thay have only processed the upgrade up till bahrain & not abu dhabi....they then proceed to correct that & finally give me my boarding pass....
i had asked for seat 1d but she gives me 2d instead....i asked her to change it & she says the flight is full....i find that surprising since all 8 business class seats were empty as of an hour ago but i don't argue & proceed to security....the whole upgrade process took a little over an hour....
i get to the lounge & make myself comfortable in one of the many recliner chairs....the time for boarding comes & goes with no information as to when they will board....i ask if the flight is delayed & they tell me it isn't....i go back a couple more times to find out if there is a delay & they keep saying they will start boarding any minute....at the end the flight was an hour late....
finally boarded the flight & got to my seat....turns out i was the only passenger in business....i guess the check-in girl was just too lazy to print out another boarding pass for me & just lied about the flight being full....
rest of the flight was pretty uneventful....seat was ok, food was fine, stopover in bah was quick & painless....got in auh an hour late....
Nov 2, 2013, 8:11 am
#105
Used to be shahadil
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: BOM
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Glad it worked out. Am sorry about the horrible ground experience but considering sats handles ground handling at Delhi, and not pure old air India guys, it should have been a better experience. Maybe a complain on the air India Facebook page or a copy of above review to their email address, with copy to CMD? you want to try and see where it takes you.
They have been trying to improve J load factors and the fact that you almost were not going to get it, speaks really sadly of the ground affairs.
On an off topic note, are you there for the race?
They have been trying to improve J load factors and the fact that you almost were not going to get it, speaks really sadly of the ground affairs.
On an off topic note, are you there for the race?