guys - has anybody flown nonstop in business between NY to India and how was the experience? The only reason I'm looking at it vs etihad is because it's non-stop but if the seats and food are as bad as the blog on thepointsguy points out, I'm a little apprehensive. I don't need gourmet food but can't stand dirty seats, etc

Thx

I have flown both UA and AI in J class between EWR an India. here is my honest opinion.

AI - Cabin crew were very helpful and responded very well. Aircraft was old and there was an issue with AV system. I had my laptop and a few movies on a USB stick so it did not matter. Food was (Indian vegetarian) was decent.

UA - Cabin crew were very helpful and responsive. Aircraft was newer and the AV system functioned well. Food was ok.


I would travel UA if I need a non-stop and use LH/Swiss with a stop in Europe.

Was the wifi on both carriers decent

no wifi on ai....

ua wifi worked well....

i've flown del-nyc-del direct on ai multiple times & nyc-bom once on ua....both in business class....

i found the ua seats to be a little cramped....ai seats are more spacious....

cabin crew were helpful & responsive on both airlines....

i found the ai food to be a little better but more choice was offered by ua....

ua ife was much better with more choices....ua also has wifi which ai does not....

the ai aircrafts have an old feel to them while ua feels new....but comfort wise i felt ai was a little better....

i would not hesitate to travel in either one again....

Potential logistics issues to keep in mind when IROPS happen

UA has only 2 flights to India for the entire country from USA.
AI two from EWR, three total from NYC, four in NYC?DC corriddor.


However, since you are in business, most liely you can be routed via any other Star Alliance partner so not as much of concern.

If you are based in NYC, going to JFK (for etihad) may not be a very big hassle for you but if you are based in NJ or Eastern PA, EWR vs JFK is a big difference.

I find AI flight timings more helpful with jetlag in Y but in business that should be a non-issue. (I still prefer arriving at destination during daylight hours whenever possible). With AI , you will be in hotel before dinner whereas with UA it would be close to midnight. On the other hand, at EWR departure end, AI beaks your day whereas UA has late evening departure.

Have taken the BOM-EWR flight in J on AI. Must have been 2 years ago or so.

Thought it was fine. I recall it was 2+2+2 seating so privacy is limited.

Can't recall anything special about the seat - must have slept just fine.

Food was good. Then again, I like Indian food generally.

Guys - to continue this thread, can someone provide some advice on a potential Dec 15-Jan 3, 2018 trip
- can I expect to get 2 business award seats if booking 330 days in advance
- if not, what should be my strategy apart from paying with cash
- what alliance partner should I use to book - I'll be leveraging Chase Ultimate rewards for this. Full list of transfer partners here - https://www.valuepenguin.com/chase-u...nsfer-partners
- Alternatively I have a healthy balance of Amex MR as well

Thx

I think United is still the best Ultimate Rewards partner for US-India, even after the 10k increase in redemption rate for Business class.

Award seats mid Dec- early Jan are, as always, hit or miss.

United was my first choice but looks impossible to get award seats
EWR-BOM availability

It's that time of the year. Holidays will keep inventory low.

Is thanksgiving time better than? If not, what's the low season I should target

Looking at the other thread you linked, I just want to clarify that when I wrote United is the best partner for UR, I meant to book Star Alliance partners with UA. I have rarely, if ever, seen open availability on the non-stop UA EWR-BOM/DEL. In recent times, the best availability I have seen are on Swiss and Turkish from the NYC area.

got it and I understand you now. So you are saying try to book AI award flight using united's website right?

for 1-stop flights, I default to Etihad using AAdvantage which still has great availability even during holiday time as long as you book way in advance

Outside of the travel season around major Indian and American holidays (between Oct and Jan), I have never had a problem finding Business class award availability on UA partners. In fact, I am looking for a trip in mid-Jan, and there is ample availability in Business, though not on the UA or AI non-stops.