Equipment swap
 

Hi - usually I do not fly AI from SF to India but my upcoming trip in early May is in BLR and returning back from DEL so the non stops with AI are tempting. The seat maps look like 1-2-1 with the DL layout - which would be great. Is AI doing frequent equipment swaps? - is the below likely to stick? I am not sure I would like to be on the old AI business class product..... what do you all think? Shall i go with the new AI or CX with a stop over at HKG?

Thank you
--HAF

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AI has got better at reducing equipment swaps. But it's occasionally an issue, especially given the stark contrast between it's newer and older planes. They also have got better about issuing refunds for equpment swaps although YMMV. Someone here reported getting a free upgrade voucher for a India - EU route when he was downgraded... but I have seen them issue full refunds at the begining of this year as well for that.

I would probably take the risk though.

Then unfortunate part is that SFO-BLR can really only served by the 777-200LRs so if an equipment swap does happen you’re really really screwed with legacy 200LRs. Though as the previous poster said, they have been decent with reducing equipment swaps, especially on key long haul routes such as the one you’ll be travelling on.

Virtually no equipment swaps on SFO-BLR/BOM. DEL is tricky.

If a swap is made how close to the flight date is the decision typically made? Trying to see if I will have time to re-plan. As of now - for first week of May, SFO-BLR and DEL-SFO seat maps show 1-2-1 ex-DL 777-200LRs.

I've had really bad luck with equipment swaps on my India-USA flights. Almost 50% of the time. Some have taken place weeks in advance & some the day before the flight.

Not directly related but I’m flying BOM-DEL tomorrow on an A350 in J and actually want a swap to a legacy 777 (as it was when I had booked originally) just so I can use up one of my (mostly useless) cabin upgrade vouchers to move to domestic F. Inbound from EWR is running late so maybe there’s hope 🤞

USA as in to east coast or SFO as well... ?

For now I have booked with AI - let's see is this will the biggest mistake I have ever made booking travel.... for my last 4 years traveling SFO-India two-three times a year have been with QR / SQ so I have been spoiled...

As the user Anish has mentioned, I think you’ll be fine given it’s BLR and the only 777-200LR operations that happen there are on the ex-DL aircraft. If it were Delhi where there’s other aircraft capable of doing the same routing, the chance of a swap are higher. Obviously, all this might still change and you get hit with an old cabin but it’s unlikely.

SFO once & JFK 3 times.

A look at the schedules show that no legacy 77L flights are scheduled post end April. Also I read somewhere that AI is retiring the 3 77Ls pretty soon. 2 are already parked and one is doing del-sfo AI 183 until end april post which ex DL 77L takes over. If the rumor of retiring 77Ls is true then you are good. From DEL, equipment swap can still happen to the legacy 77W but from BOM/BLR you are almost certainly getting the ex DL 77L