Domestic first class options?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
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Domestic first class options?
Planning a trip to India in March 2020 including several domestic flights. I'm surprised that it seems there are few options for first class on domestic carriers. Air India has a separate first cabin on a few of their domestic flights but not the majority it seems. IndiGo appears to have no option. SpiceJet has an "extra leg room" option they call SpiceMax which looks like it's just the exit row and the front/bulkhead row with extra luggage and food. GoAir offers a "European business class" option called GoBusiness at the front of the cabin with the middle seat blocked on otherwise ordinary economy-style seats with extra luggage allowance and food included.
Are there any other viable options I'm missing? Any thoughts on the SpiceJet or the GoAir offerings? Currently planning to fly DEL-BOM-COK-DEL over the course of 7-9 days. Thanks in advance!
[ON EDIT] Just found Vistara. Doesn't have a great network but certainly appears to have a legitimate First class product on their domestic flights. May change around our travel plans based on their schedules and routes.
Are there any other viable options I'm missing? Any thoughts on the SpiceJet or the GoAir offerings? Currently planning to fly DEL-BOM-COK-DEL over the course of 7-9 days. Thanks in advance!
[ON EDIT] Just found Vistara. Doesn't have a great network but certainly appears to have a legitimate First class product on their domestic flights. May change around our travel plans based on their schedules and routes.
Last edited by Brucemcdou; Jun 26, 19 at 6:37 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: India
Programs: Shangri-La Jade, Best Western Diamond, Hilton Gold
Posts: 880
Your observations are largely correct. Air India & Vistara are the full service carriers, having business class up front; though not on all routes. I'd rate Air India as 6/10 and Vistara as 8/10 for the product.
The other options (Spicejet, GoAir) are pseudo offerings as you rightly pointed out.
The other options (Spicejet, GoAir) are pseudo offerings as you rightly pointed out.
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat; *A Gold; Marriott Gold
Posts: 346
Your observations are largely correct. Air India & Vistara are the full service carriers, having business class up front; though not on all routes. I'd rate Air India as 6/10 and Vistara as 8/10 for the product.
The other options (Spicejet, GoAir) are pseudo offerings as you rightly pointed out.
The other options (Spicejet, GoAir) are pseudo offerings as you rightly pointed out.
Happy Travels!
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
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all the flights you are looking to take are around the 2 hour mark so either uk or ai would work for their business class product....uk would be my preferred option but there is nothing wrong with ai as well for these short flights....
the rest are all lcc airlines & i would avoid spice jet....either go air or indigo are perfectly fine....
the rest are all lcc airlines & i would avoid spice jet....either go air or indigo are perfectly fine....
#5
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 15
Many airlines taken Jetairways flight so the intercity business class opportunity increased. But there are no first class in India. Flight is very cheap here and maximum flying time at a stretch is 3 hours. I am from Cochin , any help anyone can reach me
#6
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when someone from the u.s. says 'first class' for domestic travel then what they really mean is 'business class' in most other regions of the world....in the u.s. domestic airlines offer economy (some offer premium economy) & first class....there is no business class....
#8
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those are flights that are either coming or going to an international destination like lhr, jfk, etc....the 3 cabin flights are extremely few & sometimes have very bad timings like in the middle of the night....
#9
Join Date: May 2018
Location: AUH
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BLR-DEL on the 77L was also very well timed.
#10
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there was a very short time that there was a widebody blr-del flight....the timing was late at night for that as well....
i may be mistaken but i think the only routes where the 3 cabin aircraft is used is between del-bom-del & del-hyd-del....
#11
Join Date: May 2018
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i don't think so....i don't ever remember that....all maa-del flights operate on 2 cabin a320 or a321....
there was a very short time that there was a widebody blr-del flight....the timing was late at night for that as well....
i may be mistaken but i think the only routes where the 3 cabin aircraft is used is between del-bom-del & del-hyd-del....
there was a very short time that there was a widebody blr-del flight....the timing was late at night for that as well....
i may be mistaken but i think the only routes where the 3 cabin aircraft is used is between del-bom-del & del-hyd-del....
#12
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its possible ai might have been using a 3 cabin aircraft for a limited period at some point of time in the past but it was never a regular thing....i have been flying del-maa-del 7-8 times a year for the last 10 years or so....i have never come across either a 77w, 77l or 744 on this route....
#14
Join Date: Mar 2018
Programs: Thai Airways
Posts: 187
On a 2 hour or more flight and even often on a 90 mins or more flight I pay for Business Class on Vistara and if not Premium Economy. In BC it is mostly peaceful, I can work and be productive, while experiencing good service. Customer's choice.