Air India London to Melbourne via Delhi
Dec 19, 2015, 7:25 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: London
Posts: 203
Air India London to Melbourne via Delhi
The approach road to Terminal 4 Heathrow at 7pm is a tedious nightmare of slow moving traffic. One reason is insufficient drop off parking. I would rather leave from Gatwick than take anther flight out of this terminal.
Check in was quick and efficient but we were told that seat 1A was out of commission and seating had to be reassigned. The 'Manage my Booking' facility on the web site after booking months earlier would allow a choice on certain flights but not in and out of London. We were travelling on individual bookings with different PNRs and I spoke to AI Bookings to alert them to this and we were allocated seats together.
But on-line check-in 24 hours before departure showed that seats 1 A and 1H were allocated to us and the 'change my seat' option was no use because the cabin was fully booked.
The Air India Maharaja lounge is small and neat with comfortable seating. It was spacious enough to leave plenty of optional space around any individual. The food was limited to four hot Indian snacks which were tasty but meant that the option of dining before the flight and sleeping from start to finish was not available. No European food was presented. There was an extensive range of hard liquor but no wine, sparkling or otherwise.
We were called for boarding thirty minutes before the scheduled take off time and it was a 10-12 minute walk to the gate. There was no designated lane at the gate for business class but we were spotted and directed onwards.
On board we were escorted to our seats and, indicating that we were travelling together, seated together and the crew dealt with the rearranged seating easily.
Seat 1A seemed to have recovered from it's non-operational state and the two seats were occupied by a couple travelling together.
Not a lot happened and our scheduled departure time passed. Eventually we pushed back one hour late. About fifteen minutes before push back the Captain made one brief announcement reporting that the delay was due to air traffic congestion at that hour. I am not sure I believed him. I heard cargo hatch doors closing well after our scheduled time. My 4G phone showed that Heathrow departures were largely on time but if we missed our slot we may have had to wait for another.
The three FAs assigned to the Business Class Cabin were charming, attentive and friendly but did lack the organisation to allow them to function as a team. There was a lot of wandering around during boarding and throughout the meal and drink service.
Non-alcoholic cold drinks were served before takeoff and newspapers, including Indian papers, and magazines were distributed. No menu was issued and the subsequent meal order was chaotic because I found it difficult to understand the spoken choices. It was a bit of pot-luck but the Indian non-vegetarian meal I received was tasty though not particularly elegant in appearance. The meal was served as one course. It was well after midnight local time and an hour and a half into the flight before the dinner service began. There was no preceding separate drink service but the drink trolley moving ahead of the food reached me many minutes earlier and I had time to order a gin and tonic. It was served warm even though there was ice on the trolley. She cheerfully added ice when asked. Ice but no slice.
Although no printed menu was available there was a printed booklet listing the wines on board as well as the bar service.
Three reds and three white wines were listed. They were all average French wines and the properly chilled white I chose was fine if not outstanding. Refills were frequent and generous.
The B787 Dreamliner is a pleasant airliner. I did not think that up in front it was noticeable quieter than preceding Boeing aircraft. The A380 is significantly so.
Air India Business Class seating is 2+2+2 across in rows 1 to 3 with two dedicated toilets up forward. The seats recline to fully flat and for sleeping an under-duvet and a blanket as well as pyjamas are available. I managed about four hours good sleep.
The cabin lit up two hours before arrival at 11:30 local Indian time and a small breakfast was served. Tea was included but I don't recall that coffee was offered.
We parked on a distant stand and were bussed in to the terminal. Although Business Class disembarked first the bus collected a full load of passengers before leaving for the terminal. The inconvenience of the bus transfer was mitigated by the reduced walk to immigration.
We were arriving with the new e-visa arrangement and there was signage to a separate zone of the immigration hall. There were far fewer passengers waiting here, maybe ten ahead of us but progress was disappointingly slow. Biometric data is collected and the fingerprint recorders were not registering properly. The passenger ahead of us took over ten minutes to complete entry while the officer polished the fingerprint screen over and over again. We were pleased not to be asked for finger print recognition and I guess that was because we had a recent full visa with finger prints already registered.
We had arranged a 24 hour stopover before the onward flight to Melbourne and had an excellent deal at The Imperial Hotel, with airport transfers, WiFi and breakfast. Traffic into the City was heavy after 11am when large trucks are released from morning restrictions on roads that we would be using. The following morning leaving the hotel at 10:15 we had an easier ride out.
We had the best Indian meal ever that night. Taste, service and even the visuals were special. It was at Varq in the Taj Hotel.
Air India notified us that the flight to Melbourne the next day was departing 30 min later which pleased us no end. We have a more leisurely morning departure from the hotel.
Our transfer back to the airport was in a BMW 7 and was met at the airport curb by the Hotel's airport man who took everything to check-in at a 'special' desk and from there an Air India employee took our carry on luggage first to Passport control where we said good bye to him, but no, he carried on to a speedy security check where he arranged all the bags for us and again we said good bye, but again no, and he took us to the lounge and on to select seats for us. He stopped short of getting refreshments. You could get used to this.
Everyone says it is cold here in Delhi and most people are wearing sweaters or more but I asked for the A/c in the car and we ran it last night in the room. The smog is unpleasant and I have had a few throat clearing moments.
The 24hr stopover in Delhi was restorative. We arrived about 12 noon and had planned on some shopping during the afternoon but both of us were knackered and gave in, taking a three hour nap instead before our quite stunning dinner and we were back in bed by 10:30pm. I woke about 3am and was disappointed that I was going to be awake for the rest of the night but after a quick comfort break slept on to the morning alarm and we felt really refreshed for the longer onward flight.
The Air India lounge at Delhi terminal three is divided into First Class and Business sections. The Business part is spacious and comfortable. I did not check out the food and beverage display. WiFi was very fast.
The assigned gate, 14, was at the very far end of the terminal and a disagreeably long walk. Several carts with people very much younger than us sped by.
Boarding was almost complete by the time we arrived at the gate and push back was 8 mins after the scheduled time.
The cabin service on this leg was a whole notch higher. The crew was active in helping passengers fit baggage into the overhead bins, a drinks service began soon after the seat belt sign was extinguished and my gin and tonic included Ice and lemon without asking.
Lunch was served course by course. I was happy to receive the Indian meal because the FA explained that there was only one western meal, salmon, left even though I was about 7/18 on the order list.
There were rather too many unwelcome visitors to the business cabin mostly ignored by the crew but once or twice redirected back to their own cabin, specially if they were children.
Three hours before landing and 9pm Delhi time dinner was served. This time it was served in one go and there was no drink service nor did I see anyone ask for something.
The heat in Melbourne is astounding and it is hotter here, not just anywhere else in Australia, but in the whole of the Southern Hemisphere. Singapore is ten degrees cooler.
The service standards between LHR-DEL and DEL-MEL were very different and it was surprising to us that what might be considered as one of AI's premier routes received at best two star service while that onwards to Australia had a service that AI could be proud of.
Check in was quick and efficient but we were told that seat 1A was out of commission and seating had to be reassigned. The 'Manage my Booking' facility on the web site after booking months earlier would allow a choice on certain flights but not in and out of London. We were travelling on individual bookings with different PNRs and I spoke to AI Bookings to alert them to this and we were allocated seats together.
But on-line check-in 24 hours before departure showed that seats 1 A and 1H were allocated to us and the 'change my seat' option was no use because the cabin was fully booked.
The Air India Maharaja lounge is small and neat with comfortable seating. It was spacious enough to leave plenty of optional space around any individual. The food was limited to four hot Indian snacks which were tasty but meant that the option of dining before the flight and sleeping from start to finish was not available. No European food was presented. There was an extensive range of hard liquor but no wine, sparkling or otherwise.
We were called for boarding thirty minutes before the scheduled take off time and it was a 10-12 minute walk to the gate. There was no designated lane at the gate for business class but we were spotted and directed onwards.
On board we were escorted to our seats and, indicating that we were travelling together, seated together and the crew dealt with the rearranged seating easily.
Seat 1A seemed to have recovered from it's non-operational state and the two seats were occupied by a couple travelling together.
Not a lot happened and our scheduled departure time passed. Eventually we pushed back one hour late. About fifteen minutes before push back the Captain made one brief announcement reporting that the delay was due to air traffic congestion at that hour. I am not sure I believed him. I heard cargo hatch doors closing well after our scheduled time. My 4G phone showed that Heathrow departures were largely on time but if we missed our slot we may have had to wait for another.
The three FAs assigned to the Business Class Cabin were charming, attentive and friendly but did lack the organisation to allow them to function as a team. There was a lot of wandering around during boarding and throughout the meal and drink service.
Non-alcoholic cold drinks were served before takeoff and newspapers, including Indian papers, and magazines were distributed. No menu was issued and the subsequent meal order was chaotic because I found it difficult to understand the spoken choices. It was a bit of pot-luck but the Indian non-vegetarian meal I received was tasty though not particularly elegant in appearance. The meal was served as one course. It was well after midnight local time and an hour and a half into the flight before the dinner service began. There was no preceding separate drink service but the drink trolley moving ahead of the food reached me many minutes earlier and I had time to order a gin and tonic. It was served warm even though there was ice on the trolley. She cheerfully added ice when asked. Ice but no slice.
Although no printed menu was available there was a printed booklet listing the wines on board as well as the bar service.
Three reds and three white wines were listed. They were all average French wines and the properly chilled white I chose was fine if not outstanding. Refills were frequent and generous.
The B787 Dreamliner is a pleasant airliner. I did not think that up in front it was noticeable quieter than preceding Boeing aircraft. The A380 is significantly so.
Air India Business Class seating is 2+2+2 across in rows 1 to 3 with two dedicated toilets up forward. The seats recline to fully flat and for sleeping an under-duvet and a blanket as well as pyjamas are available. I managed about four hours good sleep.
The cabin lit up two hours before arrival at 11:30 local Indian time and a small breakfast was served. Tea was included but I don't recall that coffee was offered.
We parked on a distant stand and were bussed in to the terminal. Although Business Class disembarked first the bus collected a full load of passengers before leaving for the terminal. The inconvenience of the bus transfer was mitigated by the reduced walk to immigration.
We were arriving with the new e-visa arrangement and there was signage to a separate zone of the immigration hall. There were far fewer passengers waiting here, maybe ten ahead of us but progress was disappointingly slow. Biometric data is collected and the fingerprint recorders were not registering properly. The passenger ahead of us took over ten minutes to complete entry while the officer polished the fingerprint screen over and over again. We were pleased not to be asked for finger print recognition and I guess that was because we had a recent full visa with finger prints already registered.
We had arranged a 24 hour stopover before the onward flight to Melbourne and had an excellent deal at The Imperial Hotel, with airport transfers, WiFi and breakfast. Traffic into the City was heavy after 11am when large trucks are released from morning restrictions on roads that we would be using. The following morning leaving the hotel at 10:15 we had an easier ride out.
We had the best Indian meal ever that night. Taste, service and even the visuals were special. It was at Varq in the Taj Hotel.
Air India notified us that the flight to Melbourne the next day was departing 30 min later which pleased us no end. We have a more leisurely morning departure from the hotel.
Our transfer back to the airport was in a BMW 7 and was met at the airport curb by the Hotel's airport man who took everything to check-in at a 'special' desk and from there an Air India employee took our carry on luggage first to Passport control where we said good bye to him, but no, he carried on to a speedy security check where he arranged all the bags for us and again we said good bye, but again no, and he took us to the lounge and on to select seats for us. He stopped short of getting refreshments. You could get used to this.
Everyone says it is cold here in Delhi and most people are wearing sweaters or more but I asked for the A/c in the car and we ran it last night in the room. The smog is unpleasant and I have had a few throat clearing moments.
The 24hr stopover in Delhi was restorative. We arrived about 12 noon and had planned on some shopping during the afternoon but both of us were knackered and gave in, taking a three hour nap instead before our quite stunning dinner and we were back in bed by 10:30pm. I woke about 3am and was disappointed that I was going to be awake for the rest of the night but after a quick comfort break slept on to the morning alarm and we felt really refreshed for the longer onward flight.
The Air India lounge at Delhi terminal three is divided into First Class and Business sections. The Business part is spacious and comfortable. I did not check out the food and beverage display. WiFi was very fast.
The assigned gate, 14, was at the very far end of the terminal and a disagreeably long walk. Several carts with people very much younger than us sped by.
Boarding was almost complete by the time we arrived at the gate and push back was 8 mins after the scheduled time.
The cabin service on this leg was a whole notch higher. The crew was active in helping passengers fit baggage into the overhead bins, a drinks service began soon after the seat belt sign was extinguished and my gin and tonic included Ice and lemon without asking.
Lunch was served course by course. I was happy to receive the Indian meal because the FA explained that there was only one western meal, salmon, left even though I was about 7/18 on the order list.
There were rather too many unwelcome visitors to the business cabin mostly ignored by the crew but once or twice redirected back to their own cabin, specially if they were children.
Three hours before landing and 9pm Delhi time dinner was served. This time it was served in one go and there was no drink service nor did I see anyone ask for something.
The heat in Melbourne is astounding and it is hotter here, not just anywhere else in Australia, but in the whole of the Southern Hemisphere. Singapore is ten degrees cooler.
The service standards between LHR-DEL and DEL-MEL were very different and it was surprising to us that what might be considered as one of AI's premier routes received at best two star service while that onwards to Australia had a service that AI could be proud of.
Dec 19, 2015, 9:39 pm
#3
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: LONDON
Programs: CX DM, BA G4L, QR PLT, EK PLT, Hyatt CourtesyC, HH DM, SQ PPS, BonvoyTit, UK, VS, UA, DL, AA
Posts: 1,715
Great TR... The Air India dreamliner is pretty good, and service from my experience as you described it, warm but unrefined. It's a shame they don't put more into their soft product, because they have all the bones of being an excellent airline.
Dec 20, 2015, 11:40 am
#4
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,181
My aunt flew in First on Air India in the 1960s and always told me how unbelievable it was.
I flew in Y in the 60s and still remember the flight. It was great.
My father flew with them to Cairo in the 40s from Rome as TWA was full. He was also impressed.
I think they went downhill as I understand correctly.
I flew in Y in the 60s and still remember the flight. It was great.
My father flew with them to Cairo in the 40s from Rome as TWA was full. He was also impressed.
I think they went downhill as I understand correctly.
Dec 20, 2015, 2:37 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: London
Posts: 203
Dec 20, 2015, 3:04 pm
#7
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Toronto
Programs: SPG Gold, HH Silver
Posts: 855
Apr 10, 2016, 12:15 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: London
Posts: 203
Thanks for the comment on my LHR-DEL-MEL report. I was making a small correction to my second report SYD-DEL-LHR on the AI flights today and revisited the comments made. I took the opportunity to look at your reports. Really great and I can learn a lot about style and technique from them. Curious to know what camera you used. The quality is ++. I have given up carrying any photo gear since getting my iPhone 6 and rely on it for everything I need. The quality is pretty good but I fear not up to the quality of the work you are mounting.
Apr 10, 2016, 12:21 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: London
Posts: 203
Thanks for the comment on my report LHR-DEL-MEL with AI. I was making a small correction to my report no 2 on the AI flight SYD-DEL-LHR today and revisited the comments made. I took the opportunity to look at your reports. Really great and I can learn a lot about style and technique from them. Curious to know what camera you used. The quality is ++. I have given up carrying any photo gear since getting my iPhone 6 and rely on it for everything I need. The quality is pretty good but I fear not up to the quality of the work you are mounting.
Apr 11, 2016, 12:14 pm
#10
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 220
My aunt flew in First on Air India in the 1960s and always told me how unbelievable it was.
I flew in Y in the 60s and still remember the flight. It was great.
My father flew with them to Cairo in the 40s from Rome as TWA was full. He was also impressed.
I think they went downhill as I understand correctly.
I flew in Y in the 60s and still remember the flight. It was great.
My father flew with them to Cairo in the 40s from Rome as TWA was full. He was also impressed.
I think they went downhill as I understand correctly.
I flew them once in the 1980s - never more.
It is mind boggling that when SQ started, they were modeled after Air India for customer service !!!