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Air-India
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9 reviews for Air-India
If you don't like the smell of curry, or can't stand wild children then this isn't the airline for you. I enjoy curry; however, the children are another story. I had kids running up and down the aisle and one kicking my seat all the way from Chicago to Frankfurt. No one seems to care and the crew does nothing about it. But I was 1 of 5 white people on this flight, so maybe there is a cultural gap I'm missing here.
As far as the flight itself. I loved it. The seats were very comfortable, the food was flavorful and plentiful, movies were never ending. I caught up on a bunch of movies that I had intended to see. Turbulence was at a minimum, so the ride was smooth for sleeping.
Obviously, the price was the best aspect. It was hundreds of dollars cheaper than any other airline. I had initial reservations about flying Air India and envisioned myself engulfed in a fiery wreck, but clearly I'm now writing this review and made it safely to Europe and back.
Hi,
I have booked tickets through Air india and had to cancell as my daughter was suffering from Swine flu. I appealed for the refund in complete and they instead charge cancellation fee. Worst customer service ever. Sales manager at the Chicago office is not at all customer friendly. If airline doesn't consider the circumstance of their clients what good does it do. I agree their fare is low however think of incovience and worst customer service you end up with. I also travelled when i was pregenant and air hostess were never accomdative and barely cared for the passangers. Think twice before book tickets through air india .
I travel to India at least once every year and I have always travelled Air India for the last 10 years or so. My family from my side and wife's side does the same. I tried British Airways and Kuwait Airways once each and numerous domestic flights and found that Air India is about as good or as bad as any other airline in the business.
I am not refuting what others have to say, but to be honest, I have never had a bad experience on Air India, yet.
First off to the people who are complaing about kids & baggage of co-passengers - Come-on! Thats your real complaint? What do you expect people should do going on an international trip - keep kids locked up in their basements or travel with a pouch size carry-on?
I agree that the air-hostesses are not the best looking, but they have been very good to me so far, unlike some memorable terrible encounters I have had on United and Airtran. (domestic)
My flight was obnoxiously late once in 2007 because ATC didnt let us fly from Chicago and we were parked in a que on the tarmac for 2-3 hours. They started serving snacks and beverages immediately and I had to refuse after my 3rd beer. Now, which airline would do that?
In the same year another trip, I was sick coming back from India and I told my air hostess not to disturb me with food or anything. She not only followed the request but inquired if I was ok every time she saw me awake. She asked if I would need juice, warm water, tea or anything else. I was given about 2-3 blankets and since the plane was relatively empty - a full seat to sleep! She even informed the hostess on London-Chicago leg of the flight and I was given the same "care" thruout. I was overwhelmed would be an understatement to express my gratitude.
The food is simply amazing and so much of it. (Disclaimer - I am an Indian, so I am biased when it comes to food)
Many other experiences to conclude that we will probably keep flying AI as long as they are in business.
Like most of my reviews this one deserves a context also. Here we go...
I am 100% Indian. That's right people! Even though my husband sometimes thinks I am more waspy than him, I have the genes to prove I am of Indian descent. Why am I saying this? Because i am going to say some stuff about MY PEOPLE that will call into question my credibility.
My people are bat shit crazy. As much as I love them (and belong to them), I have to dissociate myself from the craziness from time to time. They expect things to happen instantly and do not understand the concept of 'waiting for your turn'. They carry more bags than allowed, bring entire clans of screaming kids on the flight, and treat the flight like their personal property. And, they all fly Air India because it is the ONLY airline that will put up with this kind of craziness.
Not surprisingly, the flight attendants on Air India deserve the Nobel peace prize for putting up with my people and their antics. I mean, it is not easy dealing with a horde of unruly children, crying babies, old women making incessant demands, people trying to squeeze past the food cart, and the best of all... some guy smoking in the bathroom. That's right, he was puffing. What kind of an idiot thinks it is ok to do that? Oh, the drama...
In spite of all this the flight attendants kept their cool, handled everyone efficiently, and the best part... looked fabulous, did not crease that gorgeous sari, or bat an eye. I have never seen flight attendants like that. I would probably throw some of those kids out of the airborne flight for the ruckus they were causing, and kicked that muthaf*ckin smoker out along with the kids. Good thing I will never be a flight attendant.
The food is better than most airline food I've had. My lamb rogan josh was almost restaurant quality. They gave me unlimited (mini) bottles of wine and Johnny Walker. I opted for wine. The snacks (masala chick peas) were great, too. I have been eating airline food since I was 1 year old and I can tell you Air India's food is among the top 3. Beats the crappy food served on many long distance flights (yes, United first class... I am talking about you).
So, even after getting good food and service why am I giving it only 4 stars?
Because the check-in process is straight out of 1950s. As mentioned earlier, my people also do not believe in the importance of time. We run on IST: Indian Standard Time, not International Standard Time. Your flight may be delayed by an hour but nobody announces it through the system, or even changes the status on display boards. And good luck getting a gate agent to give you a departure or arrival time. I am surprised they didn't say "what's the hurry man? we'll leave when we leave" in typical Indian style.
This is not even the worst part. Changing flights in Mumbai is the worst. I swore off connecting in Mumbai many years ago because it is worse than a bus terminal in a 3rd world country. But, a friend told me it has improved and is not as bad as before. I should kick my friend in his junk for misleading me. Mumbai airport is worse than what I remember. Imagine waiting on the lower level, in a 98 degree humid heat at 11pm (NO air conditioning), with no idea when your next plane will take off, and nobody giving you any updates. It all started to boil and culminated in angry passengers throwing punches in line. Told you this airport is worse than a bus terminal in a 3rd world country.
Air India loses a point because they still subscribe to the archaic check-in processes at Mumbai airport unlike other airlines. Why do I have to handover my duty-free alcohol to some weird looking guy by the gate and collect it when I land at the next airport? What kind of a rule is this? What do you mean I am not allowed to carry my own duty-free alcohol?
It is a well known fact among airports that people who travel on Air India (aka, MY people) bring luggage enough for an entire village. That is because Air India allows more weight than other airlines. It is interesting watching a family of four (2 adults + 2 kids) carry 16 pieces of luggage that are going to burst any minute.
So, despite serving good food, and having the BEST flight attendants on board, Air India does not score 5 stars because of its archaic check-in system and weird security rules. You would expect a country that produces almost 25% of world's computer geeks to have a website that is not stuck in the neanderthal age. Their website is primitive at best, and useless at worst.
I shouldn't really bitch about all this when I flew to HYD (only one connection) for a measly $680 round trip, including all taxes and fees...right? That's what my momma said!
Mom: what do you expect for $680? A royal treatment?
Me: But mom, dad always told us we are royalty
Mom: yeah, that was your great great grandfather... your father is a physician, not a king.
Me: thanks for ruining my dreams, mom!
Wonderful service, modern interiors in the airplanes, and sometimes you can get a better price going to Europe via Air India than some of the European airlines. Check them out!
I think the reviews of Air India are pretty accurate. I have been flying this airline internationally since I was one of those annoying children. I have never had a bad flight and the air hostesses have always been extremely accommodating (I can't say the same for any of the US airlines).
What's spot on is that flying with large hordes of Indians can be extremely annoying because of the constant "me first" attitude. But any flight to India (e.g., American direct Chicago to Delhi, Air France to Bangalore) has this problem. It's just how things go if you want to get anything done in India, so I try not to let it bother me.
I flew air india to and from Frankfurt last week. I made the mistake of reading online reviews AFTER i booked the ticket, and panicked. I was transferring to Olympic Air in Frankfurt and a serious delay could mean missing my connection.
No worries!
Let me just say this:
First off, I've been to India before. I love Indian food, I feel like I know a little something about Indian culture, and I like it all.
Second, I understand that there's a difference between an airline's performance and its passengers. But, since in this case the passengers are specific to the airline- there won't be this many Indians on a US-owned flight- it is a consideration. I say this because Indian folks tend to use less deodorant, tend to bring more kids on long-haul flights, tend to check more bags, etc. If this annoys you, don't fly Air India.
So... the airline itself I have only one complaint about, and that's the Chicago check-in process. For a full 474 flight they had only two counters running. Everyone was checking the maximum number of the biggest bags possible. And there were no warnings about carry-ons. Once we were all waiting at the gate, they decided to announce a 1-bag carryon policy and enforce it by walking through the gate pointing at bags that must be checked. So, there was a second check-in line at the gate. That was really frustrating, but I smuggled my bag through. (I was afraid it wouldn't make it to the next flight.)
The food was fantastic, the meal was huge. There were personal screens behind every seat in coach. There were lots of babies and children on the flight, but that happens. The plane was old and little things were broken, but nothing serious.
The other BIG problem was luggage on the return. A full 474 where everyone checks 2-3 giant suitcases was bound to overflow and shut down the baggage belt at O'Hare. It seriously took more than an hour for all the bags to be offloaded, and I still couldn't find mine. I assumed it missed the transfer from another airline and filled out a lost bag report. It was 2 1/2 hours after our landing before I left O'Hare, bagless.
Two days later, my bag was delivered to my house. It was completely intact even though I hadn't locked it. No worries!
I'd fly Air India again, but only if it continued to be cheaper than alternatives.
I took this airline going to London. I got a great deal on airfare, but really hated the service. The check-in lines were insanely long. The plane was jam-packed. The air hostesses were not acommodating. Next time, I will definitely be paying a little extra and flying a better, more acommodating airline!
I had the pleasure of traveling on Air India for my very first international flight! I had previously read horror stories about the airline, so I was a little skeptical. However, the price was extremely reasonable and the service, to my amazement and relief, was fantastic. The staff was very accommodating and attentive. I did not have a single problem with the service! I am so happy with Air India that I will be sure to book Air India, if possible, for my next flight!