[catchjyoti]

Tata's to put $400 mn for makeover of Air India cabin interiors.

• will overhaul interiors of 3rd of the fleet
• to start with long-haul Boeing's
• premium economy class to be added to B787-8 & B777

[SuperGirl_Dad]

What happens when sheer incompetence meets absolute ineffectiveness - you get a transfer to Air India domestic flight at Mumbai Airport.

Air India - (noun): Incompetence; arrogant; useless; pathetic

STAY AWAY FROM Air India AT ALL COST.

Had a nightmare experience after reading so many positive stories about Air India.

Prelude: 2013 used Air India (then Indian) from NYC to DEL direct flight; what was a 13 hr normal flight turned out to be 18 hr, due to technical fault observed at the last minute after passenger boarding. We sat on the tarmac for 5 hours before taking off. Vowed never to fly Air India then.

After reading so many positive reviews here booked Doha to Chennai flight on Dec 1st through Mumbai.

Perceived advantages: good timing; 25 kg domestic leg luggage.

Doha-Mumbai (Air India express) was delayed by half hour for no reason. Had 2.5 hours for transferring to Air India Mumbai - Chennai flight. We have to pick luggage and check in back to Air India domestic flight. Landing in Mumbai to be at 2:30 am and Chennai connecting flight at 5:15 am. Believed 2.5 hr was a nominal time for transferring at an airport. But what ensued was chaos and despair.

Dec 1 had the worst experience in Mumbai airport; as reported in many media:

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/mass...o-down-3569526

https://www.newindianexpress.com/cit...t-2524081.html

They had only 6 kiosks for 5 plane full of passengers (~1000 passengers) in Immigration .

Absolutely No communication. There were 3 lines - Indian passport, Foreign passport and Baby in Hand. One poor couple (with foreign passport) stood nearly 1 hour before us with a wailing toddler, the officer had the guts to ask them to go back and stand in the foreign passport line. Any human with atleast half a brain will think twice to shout at a foreign couple with a baby for standing in a "baby in hand" queue.

Mumbai Airport - you are pathetic; sack the immigration officers for being so rude.

Completed immigration with 45 minutes remaining for domestic check in. The air India personnel said check in closes 1 hr before flight departure. But requested due to the extraordinary delay at immigration. The crazy lady at counter suggested I do carry on for all the luggage (including a 23 kg international suitcase). But security personnel did not allow that. I pleaded if they can help us. It was not only me that was affected, many people lost their connecting flight. Since boarding is not complete and i reported just after checkin close, they said they can accommodate my family in next flight at 9 am.

What happened next was even more comical if I think about it now. I had paid 15 k for Mumbai Chennai flight for 3 passengers. Now the 9 am flight was retailing for 30 k. So i believed Air India would give me those tickets if I pay the remaining 15k. But the lady at the counter insisted I pay all of 30k. I asked behind the reason for this and the reply was 15 k balance after deducting initial ticket and a "penalty" of 15 k for reporting late. I last all sense to fight these clowns. It was 4:45am in the morning and had a half asleep toddler. I paid the amount and reached Chennai at 11 am.

Advise to anybody who read this -

STAY AWAY FROM Air India AT ALL COST.

I dont care about the money and time I've lost. I'm not going to get back either of them. But I want nobody else to suffer this misery.

[Totoro11]

Like everything else in India, good or bad experience traveling AI is a matter of chance/luck/karma whatever you choose to call it. For me it has always been a mixed bag making it difficult to completely rule it out.

During govt ownership days, i liked them for not being commercially cut-throat like other airlines of the time. The baggage allowance was always good and so was the legroom. Yes, you had to bear with a couple of broken handrests and tv screens but the regular simple indian food was always satisfying (unlike the fancy dishes served on Jet and Kingfisher). Perhaps due to rigid seniority rules, junior/younger crew was assigned on non-metro routes and they did their job very well.

I still take Air India if the fares and timings are suitable. One difference i have noticed after Tata Ownership is that the quality of food has gone down a notch. Rest of the things like on-time departure and arrival, check-in+ground staff behavior and efficiency seem to be improving. Hopefully the Maharaja will rub shoulders with Emirates and Singapore Airlines one day.

[MT_Hyderabad]

My experience with a recent Alliance air booking using Easemytrip.

Booked a flight ticket for in-laws for 9th Nov. 8 pm.
Flight was rescheduled to morning 7 am (same day), which we cannot use. Hence, had to cancel.
First cancelled via Alliance air helpline then cancelled through Easemytrip.

Easemytrip asked to upload the proof that I cancelled the booking, which (cancellation SMS) I uploaded to their website. I called them back and they asked me to wait.

Now the real story starts, even after 20 followup calls to them (Easemytrip and Alliance air) nothing moved. They just asked me to wait for 24 to 48 hours.

Finally got the refund two days back.

From 9th Nov to 18th Dec. for a cancellation refund is too much.

[Hawk4]

Recently did a Hyderabad-Delhi-Hyderabad trip and i find it lot better than before. On time and excellent crew along with very good food.

[PPS]

Originally Posted by MT_Hyderabad

My experience with a recent Alliance air booking using Easemytrip.

Alliance Air is owned by the Government of India. It wasn't part of the AI-Tata deal!

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by MT_Hyderabad

My experience with a recent Alliance air booking using Easemytrip.

Booked a flight ticket for in-laws for 9th Nov. 8 pm.
Flight was rescheduled to morning 7 am (same day), which we cannot use. Hence, had to cancel.
First cancelled via Alliance air helpline then cancelled through Easemytrip.

...................

My experience with Easemy trip has also been quite bad. Tried rescheduling AI trip just before Covid restriction came into effect, to no avail.

In contrast booking through AI site is a breaze and both cancellataion and rescheduling go through smoothely. Recently my wife travelled to Chennai. The flight was rescheduled from 1600HRS to 1700HRS. AI sent both SMS and e-mail. They also gave an option of free reschedule to any other flight.

On top of that the fascilty fee chared by AI is much lower than Easemytrip or Makemy trip, and in our case Senior Citizen discount is easy to avail of.

So plesse book directly and avoid Easemy trip if your plans are not firm.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by SuperGirl_Dad

the reason for this and the reply was 15 k balance after deducting initial ticket and a "penalty" of 15 k for reporting late. I last all sense to fight these clowns.

It seems you had two different PNR's else AI would have issued a boarding pass for the destination at the origin itself. Per prevailing custom rules, you would have still collected the baggage but could have used a direct drop-off on a domestic flight. Also, AI would have accommodated you on the next flight if the delay was due to the coming flight/ immigration.

Our Airports, as well as many across the world, are a mess right now. I always prefer to take a direct flight or keep 3-4 hours in case of connecting, especially where immigration/ baggage is to be handled.

[chinkara]

Originally Posted by SuperGirl_Dad

Mumbai Airport - you are pathetic; sack the immigration officers for being so rude.

These days I avoid Indian domestic transit for International flights like plague. Dubai, Doha, Muscat, Manama, Bangkok, Singapore all are preferable. Mostly it will be via Delhi or Mumbai, both are equally crap.

[SuperGirl_Dad]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Our Airports, as well as many across the world, are a mess right now. I always prefer to take a direct flight or keep 3-4 hours in case of connecting, especially where immigration/ baggage is to be handled.

The direct flight was at early morning 2:30 am and lands at Chennai at 9:30 am. Whole night will be ruined for traveling with toddler. But with transit at Mumbai airport sleeping time could be managed and reach earlier at 7:30 am. Yeah had two different PNRs booked but also had 3 hour transit time. What irked was no communication from airport or Air India officials for the computer malfunction at immigration. Domestic leg staff asked me to try and take 23 kg international suitcase as carry on baggage.

Originally Posted by chinkara

These days I avoid Indian domestic transit for International flights like plague. Dubai, Doha, Muscat, Manama, Bangkok, Singapore all are preferable. Mostly it will be via Delhi or Mumbai, both are equally crap.

Transit flight provide better time management for traveling with kids. Fell for this and burnt finger.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by SuperGirl_Dad

They had only 6 kiosks for 5 plane full of passengers (~1000 passengers) in Immigration .

Absolutely No communication.

Sorry for the trouble you had to go through.

Like Turbanator mentioned, airports the world over are a complete mess right now. It’s best to keep as much time as possible in hand.

About immigration - I guess that’s the usual way they operate. It’s not specific to India either. I have spent upwards of 3 hrs in EU immigration queues on a few occasions. I now try to time my flights at odd hours just to avoid the immigration rush. You can’t obviously avoid your co-passengers but can definitely avoid a time when multiple international flights arrive in quick succession. But, it is not always possible.

Sadly, you don’t usually get to know of the immigration delays until the moment you reach the queue. I make it a point to freshen up, grab some water, chocolate etc before I queue up fully expecting and being prepared for delays.

[xotiq]

Last domestic on AI was BLR-CCU during 2010 which I remember vividly as I had to rush to meet my newborn son. Decided to try out AI last week. Booked AI 505 BLR-DEL, and landed 6 minutes earlier than scheduled. Service was good, food was ok, decently maintained aircraft (A320-251N, 4 years old). Planning to book AI for Jan as well, hopefully service stays the same..!

[V.Narayan]

On 21st December an older relative of mine , in his 80s, started to collapse while waiting at the gate in Delhi's T3 to board his Air India flight. His wife, also elderly, sought help from the Air India staff at the gate and a company doctor was brought in within minutes to attend to my relative. She gave him an injection for extreme high blood pressure. Soon thereafter we moved him to a hospital in South Delhi. First time in my traveling life I have seen medical help actually being available at an airport.

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

company doctor was brought in within minutes to attend to my relative. She gave him an injection for extreme high blood pressure. Soon thereafter we moved him to a hospital in South Delhi. First time in my traveling life I have seen medical help actually being available at an airport.

Is it Medanta staff? They have a Medical clinic in T2 and T3. My mother used their service one time when she was unwell. A god-send service, especially for elderly folks.

[Arun_S]

Originally Posted by SuperGirl_Dad

Mumbai Airport - you are pathetic; sack the immigration officers for being so rude.

As another gentlemen mentioned, try to avoid as much as possible, transiting through Indian Airports and Sorry to say specifically Mumbai.

Not sure is it due to high workload as the volume of people is huge, they are in bad moods most of the times.