News

Rupay Exclusive Lounge in Delhi Airport, Terminal T3: A short review

I happened to visit it this morning and wanted to share a review while I sit in my plane which has been delayed due to crew crossing Flight Duty Time limits.

BHPian jimnylife recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

A new Rupay Exclusive lounge has opened at Terminal 3 Domestic Delhi Airport. I happened to visit it this morning and wanted to share a review while I sit in my plane which has been delayed due to crew crossing Flight Duty Time limits.

Location: Gate number 41, Domestic Terminal 3
Access via : Only Rupay Credit Cards INR 2 per person. Scan the QR Code for entry. Although one of my Rupay CCs did not have lounge access, when I scanned and paid through that card it allowed access. So I guess any Rupay credit card whether or not it has lounge access is allowed.
Review:

Food- Visited at 10am on a Friday morning. Only 4 people in the whole lounge. Breakfast spread consisted of Idli- Sambar, Pav-Bhaji, Chicken Sausages, Spinach-Corn. Tea/coffee/cold drinks.
Food was good, nothing to complain about.

Service- Since there is very less crowd, staff is very very attentive and attends to everyone personally. I hope the same continues going forward.

Ambience- Very bright and pleasing decor. There is a section facing the airside and that’s what an Avgeek needs in an airport lounge. Can sit and watch planes all day here. There’s a gaming room as well with 3 Playstations Another reason to come early to the airport. Since it’s located away from the general food court area, that is also another reason for it to be less crowded.





















Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 

News

My experience at new airport terminals at Tiruchirapalli & Pune Airport

While one was a breeze to navigate and leagues ahead, the other was a royal pain and my experience here was far from satisfactory.

BHPian vigsom recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Introduction

This is a quick account of my experiences at two new airport terminals in India - the lesser-known Tiruchirappalli (code TRZ), and the great headache, also known as Pune (PNQ). One was a breeze to navigate, while the other was a royal pain. Read on to know more.

How did I get to use the all-new terminal at Tiruchirapalli (TRZ)

A few facts about the Tiruchirapalli Airport are contained here. I had to make an official trip to Hubballi. Rather than go to Bengaluru by a slow train, and then find my way from there, I discovered that there was this early departure to Bengaluru connecting to Hubballi after a five-hour wait.

Highlights of the trip:

  • Experiencing the all new Terminal of Tiruchirapalli International Airport
  • Taking a super short flight into Bengaluru
  • Experiencing a super long wait at Bengaluru
  • Taking an ATR72 aircraft to Hubballi

Experiences at Tiruchirapalli International Airport

Getting to the airport early in the morning needs some planning. Most local folks rely on the Red Taxi aggregator service, but I played it safer by booking a cab via Best Track, another service provider. I got an immaculately maintained WagonR which took me there in less than 20 minutes. For those of us who have used this airport earlier, it was the old terminal operating until a few months back. The new terminal promised that little step up in style, but it turned out to be quite a fast passage too. From entry to my gate, I was done in less than 10 minutes.

What I liked

  • New terminal minus the crowd
  • Not overdone at all

What could have been better

  • Bins at security check are almost the micro kind - just about hold a 14" laptop
  • Check in can be a hassle if there are three or four international departures bunched together

 Entry - note the top of the "Gopuram" visible at departures level

Motif

Walking towards check in - this quite resembled the Chennai's old International departures (I think it is called Terminal 4 now)

Walk post Security - hardly any passengers at that time

Gate 2

More gates

View of the tarmac

Wanna catch forty winks? Tucked away in one corner

Old terminal (now Cargo), as viewed from the new one

An A320 passing by a parked ATR72

So near the aircraft, yet so far. I always wonder why passengers cannot just walk across to the waiting aircraft (a normal practice in Pune)

Continue reading vigsom's airport experience for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

 

News

Non-stop Air India flight from US to India: Economy Class experience

The aircraft for the main flight was a 17-year-old Boeing 777-300ER. It had the Start Alliance livery rather than the standard Air India livery.

BHPian Foxbat recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

I just flew economy class from Newark (about 10 miles from NYC) to Lucknow with a stopover in New Delhi with Air India. After reading all the negative reviews, Air India was never going to be considered but the airline was offering the cheapest fare and that too a direct flight! In my dozens of trips between India and the US, I have never flown a direct flight so I thought I would take a risk. I have never flown AI on an international flight either.

AI 106 flight from Newark, NJ to New Delhi was non-stop and took about 12.5 hours (a little before the scheduled time) and the distance was about 12,000 km. The flight from New Delhi to Lucknow was just 45 minutes and 400 km.

The aircraft for the main flight was a 17-year-old Boeing 777-300ER Registration VT-ALJ named "Bihar". It had the Start Alliance livery rather than the standard Air India livery.

Check-in and security check was a breeze and was done within 15 minutes. I was traveling on a long weekend so I got to the airport 3 hours 40 minutes before departure and was pleasantly surprised by the experience. This is the fastest check-in and security check experience in my entire international traveling career including times when I had dedicated counters and lines for premium class of travel.

Boarding was a bit chaotic but the blame lies more with the passengers rather than the airline. No one wants to listen to instructions and just wants to get on board as quickly as possible. The seats are old and a bit dirty but they have huge legroom. I'm 5'11 and I had a pretty comfortable experience sitting for nearly 13 hours. The legroom is more than some US domestic airlines' "Business Class" and even some low-cost carrier's international Business Class.

I read in the reviews the airline doesn't provide any blankets, pillows, earphones, screens don't work etc. so I had come prepared and had brought my own. However none of this was true, everything was provided although the quality was a bit questionable. The earphones didn't fit to entertainment system but you could screen on your phone via closed Wi-Fi.

The AI crew was efficient, kind and well-trained. They have to put up with all types of nonsense from Indian passengers with a smile and I admire their calmness in stressful circumstances. My flight was delayed by 15 minutes because a passenger thought he could sit in an empty business-class seat because it was empty before take off! The air hostesses spent a considerable time asking him politely to go back to his seat before he finally agreed. If this was a US airline they would have promptly called the police and he would have been thrown off the flight. On a recent Delta flight (which was delayed by 18+ hours!) I was talking to an old lady next to me and we were wondering if the flight had been cleaned after so much delay. The big brawny air steward stood over us and said menacingly "Is there a problem here?"

The interior is pretty dated and needs a thorough cleaning and updating. The washrooms were clean however and I liked they provided magazines to read even to economy passengers. I managed to read India Today after probably more than a decade.

Two main meals and two snacks were served during the flight. Quality was decent and definitely better than what I have experienced on my recent travels. I recently travelled Business class on American Airlines NYC to SF (5+ hours flight) and was served chips and soda as lunch!

I am a collector of scale model aircraft and while on the flight I remembered I have a model of an Air India 777 and upon checking at home I realized it was of the exact same aircraft I was flying on. I had acquired this model 6+ years ago and posted it on the Scale Aircraft thread.

The aircraft earlier had the standard livery (as depicted by the model) but had later been painted the Star Alliance livery.

Massive GE GE90-115B engine over the Himalayas in Kashmir.

De-boarding was a bit chaotic but again this is more due to the passengers not listening to instructions rather than the crew. My New Delhi to Lucknow trip was uneventful and on time onboard a new A320 NEO.

Snacks were served even on the short 45-minute flight. Another great plus of AI is they send updates on WhatsApp about the flight status and when they receive your luggage which is very helpful.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by the experience. The direct flight from the US to India, decent food, great legroom and the cheapest fare are all huge plus points and I would definitely recommend AI on this route and try it again in the future.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 

News

Indigo plans Delhi-Gurgaon Air Taxi service by 2026

The flight time is expected to be just 7 minutes and could cost around Rs 2,000-3,000.

InterGlobe Enterprises, the parent company of Indigo, is collaborating with US-based Archer Aviation to launch an all-electric air taxi service in India by 2026.

Indigo will operate the air taxis between Connaught Place in Delhi and Gurgaon in Haryana. The flight time is expected to be just 7 minutes and could cost around Rs 2,000-3,000. By road, it takes about 90 minutes to cover the 27 km distance and would cost about Rs 1500.

Archer Aviation will supply 200 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft at a cost of US$ 1 billion. These can carry up to 4 passengers besides the pilot. The aircraft is powered by six battery packs, which can be charged in 30-40 minutes. 

The FAA certification process for Archer's 5-seater Midnight eVTOL aircraft is currently in an advanced stage. It is expected to receive its certification next year, following which, the company will initiate the process for certification by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).  

In addition to Delhi, Indigo and Archer Aviation also plan to launch their air taxi services in Mumbai and Bangalore.

Source: NDTV

 

News

Why people prefer these airlines in India

IndiGo has the largest aircraft fleet but it's a low-cost airline whereas Vistara is a full-fare airline but does not have a large fleet and doesn't have flights to many destinations.

BHPian Aditya recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Your preferred Airline Carrier in India & Why

About 4 decades ago, we used to have just a handful of airline carriers in India. However, since the 1990s, many players entered the fray. Sadly not all have survived. Many have declared bankruptcy - the latest being the Wadia Group-owned Go First.

At present, the skies are dominated by two players - InterGlobe Aviation Limited and the Tata Group. While the former operates IndiGo, the latter runs Air India, Air India Express and Vistara (a joint venture with Singapore Airlines). In 2023, the two groups had a combined domestic market share of 81.3% with IndiGo ferrying 56.2% of the country’s passengers and the Tata Group flying 25.1%.

Image Source

Image Source

It must be noted that in 2022, AirAsia India was acquired by Tata Sons and renamed AIX Connect. It was then merged with Air India Express. The combined entity has a domestic market share of ~7-8%.

Image Source

With the grounding of Go First, by September, IndiGo's market share grew to 63.4%, while the Tata Group held 26.5%. Other operators include SpiceJet and Akasa Air. The former holds just 4.4% market share, while the latter is still a fledgling that has been in service for just ~17 months and holds a market share of 4.2%.

Image Source

Image Source

Each airline has some strong points and drawbacks. Let's have a look at those of the two largest players in our skies today.

IndiGo has the largest fleet of all airline carriers in India. It flies to the most number of destinations and has multiple flights in a day. This gives customers many options to choose from. This means that more often than not, fliers are booking their seats on an IndoGo flight compared to other airlines. However, IndiGo is a low-cost airline. The seats in their aircraft are basic and food is not included in the fare. You can buy snacks on the flight, but if you want something like a sandwich, it needs to be pre-booked.

Image Source

Vistara, which holds ~10% market share, operates its flights on a full-fare basis. They have economy and business class seats. The latter is very comfortable and a boon on longer flights (eg. New Delhi - Chennai). While their economy seats are no more comfortable to sit in than say IndiGo's they offer infotainment screens and USB charging ports. Being a full-fare airline, fresh food is served, which is far better than the packaged stuff you get on low-cost carriers. Coming to drawbacks, the airline does not have a large fleet and doesn't fly to many destinations.

Image Source

So, which is your preferred airline carrier in India and why?

Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:

My first choice is Vistara, then getting one of the good seats in economy class. I usually pay to upgrade the seat to one of those extra-legroom types so I can work on my laptop. 2nd choice is Indigo. I now pick Indigo only if Vistara isn't available around my preferred timings, but the seat quality & customer service levels trail Vistara. Half the time I travel in Indigo, my butt hurts because the seatbase cushion has completely worn out and offers poor support.

As a rule, I never travel on broke or struggling airlines, so I don't even remember the last time I'd taken a Spicejet, GoAir etc.

Here's what BHPian Axe77 had to say about the matter:

Voted Vistara.

Whether it’s personal or work travel, my EA / travel desk has been told only to give me Vistara and Indigo flight options in the first instance. I’ll generally book Vistara pre eco unless the price is just way too high for any reason. The quality of service for Vistara is simply a notch above everything else.

With Indigo, I think they just cover more routes, for the most part, are clockwork efficient and predictable - wherever possible, I try to upgrade to one of the early rows. Again an airline I appreciate for its integrity of purpose executed with (for the most part) clinical precision. No nonsense, get the work done sort of dependable.

I only check options from other airlines if the above two are not feasible for whatever reason. I’ve found Spicejet to be erratic, I’ll give AI some time to settle in under the new owners and Akasa is something I’d like to try when I’m flying the relevant sector. But as of now, it's still down to only these two. I’ll always avoid stressed airlines because they cancel or reschedule far too often. That’s just not the kind of uncertainty or sub par experience I like to deal with.

Here's what BHPian ABHI_1512 had to say about the matter:

VOTED- AIR INDIA

Having voted for Air India, I know that I would be in the minority. My preference for Air India stems from the following points:

  1. They fly to most of the destinations that are shunned by most of the airlines in business. For North East India, they are a lifesaver since they have been providing connectivity to far-flung areas for a very long now. I still remember taking flights out of Jorhat and Lilabari during my childhood and flying only meant Indian Airlines which has been now renamed as Air India.
  2. Their baggage policy is still one of the best. In the domestic sector, they provide more luggage space than economy carriers like Indigo and Spicejet despite charging less for the fare.
  3. They have now started to shed the typical Air India traits that have plagued the airlines for so long now and my recent flying experiences have been top-notch with them, even for short-haul flights.
  4. Flights have been getting refurbished and there is a marked improvement in the food variety as well. Someone somewhere is doing the right things in order to set the airline right.
  5. The staff behaviour is getting better each day. Far cry from the usual boorish or high-handed behaviour days. In fact, these days I find the behaviour of Indigo people as worst.
  6. Most importantly, Air India is making an effort to make flying a wonderful experience again.

I would have voted for Indigo for their clock-like precision but for the fact that they are now looting passengers in the name of being low cost and are too boring. Corporate bookings aside, I don’t usually fly them. Their fares have grown so much that at times, prices are higher than even full-service carriers. Charging for everything while denying the basic services in the garb of being low cost is just not on. Their seats are basically cloth-wrapped plastic and they get away by saying that they are low cost… such a shame!

Vistara is a fantastic airlines and I have had a pleasant experience every time till date. Just that they only fly to high-density routes.

Here's what BHPian V.Narayan had to say about the matter:

Spice and Go Air (till it flew) were out of the question. I simply do not trust their maintenance or their training. Period. Also, cash-strapped airlines run by billionaire playboy wannabes and politico wannabes are likely to cut corners intentionally or unintentionally. Air Asia India/Air India Express I have never flown and cannot comment upon.

Akasa I'll wait and watch. The jury is still out. They have not got their act together yet. I am willing to assume that Aditya Ghosh will over time get his ducks in a row. They first need to learn point 1.01 of getting the flight to take off on time.

Indigo has only one thing going for it and that is on-time service most of the time at least. Staff courtesy, staff attitude have deteriorated. And check-in with baggage on metro-to-metro flights has taken a thrashing to being a downright horrid experience. The snacks in their corporate pre-booked meal is something I have topped. They are beginning to look more and more like Ryan Air and EasyJet where callousness towards passengers is a part of the product.

Two CXO-level officers at Indigo whom I knew very well quit over the last 12 months. From what I hear cost cutting, automation, cookie cutter bare bones service is their strategy now; the passenger is a number on the fast-moving production line. My guess is, pardon my French, the middle finger attitude of the staff starts from the top at Indigo. I am still compelled to use Indigo as often theirs is the only conveniently timed flight, especially to non-metros. This I hope will change over the next 2 years.

Air India and Vistara are my preferred airlines as of now even though Vistara economy seat leg space is terrible unless you can manage to get an emergency row seat. Air India's check-in is still wobbly in the metros where the volumes are high. But their cabin service is getting better and the new A350 on metro routes would I presume have comfortable seats and adequate leg space in economy.

My vote is for Air India and Vistara - both equally preferable.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 

News

My experience flying domestic Premium Economy on revamped Air India

The food tasted decent, having flown this route multiple times across Air India and Vistara. For an airplane meal, I will rate it above average.

BHPian Flyingthorugh recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Flight details:

  • AI 687 SERVICE- ECONOMY CLASS SEAT- PREMIUM ECONOMY
  • BOEING 777-200LR (ex-DELTA) Y- 4*7 = 28
  • PE- (2+4+2) *6 = 48
  • E- (3+3+3) * 22 + 22 = 220
  • SEAT RATING – BUSINESS (DELTA ONE) – 8.5/10
  • PREMIUM ECONOMY (DELTA PREMIUM SELECT) – 8.0/10

ECONOMY - -/10 (yet to be reviewed)

I travelled Air India’s most popular route Mumbai (BOM) - Delhi (DEL) onboard their new 777-200LR which also serves Air India’s route to San Francisco from Mumbai (AI 179) and Bengaluru (AI 175). This is a scheduled daily flight operated only by Air India’s widebody 777 aircraft, with the 777-200 and 777-300 alternating on the route.

Booking:

I made the booking through HDFC Infinia’s Smartbuy portal providing me with approximately 15% of the total booking amount as points. These points can be redeemed for future bookings or can be transferred to select airline loyalty programmes. My preferred manner to redeem HDFC points is by transferring them to my Vistara account and redeeming it against flights. Upon transferring points, I can book a flight on the route BOM-DEL, BLR-DEL, BOM-DED, BLR-DED for 5000 Vistara points. These flights ordinally cost anywhere from INR 5,500 to INR 10,000 (1.1x to 2x) depending on the route, increasing my adjusted benefit up to 30% of the cost of the ticket price.

Mumbai Airport:

Mumbai Airport has finally enabled DigiYatra service for all domestic passengers at Terminal 2. When entering the airport, I initially encountered an issue with DigiYatra gate, however, as I was standing in queue to enter the terminal it became operational, and I used the service. The revamped Terminal 2 at Mumbai Airport was inaugurated in January 2014 being home to all International Departures and Domestic Flights for Air India, Vistara, Indigo (shared with Terminal 1).

Luggage drop was quick, with the entire process taking less than 10 minutes. I was initially allotted seat 55H- a middle seat at the third last row, when I checked with the employee at the counter his computed showed that all seats were occupied, and no other seats were available something that does not align with the information I will receive ahead in my travel. The line at security was not long but unlike the usual efficient self, security took unnecessarily long. This was made worse by the poor implementation of DigiYatra at the Mumbai Airport. Unlike the Delhi Airport Terminal 3, DigiYatra passengers do not have a separate line for security and a general lack of directions was observed.

Lounge:

The Domestic Terminal of Mumbai Airport is served by three lounges.

  • American Express Centurian Lounge- Lounge providing seating for approximately 50 people, a small buffet, and an extensive ala-cate menu. The lounge is accessible only for American Express Platinum Charge Card and Centurian card holders, due to few people being eligible to access it the lounge is rarely full.
  • Adani Lounge (Airline Guest)- A separate area inside the Adani Lounge accessible to Business Class passengers, and passengers with appropriate Airline Frequent Flyer programme tier. This provides all the same services as the main Adani lounge, however, as this area is limited to only the guest of airlines it is not as busy and has less wear and tear.
  • Airport Lounge- The lounge provides an extensive buffet providing hot and cold meals, with cold drinks, coffee machine and live counters at certain times of the day. It is divided into two separate halls, Adani Lounge (main) and Loyalty Lounge (smaller lounge). A variety of credit and debit cards (almost every single card) grant access to the lounge evident by the long lines to enter these lounges. Extreme high rush, extreme wear and tear these lounges are soon becoming a sore spot in travel.

I visited the loyalty lounge, one of the two lounges accessible by Priority Pass at Mumbai Airport. The Loyalty Lounge is in much better shape than the Adani Lounge and usually has fewer people using it. I grabbed a bowl of soup, some pasta, and a dessert before running to my flight.

Today’s flight boarded from Gate 53, with our beautiful 777-200LR visible from the gate. The aircraft is a 20+ year old 777-200 delivered originally to Delta and recently refurbished by the airline before Delta retired the majority of its 777 fleet during COVID-19. Upon closer inspection of the aircraft its visible that the aircraft has been retrofitted to enable inflight Wi-Fi service. Upon inquiring at the boarding desk, I got to know that numerous empty seats were available on the plane and upgrade to Premium Economy would be possible. Although I was not able to get the upgrade, I was able to secure a premium economy seat with economy service (premium economy service was not available on the flight).

Note- Upon later enquiry it was brought to my notice that Air India does not provide separate elevated premium economy service domestically, resorting to economy class service)

Air India 777-200 at Mumbai Terminal 2

My new seat 20A

Retrofitted Internet antenna box visible on the 777

The boarding began 10 minutes after I arrived. Air India does not start boarding with business class or premium economy passengers, instead, it starts its boarding by something they call “pre-boarding.” Pre-boarding is the process of boarding passengers before allowing passenger to actually board onto the aircraft, with them simply having to stand on the aerobridge. In my experience this process is unique to Air India with no other airline (including sister airline Vistara) following such a procedure. The objective of such a procedure is to reduce the time taken to board passengers thereby increasing operational efficiency. In practice pre-boarding is horrible for passenger comfort, especially for premium class passengers as their priority boarding has no value anymore. In this particular instance the situation was managed in an acceptable manner, with the Air India staff escorting Business Class passengers to the aerobridge connecting to the front gate of aircraft.

Premium Economy Cabin onboard ex-Delta 777

Upon boarding the aircraft, I was greeted with a smile and welcomed to my seat with a pillow and earphones. The earphones were nothing to write home about, they were the basic plastic earphones sufficing their function. What was missing at the seat was an amenity kit. This is a good time to inform that in India domestically no airline provides any sort of amenity kit regardless of your class of travel. The premium economy cabin was relatively empty and offered substantial space in the overhead bins for passengers to store their luggage.

Premium Economy Seat 20-A – Wide, well-padded seat

Premium Economy vs Domestic Business Class:

In comparison to domestic business class offered by Air India on their A320/321, the seat is not as wide and does not offer quite as much leg room. With the dimensions reading a pitch of 38 inches and width of 19 inches against 40 inches and 21 inches respectively on the domestic business class product. While on paper the difference is only of two inches each way, when I first took the seat, I immediately noticed that the space was not quite as much as I recalled from my business class flight onboard Air India’s A320 from Mumbai to Patna. Another thing I immediately noticed was that the seat was made with long duration seating in mind, meaning that the seat was not super soft and had a slightly firm padding. The seat also slightly thinner as compared to the domestic seat, although that might be down to the harder padding used to make it more comfortable during the ultra-long-haul journey. The seat reclines offered in the premium economy seat is also significantly less than that offered in domestic business class.

Next thing which I noticed was the space between the two seats next to each other was also significantly less. This means that while you can easily place your full-size coffee cup or your iPad to watch content on the domestic seat, you can’t do the same on the premium economy seat. This is a minute detail which would greatly impact your experience on a long-haul travel.

Overall, while on the face of it the two seats look extremely similar, once you have experienced the two its quite easy to figure that there is a reasonable difference between the two, with each seat optimised for their dedicated purpose.

Air India 747:

Air India 747 stored at Mumbai Airport

While taxing to runway 09/27, the longer of the two intersecting runways at Mumbai, I spotted an Air India 747.

Another view of the Majestic Queen of the Skies

The aircraft registered VT-ESO is a 747-437 named Khajuraho, named after the Khajuraho group of monuments built by the Chandela dynasty in present-day Chatturpur, Madhya Pradesh. This 747 like the rest of Air India’s 747 fleet has been retired from regular service for more than half-a decade and has been stored at the airport for atleast last six years. The 747s used to be an integral part of Air India’s international operations, serving important routes such as those to Dubai, London, Toronto amongst a host of others. However, with rising fuel cost, aging aircraft and a lack of public demand, Air India retired the 747 from general operations and only used them to fulfil Haj demands. Current as per reports the remaining five aircrafts are up for sale. Interested buyers please contact Air India.

Taking off from Mumbai runway 09/27 heading west

The seat:

Headrest and seat cushioning

The seat onboard is a replica of the one you will find on the refurbished wide-body long haul Delta aircrafts. Air India has not brought any changes to the seat, they have not even changed the seat covers featuring the signature Delta Blue colour covering the entire seat only with no Delta branding anywhere to be seen in the cabin. This is understandable as the original seat covers don’t have any Delta branding, thereby reducing unnecessary cost and time-consuming process of replacing the seat covers.

The seat features a large headrest with four-way adjustment. The positioning and the movement offered by headrest is sufficient to be comfortable for people of all heights. A knee rest is also seen, with can be extended using one of the three buttons below the right armrest of your seat.

Seat recline

Seat arm rest

Seat in its fully stretched position

The recline on offer while more than economy was disappointing to say the least. While on paper it might not be able less than competition, -. However, with leg-rest extended and maximum recline you will definitely find it to be a comfortable place to seat. From your left armrest you can access the two-fold pull-out table providing you a sturdy place to keep your meal and any other item you may wish. Fully open the table is sufficient big to accommodate a 15–17-inch laptop and another small item comfortably. In between the two seats you will find a rather slim space designed probably to keep the welcome drink and other similar items. Funny enough the rectangle design between the seats perfectly fits my phone. Don’t know if that was an intentional design or just a happy coincidence, regardless it was amusing. Right below the right armrest and besides the seat adjustment buttons you will find a rather oddly located universal power point with a USB A port above it, and the remote to control your entertainment system. The location of the plug point is especially quirky considering that if you have a bulky charging brick, such as that of most laptops, the charging brick will encroach into the seat and can make it rather uncomfortable to seat with the charger plugged in. I was not able to test if the charging points were working, as my charging brick never seem to be able to plug into any airplane power socket, regardless of the airline, seat, class of travel and aircraft manufacturer.

Oddly located power socket along with USB Type A and entertainment system remote right next to it

Seat Entertainment System- Premium Economy bulk-head seat

As I was seated in one of the bulkhead seats, my screen extended through arm from the right of my seat. The screen was adjustable in height and angle making it a well-thought and comfortable bulk-head seat screen. The entertainment system features a high-resolution, touchscreen featuring a decent collection of films, movies, songs, and games. However, the entertainment system does not offer any external video cameras and it does not feature any sort of interactive map tracking fight status. In regards, to flight status, it offers a simple page displaying the current time, duration left in the flight and not much more.

Meal Service:

Vegetarian hot meal- Chole Kulche

After reaching the cruising altitude, the crew got into action and swiftly presented us with our meal choices. There were two offerings one in veg and one in non-veg. I opted for the vegetarian offering which featured chole-kulche as the main course. Note- no one in the premium economy section received any sort of menu indicating that Air India did not provide any premium economy service on this flight with every passenger receiving only the economy meals. The food tasted decent, having flown this route multiple times across Air India and Vistara, I have tried this meal on multiple occasions and the taste has always been consistent. For an airplane meal, I will rate it above average. I didn’t try the accompanying sweet, however, based on my previous experience it shall not be shabby either. I don’t recall being offered the option of tea or coffee, which was odd because on every other flight I have taken on this route I have always been offered the same (or I might not be recalling correctly). Either way, the flight meal was decent to good, nothing extraordinary nor something non-edible.

Descend and Landing:

Views of Sun setting down

After meal service was completed, I asked for a blanket which was provided soon. The thin Air India blanket while comfortable provided a bare minimum level of warmth. The evening flight offered beautiful views of North India. The lights were dimmed, and mood lighting turned on offering soft smooth comfortable journey for the remaining time.

Delhi at Night

The descent into Delhi began 20 minutes before the planned arrival, By the time we got to a lower altitude for landing, the houses, and streetlights lit the city in the nightly dark. While descending at a lower altitude the flight fired its engine to max power as the flight went for a go-around. The aircraft in front of us on their way to land experienced a bird strike, therefore the aborted landing.

10 minutes after the initial attempt at landing, our flight landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 18:45 pm on runway 11L/29R.

Flight route showcasing the go-around while landing at Delhi. (flightaware)

Delhi Terminal 3 – Walking to baggage collection.

Final Thoughts:

The premium economy offered on the 777-200 is a definite step above economy while being quite a bit below business class. The product on offer by Air India is well maintained and provides decent comfort, however, there is nothing groundbreaking about it. Against international competitors, it is an average product and Air India running Delta’s 2-4-2 Premium Economy layout means that the product for those seated in the middle rows is of much lower quality. Based on the details, we have on Air India's intended premium economy product expect a similar layout for their retrofitted airliners.

Inspite of the shortcomings, Air India is offering a high-quality product for its long-haul route which will be appreciated by all. The pricing of the flight on their domestic route makes it a no-brainer for anyone wanting to get a taste of premium products. On the long-haul route, the seat fulfils the comfort requirement and gives us a peek into the glory days for Air India to come. The service quality, like my recent flights on Air India, was absolutely fantastic with a crew that really felt like they enjoyed their work and from my interaction on another 777 flight (ex-Etihad Air India) crew love to serve on this plane.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information

 

News

Air travel: Why airport lounges are losing their appeal

The last time I sat in a lounge was in June this year and the experience was not pleasant let alone premium.

BHPian Aditya recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Travelling by air could be stressful. Catching a flight involves standing in queues, going through checks and if you are unlucky, long delays. After checking in your luggage and passing the security check, all you want is a peaceful and comfortable place to sit and relax or work. You might even want to have a good meal. This is not always possible as the seats near the boarding gates and restaurants are taken. You might also encounter some noisy folks.

Many years ago, lounges were introduced at airports. To get access to these lounges, one needed a membership, premium credit card or qualifying airline ticket (business / first class). In return, he/she got a quiet place with comfortable sofas and good food to pass his time and complete some work peacefully. The lounge was an exclusive place where only the affluent could enter. It was an aspirational place.

Image Source

Image Source

Of late though, things have changed. These lounges have become accessible to many more people and as a result, see long queues for entry. With just about everyone who walks into the airport getting access, lounges are losing their appeal. The last time I sat in a lounge was in June this year. It was pretty crowded and getting a good place to sit took time. With many people around, it was certainly not a peaceful or exclusive place. Some people were talking loudly on their phones, children were shouting and running around and only a few of the dishes on the food menu were palatable. What's more, pigeons were flying in and out of the place. All in all, the experience was not pleasant let alone premium.

Image source

With airports getting larger with more places to sit, I have quit using lounges and just opt for a corner seat with a charging point at hand. The number of restaurants and options available at food courts is also healthy.

Why has this happened? One of the reasons is that air traffic is increasing massively. Most fliers use low-cost airlines that do not serve meals on the flight. Food is priced exorbitantly at the airport as well. Those who have access to a lounge, get access to a buffet at a nominal price. As a result, the lounges drew crowds.

Credit card companies started offering complimentary entry into airport lounges. Many new cardholders got access to lounges even with cards that do not have an annual fee. Most people who fly have a credit card and with banks offering lounge access so easily, almost anyone walking into the airport could use the lounge. This made the cardholders happy, and banks, which were coming out of the COVID-19 slowdown were getting business. According to data from the Reserve Bank of India, over the last 5 years till March 2023, the number of credit cards had almost doubled to 85 million.

The number of people who visited lounges rose from 3.5 million in the financial year ended 2022 to 8.5 million in the financial year ended 2023. Dreamfolks, which claims to be India’s largest airport services intermediary, claims that 2.73 million people used lounges through their services in the July–September 2023 quarter, and 2.63 million people used lounges in April–June 2023. That is a total of 5.36 million people accessing the lounges using credit cards, operating on the Dreamfolks platform in six months.

However, not many of these cardholders are actually using credit cards to spend money, while the banks have to foot the bill for offering complimentary lounge access. It costs them ~Rs. 800 per person for domestic lounge access and ~Rs. 1,500 for international lounge access. Therefore, banks are now planning to cut lounge benefits. They are planning to offer spend-based access to their cardholders. This way, they hope to cut lounge usage by 20%. They also hope that lounges will start getting their premium feel back.

Source 1, Source 2

Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:

Airport lounges have become Y-U-C-K! Instead of joining the line to get in, indulging in free all-you-can-eat buffets of cheap food and jostling for space, I use the DigiYatra app, get to my boarding gate early, and enjoy the calm. My laptop is usually on, with a snack & a coffee. It's not uncommon for me to reach my boarding gate 90 minutes before the flight time.

On the other hand, "business class" only lounges (especially when flying international) are spectacular!

Here's what BHPian toiingg had to say about the matter:

Lounges had become like langars, with most of them there for the free food. With anybody with a credit card (heck, even some Debit Cards) being allowed entry, it got too crowded for its own good.

I have come across people sitting with their feet up on the opposite sofa as if it's a bus depot. It's a good thing that banks are finally cutting back on this freebie.

Here's what BHPian V.Narayan had to say about the matter:

Lounges at least in India's domestic terminals are not worth the hassle IMHO. I prefer, like Aditya above, to find a seat near the gate and read a magazine. Once in a rare while, I visit the Air India or Vistara lounge which as of now has entry based on ticket/frequent flyer status. On international legs, I use those lounges which offer a shower & a private toilet - that is real value IMHO. For a lot of folks still relatively new to the whole flying business access to a lounge is a new experience and has a novelty value. In a decade, this excitement will pass.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 

News

Domestic airlines of India: Our anecdotes, reviews & experiences

While our airports and airlines are light years ahead of where we were only 30 years ago it is no one's business that a lot more can be done on airline service.

BHPian V.Narayan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

All of us here on Team BHP, or most of us at least above age of 30, largely travelled long distance by train as children. Circa 1990 private airline carriers started entering service and it was only a decade later at the turn of the century that air travel became prevalent beyond the well-off and the business travellers.

With 123 cities connected by air and the Government working through the UDAN scheme to take that number to 400+ {492 locations to be exact} we will soon be seriously connected by air for passenger travel and small parcel transport {the fastest growing segment} to support all your buys on Amazon & Flipkart.

India is now the 3rd largest domestic air passenger market in the world after USA and China. Indonesia comes in 4th and Japan 5th. December 2022 which saw airport crushes at major airports especially Delhi saw a little over 13 million travellers that month. Not surprisingly the six busiest routes in India are, in that order, Delhi-Bombay, Delhi-Bangalore, Delhi-Bangalore, Mumbai- Bangalore, Delhi- Kolkata, Delhi - Hyderabad and Delhi - Pune. Indigo with a fleet of 295 machines and a seat capacity of ~99 million is the 8th largest in the world by seats.

While our airports and airlines are light years ahead of where we were only 30 years ago it is no one's business that a lot more can be done on airline service, punctuality, airport connectivity by road and metro. With a whole new segment of early travellers and first time travellers we do have the additional issue of passengers struggling with our many checks and procedures. It is very heartening for the socialist in me that air travel is now cheap enough to be affordable, financially and in terms of mental barriers, by society segments that would not have dreamed of it 15 years ago.

Gone are the days Indian Airline and Air India counter clerks would yell viciously at hapless passengers, where 50 of you fought desperately for those 2 waitlist seats, where despite burgeoning demand the Govt simply would not add more flights etc. But we can't rest on our laurels. Passenger needs and expectations have gone up and our infrastructure and service have to keep pace.

The biggest lacunae I observe is the lack of adequate surface {read metro} connectivity to our airports. If we need to cope sensibly with the numbers, we will face in 10 years then we need serious good quality bus and metro connections at our major 10 to 15 airports. The present system where the majority arrive by car or cab is unsustainable.

Indian carriers between them have 725 airliners in their fleet. A large number but not large enough. Studies indicate that if we charged less for aviation fuel and increased our fleet size by 50% all flights could still fill up.

Here's what BHPian vigsom had to say on the matter:

Valid points. Some from my side:

  • Until pre-COVID-19 days, air fares were still in order, but on many sectors post 2021, I've seen insane fares being published. Some solace (not sure if this is trouble brewing again) is that air fares are competitive on sectors that Akasa Air is flying on. Example : I could see Indigo offering fares as low as INR 3600 on BLR- BOM when Akasa Air was offering tickets for as low as INR 2943. This isn't sustainable, but the passenger wins as a result . But yes, given current fuel prices, and thr general state of affordability, a ticket priced at INR 7000 for a 2 hour flight is definitely within reach of a large section of air users.
  • Customer service is yet to move up to gold standard and my recent experiences with Vistara are a pointer to that. However, I feel sorry for the pressure that check in and gate agents have to go through at airports, large ones especially. On innumerable occasions, I've seen people throwing their weight around just because they hold air tickets; not done.
  • Chennai and Delhi have thankfully got metro connectivity, but I still see a huge demand for cabs. When I used to travel frequently on personal visits via BOM, the public transport fan in me would use BEST buses to connect from the Airport to Vile Parle or Andheri from where I'd take a train to Borivali or Mumbai Central for my onward connections. Same in Chennai - until 2014, MTC Volvos from the bus stop just outside the Airport used to offer comfortable transport for a mere 35 bucks. Volvos are gone now, but the bus connectivity is still tops there even now.

Sharing some again for the benefit of users:

  • Do not carry a print out, instead, download the boarding pass on the mobile phone and present it at gate entry to the terminal and at check in.
  • Be careful with your proof of identity as there are multiple check points and there is every chance of it getting misplaced.
  • Organize your USB drive, laptop charger, power banks, and mobile chargers in some packs such that taking them out of the hand baggage for security checks is an easy affair. I put the chargers and USB drive in one perforated case, my spare mobile, power bank and Bluetooth mouse in another pack. Key here is to keep metal objects and electronics separated ao that they get scanned without fuss, and the bags pass through without recheck.

Tip for Indigo flyers:

On one flight, I got my pre-booked meal just before commencement of descent, and this had happened to me a few times earlier too. On analysis, I found that four attendants start their service as follows (observations may be off by a row or two):

  • Attendant#1 - row 37 or 39 (last rows in an A321neo) backwards till around row 28.
  • Attendant#2 - rows 22-28.
  • Attendant#3 - rows 14-22.
  • Attendant#4 - rows 13 to 01

Which means, it pays to be seated in the last two or three rows to earn quick service.

Here's what BHPian ACMerchant had  to say on the matter:

Just did Mumbai - Madurai via Chennai in Air India.

  • Terminal 2 in Mumbai gets chaotic in peak times so plan accordingly for domestic flights.
  • The security check - if wearing sport shoes without any metal then no need to remove but for boots they have to be scanned.
  • Previously my camera bag was scanned without removing any equipment.But now have to compulsorily remove the camera & lenses and put them in the tray with the empty bag.
  • Air India will serve refreshments if flight time is more than 2 hrs also web checkin is not charged.

Return did Madurai-Surat via Chennai by Indigo.

  • The Madurai - Chennai flight (A320) at Chennai Airport had the conventional steps to deplane(taken by bus to the terminal)and not the aerobridge.
  • Again had to take a security check as separate boarding pass was issued for Chennai - Surat(at Madurai ).Never understood why transfer is not directed to the departure terminal (so that security check is not needed).
  • Indigo and others web check in is chargeable.

Here's what BHPian anjan_c2007 had to say on the matter:

Thanks Mr V. Narayan for posting such a thread. I would like to share an anecdote about travel by someone else on Vayudoot. I will share more personal anecdotes about Indian Airlines, Air India and Alliance Air (poor cousin of Indian Airlines) plus private airline travels soon.

Vayudoot: Air travel was newly inaugurated connecting Jabalpur to Indore, some three decades ago. The traveller was a senior office colleague in my govt department, who was eligible for official travel by air. Post the sixth pay commission all Central Group A officers are now eligible for air travel, but earlier it was a certain basic pay threshold that made only senior Group A officials eligible. Back to the topic, this official boarded the small aircraft, an old Dornier if I remember correctly, at Jabalpur. En route, the pilot missed the air route due to some reasons. He flew over the Howrah- Mumbai (via Jabalpur) railway line and somehow reached Indore. The aircraft was bouncing all the way perhaps due to air pockets (not pickpockets who abound in trains). The plane landed. We met him after some days to listen to his experience asking "Sir how was your travel by Vayudoot?". He replied curtly "much better than a government jeep. "

Here's whst BHPian sameer sultan had to say on the matter:

Akasa Air:

I recently flew the new kid on the block in Indian skies on 2 short flights BLR-MAA and MAA-BLR. Akasa Air operates a fleet of Boeing 737-8 MAX aircrafts the same infamous type of planes which were involved in 2 horrific crashes in 2018 and 2019 after which they were grounded by various airline regulators around the world. I had flown on the 737-8 MAX in September 2018 just a month before the Lion Air crash on Jet Airways metal after that in April 2019 I was booked on an Oman Air flight which was on the MAX but before my date of travel the MAX planes were grounded after the Ethiopian crash in March 2019 and Oman Air flew me on the 737-800.

Since the MAX were back on air I was apprehensive to fly them. Then Akasa Air started operations in India, they bought the 737-8 MAX planes at a heavy discount from Boeing as another airline had cancelled the order which Akasa picked up. I am sure Akasa would have done their home work before going for this particular aircraft type as Boeing, after coming under fire from the regulators have done re training of the pilots who fly the 737-8 MAX so they can be accustomed with the MCAS which was the primary reason for the twin crashes.

Coming to the review I found a convenient time and cheapest fare on Akasa when compared with other airlines flying on BLR-MAA sector.I did not opt for any add on’s as this was a short flight. Online check in has the option of Auto Assign seats if you select this option then one need not pay for the seat selection which ranges between Rs 250 - Rs 99. Once I selected Auto Assign seat option I got a prompt that the Boarding Pass will be delivered by email 6 hours before departure. We were a family of 4 I received the BP by email 6 hours before departure but the seats were assigned separately. Usually airlines seat family’s together when they assign the seats themselves I was surprised this was not the case with Akasa Air. When dropping the check in bags at the airport I asked the staff to re assign our seats together she informed it was a full flight hence that’s not possible.

Boarding was delayed by about 15 mins Akasa closes the boarding gates 25 mins before departure. Once in the cabin I lucked out with an empty middle seat though it was a full flight. The seats were basic but comfortable though the legroom was tight as I am 5’11 for context.I wanted to try coffee from the Akasa Cafe but the cabin crew said they don’t serve hot beverages on short flights.I was given a bottle of water as complimentary. The MAX 8 lavatory was compact when compared to Airbus 320 planes. The flight was smooth though the flying time is 35mins between BLR-MAA the pilot announced that we would be flying for 50mins due to air traffic congestion at MAA. So the flight went into a holding pattern for 15mins about 70kms before MAA.

Then a week later I flew MAA-BLR again on Akasa Air. This time the seats were assigned together for my family after I had selected auto assign seats at online check in. So I guess Akasa also follows the norm of seating families together like other airlines. The flight was not full this time and it was an on time departure and arrival with a flying time of 35 mins. The same night I flew Indigo and got a chance to compare the leg room with Akasa Air. I feel Indigo has better leg room than Akasa Air as my knees were not touching the seat in front unlike in Akasa.

Overall I have positive impressions about Akasa Air the planes are new cabin is clean and I believe Akasa Air has the best livery and best dressed cabin crew on Indian skies!If I find a cheap fare I’d fly them again though my preferred aircraft type is Airbus 320 series than the Boeing 737 series as I find the Airbus 320 aircrafts more spacious have better seat pitch and engine noise levels are much lower inside the cabin.

Some pictures:

Here's what BHPian fhdowntheline had to say on the matter:

First flew back in 1978, all of some 4+ years old, on an Indian Airlines Boeing 737-200, from BOM to GOI. I remember commenting how the clouds below looked like thick cotton sheets. They gave a big fat samosa and some toffees and earbuds back then. A parting souvenir was the B737 Safety card, printed in dark jungle green with the plane sketched on the front. I collected souvenirs of both of IACs mainline planes, B737 and Airbus A300B2 and my dad got some on planes which I never flew (HS748, Caravelle) . I vividly remember my first trip on the A300 as well, flying from BOM to DEL, and was allowed to visit the flight deck for a short while. It was a truly fascinating experience. The bonus was that I got to see Hema Malini who was seated amongst the first few rows on the way back to my seat. Imagine my delight ! But sadly, I vividly recollect those earlier childhood flights but since the industry opened up, most of the domestic trips have been just like glorified bus journeys sadly.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 

News

My one of a kind flight experience on an Indian Air Force aircraft

During take off, all passengers move to the cargo hold and stand against firmly fixed and netted cargo.

BHPian Amrik Singh recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

While we are discussing international and domestic airlines, an exceptional flight taken by me was aboard the Indian Air Force AN32 somewhere in 1987. I was flown from Delhi to an Air Force location near Bhubhaneshwar and returned two weeks later:

  • Take off: All passengers move to the cargo hold and stand against firmly fixed and netted cargo. Once airborne, move to the pressurised cabin and lock the cargo hold.
  • Seating: Steel bench type seats along the two sides of the plane. Someone sits on steel W/C which has a hanging curtain (missing). Some passengers sitting behind the elevated seats of pilots. Not much of heating.
  • Landing: Once descended considerably, open the cargo door, move over there and stand behind the cargo with back to it. After the aircraft has landed and come to a standstill, the cargo ramp is opened. Jump down as it may take a long time for the ramp to be lowered fully for cargo removal.

Incomparable with luxurious commercial flights, but a once in a lifetime experience for civilians.

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say on the matter:

That's a great anecdote.

Here in a lighter vein is a depiction from Tintin, of the old way of travel in those old war surplus DC Dakota Aircraft:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 

 

News

The best & worst international airlines: Our anecdotes & experiences

Where cabin service and check-in service go, United Airlines would be at the bottom of my list of major carriers hands down. I have many anecdotes of the rottenness of their service.

BHPian V.Narayan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Starting a new thread on experiences, good and not so good, on international flights. This thread is also meant to share advice, words of caution to fellow members & readers and provide helpful guidance about international air travel and airlines. Given the large number of Team BHPians who are flying international each day it is my hope this thread will be useful.

First some fun facts on air travel followed by a couple of my less pleasant experiences:

  • The world’s busiest air route is Seoul-Jeju both in South Korea with 17 million passengers*. In fact, amongst the top ten only one route is outside Asia and that is New Mexico-Cancun with 5.6 million pax. India’s top city pair is New Delhi-Mumbai with 4.9 million at rank 13th. The busiest international air route is Hong Kong- Taipei with 6.5 million pax. Interestingly all top 10 international routes are in Asia.
  • Business class in a rudimentary form came in 1978 with Pan Am, British Airways and Air France offering extra services and amenities to those economy class passengers who had paid a full economy fare. Qantas introduced the first separate Business Class, as we understand it today, in 1979.
  • Question: How long does the oxygen in an emergency mask last? Answer: The oxygen masks provided from above your seat, in the case of an emergency, are designed to give out a full 15 minutes of oxygen, enough to allow the pilot to lower the altitude of the plane to a level where the outside air pressure is breathable (around 10,000 feet or 3,000 meters).
  • One fact which ill-informed passengers and media do not believe is that the air on board an aircraft is very clean. In fact, roughly 40 percent of the air we breathe during a flight is being filtered through a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) system. The other 60 percent is fresh air that’s being brought on board from outside the plane. Cabin air is completely changed every three minutes, on average, while the aircraft is cruising.
  • Carrying cargo pays more than carrying passengers. An economy class ticket on an average covers its share of the costs and the discounted economy class ticket is most often only covering its share of variable costs.
  • KLM, the Dutch airline, is the world's oldest airline in continuous operation under its original name. It was formed in 1919. Aviance {Colombia}, Qantas and Aeroflot are the other three airlines with 100 years of unbroken service under the same same.

Back in May 1996 I was on a United Airlines flight from Paris to Washington DC. As a younger more struggling professional I was in economy. It was a Boeing 767 with a 2+3+2 seating. I was in window seat 'A' and a European {probably French} passenger in seat 'B'. Soon after take off my neighbour spoke to the air hostess in French and said something to the effect of ‘please change my seat, I don’t want to sit next to this black bum’. I understand enough of French {though I can’t speak the language} to know what he said and looked at the air hostess and said in English, ‘please oblige him’. And she changed his seat. The air hostess was a French lady and I got the impression that back in the day she felt the request made by that passenger was perfectly reasonable.

On another occasion in 2006 I was the solitary passenger in the business class cabin of Air India flying back from South East Asia {can't recall the port of embarkation} and the cabin crew after serving my meal all sat around in the empty biz class seats and talked endlessly at the top of their voices including playing film songs on a Sony walkman {remember those things}! I actually had to request them to maintain silence in the cabin as I wished to sleep. I'm grateful that at least after my polite but firm request they piped down.

Where cabin service and check-in service go, United Airlines would be at the bottom of my list of major carriers hands down. I have many anecdotes of the rottenness of their service. Air China would be next low down on my list with American Airlines a close 2nd runner up. I haven’t flown some bloopers such as Aeroflot, Olympic {Greece}, Ryan Air, Air Canada. American carriers usually break the scales on terrible service. Asian carriers, the major international ones, usually come out tops on cabin service IMHO. Among the European carriers I'd rate Lufthansa and KLM, Virgin Atlantic up there and SAS, Alitalia, Iberia down there.

Photos of the two worst airlines I have flown with:

Here's what BHPian no_fear had to say on the matter:

Airlines flown by me:

Star Alliance:

Aegean, ANA, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, Asiana Airlines, Avianca, Copa Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Eva Air, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Thai Airways, Turkish and United.

Oneworld:

Alaska Air, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Qatar Air, Royal Air Maroc, Sri Lankan Airlines.

Skyteam:

Aeromexico, Air France, China Eastern, Delta, Kenya Airways, KLM.

Standalone airlines:

Air Asia, Air Baltic, Airlink (South Africa), Air Tahiti, Caribbean Airlines, Cubana, Easyjet, Emirates, Frontier, Gulf Air, Indigo, Jetblue, Jetstar, Kuwait Airways, LAM Chile, LAM Mozambique, Lionair, Rwandair, Ryanair, Spring Air, Scoot, Skymark, Spirit, Tigerair, Ukraine International Airlines, Vietjet, Vistara, Vueling.

I am missing out a few probably.

Most memorable airlines - Singapore Air, Turkish, ANA. SQ is truly the undisputed champion, while Turkish has the best food. ANA has the cleanest planes.

The most boring airlines - United, KLM, British Airways, Iberia, Kuwait Air. They get you from point A to B but that's about it. As glamorous as riding a Delhi public bus.

Worst of the worst - LAM Mozambique (delayed in Maputo on a domestic flight for 3 days), and Cubana - (flight to Cuba from Cancun with 200 passengers and just one bottle of 1.5 liter of water used by the staff to fill plastic cups. Had to drink the water with miniscule sips).

Most efficient - surprise surprise!! Ryanair (you need to know the tricks of the trade and it can do wonders if you want to travel within Europe on a shoestring budget)

Most hyped but probably average experience - Emirates. My personal experiences have been outright horrid. The flight crew can put Biman Bangladesh to shame.

Here's what BHPian androdev had to say on the matter:

Here is an interesting anecdote. I am probably hazy with the details as this happened back in 2000 or so. I was flying business class to the US with Singapore Airlines and in Seoul airport they realised they overbooked the business class and they wanted a volunteer to downgrade to Economy class. I looked young, brown and single, so they approached me and requested very politely if I would be kind enough to downgrade to Economy class and they would refund the price difference. I did not mind and gave my consent - they were very polite and it was hopefully more to do with my young+single status than my skin colour (wishful thinking).

During the flight, two flight attendants came up to me, thanked me and gave me a bunch of gifts as a token of appreciation. One of the gifts was an upgrade coupon. My return trip was also business class. I had the option of using the coupon for a future journey to upgrade from economy to business class which would offer substantial benefits in savings and comfort. Or upgrade my return business class to first class which would offer fairly marginal savings and improvement in comfort. It may seem trivial but it was a deeply philosophical choice for a young person like me as I was not routinely eligible for business class travel and it would be awesome to upgrade from economy to business class.

I flew first class. It was wonderful - they kneeled to serve and made me feel like a king (too bad I am a teetotaller). To this day, I have not had another opportunity to fly first class and mostly fly economy class. I consider it to be one of the best decisions I have made in life and to this day serves me as a reference to be less pragmatic in life. In life, I prefer one first class + one economy tickets to two business class tickets. When the Indigo ladies push me around like cattle, I think of the day when the prettiest Singapore air hostess kneeled and served me a feast of gourmet food with no fellow passengers within hearing distance.

I scanned the stub as it was beginning to fade to keep as a souvenir:

Here's what BHPian ninjatalli had to say on the matter:

This was back in 2007 and my first international trip on my own (as a young adult). Actually, it was the return trip after spending 3 months in Australia but technically I'd say it was my first round trip. I was flying Air Malaysia with a nearly full-day halt at KL, with my first leg ending early morning and the connecting flight later in the night.

I got a transit pass and did some sightseeing & shopping in the city and returned back to the airport with some 2 hours to spare. My security check-in was completed in less than 15 mins so I had a lot of time to spare in the duty-free shopping section. Or so I thought. I went about browsing the liquor and chocolate sections blissfully unaware of the time passing by when I overheard an announcement in Malay with my name. I then looked at the time and realized I had just ~10 mins to departure. I literally ran to the boarding gate and thankfully the staff had waited for me and allowed me to board the plane. The poor attendant mentioned they had every other passenger on the flight boarded at least 15 mins ago with only me left.

To date, I have never felt so embarrassed as I did that day. Also, that was the day I realized why Air Malaysia and Singapore Airlines were top-rated on customer service.

Here's what BHPian ajmat had to say on the matter:

First - without meaning to be elitist - avoid the budget airlines.

Why?

Check In- Passengers come in with cargo - leading to delayed check-in.

In-Flight - No entertainment, no decent food, loud talking, no space.

Transfer - People have huge carry ons and then need to do repeated security pass throughs as they never empty their pockets, baggage thoroughly.

Plenty of crazy other things - flight timings keep changing (Go Air), need to reconfirm (Air Arabia)

AirMiles:

Keep redeeming them - try last minute at check in.

Some like Singapore Airlines are like fairy gold - never worth anything.

Emirates - worked for me - managed to upgrade to Business Class - Seattle to Dubai - worth every point. Also did London to Dubai for a small surcharge.

Lufthansa - Worked well once from Frankfurt to Bangalore.

If I had not redeemed the points, I would have lost them post Covid

My experience with Airlines:

Air India - They know how to cope in a crisis - My cheapo ex company routed me in winter from London- Delhi-Mumbai-Bangalore - before international flights started in Bangalore. Checked into LHR to find my flight had not even reached New York due to Delhi Fog. 10 hours in LHR, I had returned the car, the house was now locked up. Luckily, the Air India lady knew what to do.

"Only 1 PAX?"

"Ok, will put you on a flight to Mumbai leaving in a couple of hours"

British Airways- Bland. They lost my baggage in the T5 first day , first show. Ended up in the US with one change of underwear. To cut long story short, my baggage came back 10 days after I reached home. I use BA only if I need to visit directly /stop over in the UK. I did get upgraded Business Class once. - it was nice but nowhere like Emirates. Tip - for good food - London-India - specify Indian Vegetarian - its usually prepared very well.

Emirates - Not the best but reliable. DXB is boring but the best latte I have enjoyed at GetYourFix. Best for trans-atlantic as they fly past the North Pole.

Qatar - Clean, quiet, efficient - recommended.

Thai - Food is not so great. BKK airport - big and nothing more - bathrooms are not always clean. Best duty free are the shops immediately after clearing immigration.

Singapore Airlines - Good Food - decent service except between India and Singapore. Changi airport is a nice place to be.

Cathay - Not bad but beware of thieves. Some lowlife stole my headphone - BLR to HK.

Royal Malaysian - They lose your baggage. A dear friend of mine is currently sitting pant less in South Island , New Zealand. The bag is in Auckland but shows no sign of movement.

US - I stick to Jet Blue - I used to avoid short flights and drive. Domestic flights best used with carry on bags only.

Turkish - Good food, clean aircraft.

Airports:

LHR - Terminal 4 and 5 are ok - Terminal 1 and 3 are grimy and crowded.

Frankfurt -Big, bland, confusing to transfer.

Beijing - Massive - once asked the Shangri-la for an airport pickup and it starts with a pretty lady meeting me directly at the gate, taking me through immigration and taking me to an exclusive room and floor where my car awaited

Shanghai - If you are on the Pudong side - take the Maglev and a taxi onwards. Taxi Guides are on hand to make sure you get to the right place.

Hong Kong - transfer is time consuming, dinner time is crowded, try to look for somewhere in one of the wings instead of the food court.

Geneva - Boring.

Munich - Nice but small.

Nice - Nice homely place.

JFK - Big, dirty, - taxi is a ripoff - try booking a Town Car - much easier or take the subway into town.

SFO - Boring, a few nice restaurants but nothing else.

Vancouver - Very pleasant.

Colombo - Old - Beware of people trying to help load baggage - they merely want cash. Give yourself time and people are slow.

Exchanging money - Avoid at airports. Forex reconversion in China - so complex that its not worth it.

VAT Refunds - Worth it for recovering huge amounts and expensive small hand carried items. LHR has a long queue for declaring checked in items. The staff there will suggest you to hand carry and declare after immigration. BKK - you won't get much refund for all the effort.

Most surprisingly decent airport - Manama - quick, clean, pleasant.

Bathrooms:

Most are never pleasant except Dubai post 11 am, Qatar, Singapore, Frankfurt

Bangalore Airport - If your bowels are not upto lasting beyond the flight - try the set of bathrooms located behind the check in rows accessed from behind the middle elevator. You walk in, the janitor will size you up and offer a clean stall. Do remember him on your way out.

Here's what BHPian moralfibre had to say on the matter:

This was in Feb - 2009, I think my 3rd international flight. By now, I felt I had enough travel experience to know how it is done in comfort. So I packed off everything in checked baggage and just held on to my backpack with a camera, laptop and chargers for a trip to SFO via LHR. The flight was supposed to land at 0730 hrs and I peeked out of the window to see this:

After a while, we were cleared to land and couldn't even taxi our way to the gate. My shorts and t-shirt attire did not like the weather. After about 2 hours of hold on the taxiway, we disembarked using conventional airstairs.

As I type this, I can still feel the cold that bit me as soon as they opened the aircraft doors.

What ensued later was a 13 hour in queue wait time at T5 in Heathrow just to get a ticket reissued. The city was gridlocked and no staff could make it to the airport. The entire pax traffic at T5 was handled by 2-3 ticketing agents. Thankfully people were civil and did not make a fuss about the facilities and treated each other well.

No free wifi, no decent snack or food was available. Thankfully some airport staff passed by every 2 hours with a bag of chips and some bottles of water.

My bags arrived a week later. After this incident, I ensure that I have adequate supply for atleast 2-3 days of clothing, toiletries and other essentials for any travel.

Other useful advice:

Use https://flightaware.com/ to track your inbound plane. There's a button that shows where it is. If it is delayed, there is no point in going in early to the airport.

Use https://www.seatguru.com/ to figure out your seating configuration. There may be useful hacks to get an extra legroom seat without having to pay extra money.

Use miles graciously. I regret not having done that in the previous decade. I realised how useful alliance statuses are much later. Star Alliance Gold pretty much offers you everything that business travellers get: Priority checkin, Extra baggage allowance, priority tags on your bags, lounge access, faster security at some airports.

Enroll for Global Entry if you are a seasoned traveler to the US. Even once a year is reason enough.

Indians qualify to apply for it. What you get for $100 is essentially a Green carpet walkout at US airports to skip the queue. After 22+ hours of flying, this is a boon. An added bonus is TSA Pre inclusion with Global Entry. TSA Pre gives you a faster security clearance for domestic travel. It's like using an expressway within US airports.

For best fares, use - https://www.google.com/flights and toggle "track prices" for finding out the best deals. The dategrid and price graph features are super helpful. Use it only to get pricing, book on the relevant airline website.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 
Seat belts save lives