Air India’s international soft product has been mostly good, and that’s what wins them brownie points from the Indian passengers. Its broken hard product is a different story altogether. Over the years, Air India has implemented several cost-cutting measures like going vegetarian on domestic flights, round-trip catering for short and mid-haul domestic as well as international flights and so-on. Air India spends around INR 800 crores (USD 116 million) annually on catering.
Air India 787-8 Business Class Lunch Service
Air India is known for offering good Indian meals onboard. While the airline may not be the best but it gets the job done. According to reports, Air India is moving towards a “more healthy” and Indianised menu on-board. So what are the changes that Air India is proposing to make on domestic flights?
Beverages
Air India will provide Indian beverages like Aam Panna (a drink made from raw mango), Jal Jeera, Masala lassi or buttermilk instead of sweetened juices. Most of the beverages mentioned above are summer drinks and are known for heat-resistant properties. An excellent move from Air India to beat the summer heat.
Breakfast
Air India will replace sliced fruits with chilled fruit yoghurt from brands like Mother Dairy. Since Air India provides both yoghurt and sliced fruits in Business class, I guess this move is for the Economy class. Both have added sugar so not exactly healthy.
Bread rolls will be replaced with croissants and focaccia rolls. Masala bread will be served instead of plain soft rolls. Air India currently provides croissants and oats bread roll in Business class. In the economy class, they already serve croissants or plain bread rolls depending on the flight.
Air India Economy class Breakfast
Well, croissants, focaccia and masala bread rolls aren’t healthier than plain bread rolls. But they are still better than cold plain bread rolls so good move.
Lunch/Dinner
Air India will provide Indian options like rajma (red kidney beans curry) with rice, kadhi (made with chickpeas and curd) with rice, chole with rice and so-on along with stuffed parathas and plain yoghurt. So Air India is moving from 3 main items on the tray (two mains plus rice) to just two main items (one main dish plus rice). They are eliminating one main dish like daal or curry as a part of the new cost-cutting initiatives.
Instead of salad, passengers will be given the choice of tangy chutneys like ginger tomato and mint green. It has cost-cutting written all over it. Not to mention, Air India already provides mint chutney on domestic flights wherever required.
High Tea
Air India provides a lot of fried food as a part of their high tea service on domestic flights.
Air India has proposed to avoid fried items on the menu. The high tea will have pav bhaji, cutlets and puff, ragda patties, vegetable upma, vegetable poha and so on. Again, some of this runs away from the “healthy” line they are trying to toe. Cutlets, puffs, all of that stuff is fried again. Air India already provides vegetable puffs and some of the above items for high-tea so not exactly a change.
Long-haul International flights
In case of long haul flights, first class and business class passengers will be served different types of chutneys like mango, ginger mint, homemade pickles and papad to ‘enhance’ the dining experience.
Additionally, on the India – USA flights, curd rice will be provided instead of green salad. This is a debatable move. Curd rice is not exactly healthy again, and not a replacement for a green salad. But it is light for the stomach and tasty if prepared and served right.
Air India Paneer Bhurji Breakfast
In addition, it was mentioned that for long-haul flights, first class and business class passengers will also get special tea and coffee service along with special cookies from brands like Starbucks and Barista. Wonder if this is actually true? Air India already provides a “regular” tea/coffee with cookie service on long-haul flights.
Desserts
It was mentioned that high-quality sweets and chocolates prepared by in-house caterers or procured from renowned brands will be served. So no more cake/brownie as dessert in Economy? As a point of comparison, an airline caterer offers a chocolate dessert for about INR 30 (USD 0.44), kheer for about INR 12 (USD 0.17) and chocolates cost around INR 5 (USD 0.073).
Air India 787-8 Business Class Dessert Service
According to Air India’s PRO,
Quality food, leg space and extra baggage are unique qualities of Air India. That’s why on the basis of feedback of the crew we changed the menu. This time the menu is more indigenous.
Air India’s network is complex. Catering on domestic flights will vary with origin airport. They have many several international tag flights operating in the domestic network. These flights usually have a better menu and food offering than the rest of the domestic flights. Air India’s Domestic as well as International flights reflect the menu changes from April 1 already.
What totally misses the point is how will, having a more Indian menu serve the purpose of an airline which is so proud of its Star Alliance membership that they punctuate every sentence with their membership to Star Alliance, and also, their global patrons from all the other countries where they fly to. Like try telling about the importance of Curd Rice to a Nordic passenger of Air India.
But there will be one international passenger who will surely be happy with this “Indianisation” of the Air India menu.
Or perhaps the airline switched to this food only to make sure it looked even closer to what they shared in the commercials?
[Editor’s theory: Air India Indianising the menu is their comeback against all the airlines in Asia which count fish in vegetarian and hence making the Indian passengers have an empty stomach for their flights]
Hello Ajay,
Thanks for your views. With most airlines ‘The Back’ of the plane is nearly always full trawling in steady bulk revenue whilst ‘The Front’ of the the plane is scarce,and sometimes empty as well occupied.
I can recall flying Saudia Riyadh-LA in 1995, there was 1 pax in first and practically none in business. ‘The Back’ of the plane almost to the bream.
@yagya, as I said, the back covers the costs. Think of it like bread and butter. The front is the profit, think of it as the Jam/Cream Cheese. Most developed economies have them full. Look at the US carriers, European carriers, Japanese and Singaporean and Australian carriers, and also look at Qatar/Etihad/Emirates. 1995 was the dinosaur era if you are going to compare it with 2020. When priced not outrageously, people pay for the front of the cabin and this is where there is significant potential to make money and offer differentiated service.
I have been voicing in numerous forums that airlines take the initiative to abolish the airline class system thus treating all air travellers with equality and respect. Every passenger is a valued customer contributing towards carriers’ business and I would like to see that Air India becomes the first to do so. The bottom line is: It’s discrimination to have airline class system. Let’s start treating all air travellers with dignity and respect.
Food on cattle class (Economy) seems ok and I couldn’t say anything negative. Although there’s no need for me to fly snob class (business), looking at your snob class food display, it is way below the standards offered by other airlines snob class. See for yourself what Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways does for their snob class. Pull up your socks.
I have been voicing in numerous sights that airlines takes the initiative to abolish the airline class system thus treating all air travellers with equality and respect. Every passenger is a valued customer contributing towards carriers’ business and I would like to see that Air India becomes the first to do so. The bottom line is: It’s discrimination have airline class system. Let’s start treating all air travellers dignity and respect.
@Yagya Rai thanks for your discourse. You mean everyone should contribute to the non-profit part of the plane? Remember, the Airline Class system is the reason airlines are able to make money. The premium seats, what you call a “snob class” make the money for the airline and keep them afloat. The Back of the plane is just covering costs and everyone is free to choose the seats of their liking.
Hello Ajay,
Thanks for your views. With most airlines ‘The Back’ of the plane is nearly always full trawling in steady bulk revenue whilst ‘The Front’ of the the plane is scarce,and sometimes empty as well occupied.
I can recall flying Saudia Riyadh-LA in 1995, there was 1 pax in first and practically none in business. ‘The Back’ of the plane almost to the bream.
Flew last week Del-Bom in Y. Dinner was the new simplified/cost cut menu. Rajma, Rice, Stuffed Parantha, Plain yogurt, Pickle.
To my surprise, It was quite fresh and tasty.
Flew Bom-Aurangabad yesterday afternoon in Y (flying time 40 minutes) and the refreshment box served was a sugar bomb sickly sweet mango juice and two small packs of sugary cookies. Ofcourse I left the box intact and only took the water bottle.
Serving a small savoury snack crisp/chips with the sugary juice would have been more appropriate on this flight. If Air India must really serve something on such a short flight.
If only they could get their hard product right they could very well give the me3 a run for their money. AI has some amazing slots.. and great experienced crew. I really wish they do well with the hard product.
My wife is Indian and I love Indian food – but look at these photos: the first one (top) shows a Business Class meal. Just look at the bread roll – REVOLTING. Second, Y breakfast, AWFUL ‘chicken sausage’. Third, high tea, looks DIABOLICAL – and if you are brave enough to bite into the sandwich, you will encounter dry slices of bread punctuated by chemical cheese or some yucky, green spread. No thank you – I would rather fly someone else.