Air India has been reinventing itself over time. And I’ve been flying them a lot recently. There are two parts of the airline, one domestic and one international. While domestic is doing okay, the global part of the airline is jaundiced mainly. A part of this problem is the severely old hardware the airline is forced to fly because it cannot retrofit them quicker. Another part of it has been the I don’t care attitude of some of the staff, and then, there is the poor quality of amenities was the third evil eye for them.

Air India International is moving in the right direction.

Air India has been working to fix itself. We all know that. The current lineup of the airline is a hodgepodge of old and new aircraft. The airline has 27 787-8 aircraft, of which the first is due to fly away for a retrofit soon. Then there are the 6 Vistara 787-9 aircraft, and one in another fitout on lease. The airline also has a bunch of 777s it uses to fly to the US, and then it has Delta’s 777LRs and Etihad’s 777ERs.

I’ve flown a fair bit of Air India internationally over the past six to eight months. This has included the A350 to Dubai and back, 777-300ER to New York and back on the old aircraft in Economy, a flight to Paris and back from London on the Vistara 787-9, and then recently, the 787-8 in Business Class.

While I will write a full review of the trip soon, I can tell you some early impressions. The product is getting there, but the soft product is already there. Air India unveiled their product offering in January 2024 and eventually started to roll it out in the second half of 2024. Now, everyone has their new uniforms designed by Manish Malhotra, and the new bedding and Pajamas are out there for everyone to experience.

The product is hit and miss, and I say this with utmost cognisance: it is old hardware. It works on its whims sometimes, but it also has excellent upkeep in some cases. Last week, I flew out and back on the same aircraft (VT-ANZ) to Amsterdam Schiphol. On the way out, the business class cabin was full, with 18 seats occupied. On the way back, I was surprised to see a full cabin on the seat map because I asked to move my seat from 1A to something else.

The aircraft had 3-4 last-minute bookings and then another 3-4 seats, which were flying as inoperable. Someone was flying on duty travel on one of these seats from Amsterdam to Delhi, and he couldn’t get his seat fully flat on the way to Delhi. I think he volunteered to do the trip regardless.

The last part is the soft product. Food is on the rise, much, much better than in earlier days. But there are simple things that are off. For instance, many crew on the airline still don’t know how to serve champagne. The airline selected Laurent Perrier as their Champagne of choice. It retails for approximately INR 10,000 in Delhi NCR and about 80 USD in New York, and it is a good, smooth champagne with a label that most champagne lovers would have heard of.

But the airline can’t seem to get it right on the temperature of the Champagne. Sometimes, ex-Delhi mainly serves it without even checking if it went cold or chilled. I had this on a Delhi – Dubai sector last year, which happened again on my Delhi – Amsterdam flight.

And then, they sometimes don’t serve it at all. For instance, ex-London, you get two soft beverages and champagne as your beverage options pre-departure. Ex-Amsterdam, however, I only had two options, and champagne was not one of them. Lastly, you are spending money, so be proud of it. Bring the bottle to the passenger and pour it in front of them. Do a show rather than pour the glass in the galley.

Other parts need betterment. For instance, on the way out from Delhi to Amsterdam, I got a Hindu Non-Vegetarian meal marked on my profile, and there was a notable uplift for me. The travel agent perhaps did it. I wanted to try a regular Indian meal, which I ordered. But the crew served me the “special” meal regardless. Both were chicken, but I only realised I was served the special meal when the co-passenger got his meal tray served with a much better-looking NV meal, still Indian. Needless to say, one of the first things I did on landing was to remove a request for said meal on the return leg.

But on the return leg, the meals were excellent.

No turndown was offered in the outward section, and the fabled pepper and salt shakers did not appear in the outward sector or back.

Overall, the airline is moving in the right direction, but it is a while before the troops all look in the same direction and do the same things. Predictability is key for passengers who frequent the carrier to come back more often. And the crew don’t need to be too rigid or too lax in the premium cabins, at least. This is something they can go for many a training while on the ground, but at the end of the day, they are the ones who are delivering the first impact in the air, so they have to put their best foot forward.

Bottomline

Air India is reinventing itself, and it is moving in the right direction. But there are things that it could do better in the air to make it even better. Those things are in the care of their crew, who run inflight services. While their primary job is to take care of our safety in the air—who are we kidding? They also have to take care of a lot of guest services. Let’s hope they get fully aligned with the vision of the carrier’s management over time.

What has been your experience on Air India’s international flights over time?

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