- Air India has a reputation as having an awkward business-class product with regularly broken seats.
- Though the airline is introducing better products, the old seat will fly until at least 2025.
- I tried out the dated product from New York to Delhi — it wasn't great, but it could've been worse.
Air India is getting a makeover.
Everything started in 2021, when the Tata Group agreed to buy back the airline it originally founded in 1932. During its golden days, Air India was considered a top-tier carrier with fancy on-board bars, lounges, and luxe cabins.
But the government took over in the 1950s and ran Air India into disarray. Worn-out planes, broken seats, and dirty carpets were just a few of the complaints regularly coming from passengers.
Under Tata, the company has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in a revamp, including updated uniforms and business-class seats.
To see the transformation, I tried out Air India's old — and notoriously awkward — Boeing 777-300ER business-class product from New York to New Delhi (Business Insider paid a media rate).
Here's why the cabin wasn't as miserable as I thought it would be.
The Tata Group had a full-circle moment when it reacquired Air India after being ousted in 1953.
The philanthropist and private pilot JRD Tata launched Air India as the country's first commercial airline, and it became famous for its in-flight luxuries.
The carrier was nationalized after India gained independence from Britain in 1947.
The company has vowed to restore Air India's reputation after decades of financial and quality struggles.
"Everything is in the process of reinvention," Air India's new CEO, Campbell Wilson, told Business Insider in an interview in January.
"We have announced a $400 million retrofit program for our legacy wide-body fleet, which will see the complete stripping of and refitting all interiors — new seats, new in-flight entertainment, and finishings," he said.
Reports in outlets like Reuters and The New York Times have described Air India's planes and seats as commonly worn and in poor condition.
Reuters noted that many of Air India's business-class seats were in "poor repair," while a Times report described less-than-stellar customer service and on-time performance over the years.
Given its reputation, I had low expectations going into my 13-hour flight from New York to Delhi last month.
Samantha Rosen, a reporter at The Points Guy, described a bad experience on Air India in 2020, calling it the worst business class she'd ever flown.
Three years before that, another reporter, Zach Honig, pointed out 20 things he disliked about the business-class experience.
Despite the reviews, the flight really wasn't that bad — here's why.
I've flown in more than a dozen business-class products over the years. Surprisingly, Air India's wasn't the worst.
I could see Air India's rebrand starting from the moment I checked in at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The display along the back of the check-in area showed Air India's new logo and color scheme and flight information for routes to Delhi and Mumbai.
Checking in took about five minutes thanks to the dedicated business-class line, though the economy queue looked quite long.
A long line of economy travelers queued with mountains of luggage. I'd budget extra time for check-in if you can't get your boarding pass on the app or if you need to check bags.
I made my way through security and to the Air India lounge to wait for my 12:30 p.m. flight.
Security was quick because of the business-class line — though next time I'd just stick with TSA PreCheck to avoid the hassle of taking off my shoes and separating my electronics.
I've been to this lounge several times as it's part of the Priority Pass network, and it's just OK.
The Air India lounge offers free food and drinks (alcohol included) but is small and crowded.
However, Air India is planning to refresh its lounge at JFK as part of its aim to become a more elite carrier.
Boarding started at about 11:30 a.m. Business-class passengers were among the first people ushered onto the Boeing 777 plane.
The aircraft, registered VT-ALK, was delivered to Air India in October 2007 — making it about 16 years old.
I made my way to seat 9D and enjoyed a welcome drink and hot towel as I settled in.
The towel and the drink are common perks in business class. I thought the juice was tasty. I could've also opted for an alcoholic beverage if I wanted.
My first impression of the seat was that it was extremely dated and that a key amenity — the power outlet — was broken.
There was duct tape on the aisle seat next to me, and my power outlet wasn't working.
The product also lacked ample storage, with just a seatback pocket, a shoe cubby, a cupholder, and a small side table to work with.
The tiny table between the seats was really only big enough for drinks, and everything else was a long reach away.
What looked like a useable cubby between the seats held a life jacket, while the armrests were already used for the tray table and TV remote.
There was no obvious storage space for the headphones, so I just draped those over the seat lamp.
The tray table was pretty flimsy — it wasn't the sturdy, adjustable tables on five-star carriers like Singapore and All Nippon Airways.
After flying five-star Asian airlines and even some Western ones like Condor, I thought the table left a lot to be desired.
The awkward part, however, was the 2x3x2 layout.
I've flown on more than a dozen business-class products; this was the first time I'd experienced this configuration.
This means customers in business class could still be assigned a dreaded middle seat.
This isn't exactly "elite," and it was one reason I worried about flying Air India. Luckily I got an aisle seat for the 13-hour journey.
There were no dividers or doors to separate people — so there was little to no privacy.
Fortunately there was no passenger in the middle seat next to me, which helped.
I couldn't avoid seeing the people next to me sleeping, meaning I wasn't hidden either.
Like most passengers around me, I hid under the blankets and wore my eye mask — it was the only way to feel somewhat cocooned.
There were some good things about the seat, though, like the legroom, the leg rest, and the bed.
The bed is angled, so it's not perfectly flat but rather slopes down.
This didn't bother me because I curl up to sleep, but taller and larger travelers may find the bed uncomfortable and narrow.
I actually found that despite the lack of direct aisle access, there was enough space to shimmy around an aisle-seat passenger.
The beds don't stretch to the TV, so a passenger in a middle or window seat could step over to the aisle without disturbing someone — if they're careful, anyway.
Still, this isn't an ideal setup and is something Air India is addressing with its $400 million refurbishment project.
The television was fine, with plenty to watch — though the screen was dimmer than I'd have liked.
The screen was also far from the seat — it wasn't a huge deal, but I wished I would've sat closer to the TV. Thankfully, a remote was included.
I recognize where the new management is trying to make up for its product shortcomings.
"We acknowledge we've got a way to go, but despite the shortcomings we have, we want to at least be as good as we can and make updates in key areas," Wilson told BI in January.
This was made clear by the soft product.
The soft product includes things not physically attached to the plane, such as linens, food, service, and amenity kits. The hard product would be the seat itself.
The amenity kit was made by Tumi and came with everything I'd need for the long-haul journey.
The kit was also in a hard-sided case, which I can reuse on future trips.
I loved the pajamas, slippers, and linens provided.
The sleepwear was warm and cozy. It was a nice perk after not getting pajamas on recent flights with airlines like the German carrier Condor and the French boutique airline La Compagnie.
I was also surprised by the food. Though it wasn't perfect, I liked most items served, and the bread was the best I've had on a plane.
The first meal service started about an hour after takeoff, with two more that followed.
I wish the second meal had been served later in the flight so I could've slept more between lunch and dinner.
For lunch, I ordered grilled Mexican prawns for an appetizer and millet steak for my main dish. I loved the prawns, but the entrée meat was dry.
My other appetizer option was hummus, and I could also order butternut-squash soup with my meal.
The second Western entrée option was a fish fillet with black-olive mash, which I skipped because I don't like olives.
Indian dishes including murg khatta pyaz and khubani paneer korma were available.
For dessert I had fresh fruit and a custard-like sweet with pistachios.
The menu said the dessert was a saffron phirni with mini gulab jamun and pistachios, which I thought was tasty.
I opted for a chicken sandwich for dinner. It was good, but I couldn't each much as I was groggy from my nap.
To prepare for the time change, I used melatonin to force myself to sleep after lunch. This meant I woke up pretty groggy and didn't have much of an appetite.
For this meal, I liked almost everything except the side dish in the top left corner of my tray. The texture was just too soggy.
My favorite part of the dining experience was when the flight attendants pushed a cart filled with smaller dishes through the cabin.
There were a handful of à la carte items like sandwiches, chicken, and fish. I opted for the fried fish paired with a green sauce and more bread.
After the last meal, we were about an hour from landing. The flight attendants came by with coffee and cookies before tidying up the cabin.
I changed back into my regular clothes and enjoyed a cappuccino and cookies.
We were treated to some amazing views of the Himalayas.
The downfall of an aisle seat is missing the views out of the plane windows. But luckily other travelers were willing to share their space for views like this.
The Boeing 777 plane finally landed after 13 hours in the sky — which, I should note, included flying over Russia.
Air India flies over Russia, which is facing sanctions.
This fact gave me a little pause, considering the airline's recent diversion in Siberia with US-bound passengers on board. But Wilson told BI the airline was following the Indian government.
Overall, my experience on Air India's business class was comfortable, and the food was mostly great.
I can tell Air India is desperate to make up for its shortcomings, and it's taking advantage of the soft product.
Plus, the cabin crew really did try to get my power outlet working — I'll give them credit.
According to Air India, a business-class seat in February on my route costs about $5,500 for a round trip. The flight on American is about $9,000.
That's a $3,500 difference, though I've flown American's Boeing 777 business class and found it much better than Air India's. The choice comes down to factors like cost-benefit analysis and airline loyalty.
FlightAware data indicates the American flight is at least an hour longer because it circumvents Russian airspace.
While the lack of privacy and the awkward setup on Air India make for a more mediocre product than what competing airlines offer, they're likely not dealbreakers.
The lack of privacy didn't bother me during sleep hours, especially with the lights off. But I can imagine other travelers would expect more, given the business-class price tag.
The cabin on my flight was full aside from the middle seat open next to me — so people are clearly paying for the upgrade.
I actually liked it better than La Compagnie and Air New Zealand.
At least on Air India I could step over my neighbor if I were in a middle or window seat — this is more difficult on La Compagnie.
Air New Zealand offers better privacy, but I disliked that I had to wait for a flight attendant to set up my bed. On Air India, I could adjust the seat with a button.
Passengers won't always have to worry about the old business class as Air India continues introducing products.
Air India has myriad long-haul business-class cabins in its fleet.
Some long-haul passengers may find themselves on a leased Delta or Etihad Boeing 777 aircraft.
Wilson said Air India acquired 11 planes from carriers like Etihad and Delta that still sport that airline's product.
So, for instance, if you fly from Mumbai to New York-JFK on a Boeing 777, you may actually experience Delta's business class with sliding doors, not Air India's legacy product.
Starting this year, passengers can experience Air India's new business-class product the carrier recently unveiled on its new Airbus A350.
Air India is the first airline in the nation to receive the A350. It has fit the cabin with a much nicer product, complete with sliding doors and direct aisle access for all travelers.
The plane also includes significant upgrades to premium economy and regular coach.
Granted, the hard product is that of the Russian carrier Aeroflot — the jet was destined for the Kremlin before being reallocated to Air India.
The jet changed owners amid Russian sanctions.
Air India has added its flair to the A350, and the new branding is scattered throughout the product — from the small details on the glassware to the pillows' purple color scheme.
While Air India's dated 777 business class is still flying until at least 2025, passengers have better cabins to look forward to.
"The project starts in the second half of this year on our legacy 787s and the 777s," Wilson told BI, referring to the $400 million retrofit.
"By the end of 2025, the entire legacy wide-body fleet will also be upgraded to match what we're getting on the A350," he continued. "So, essentially, our fleet will be completely reborn by then."
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