@@sarvanan71 SQ does have an ownership stake in vistara which is carrying over in air India. It's about 25%. That information should be easy enough to find.
@@PatrickSheaAviationif there is any company that can turn Air India around, it’s got to be the TATAs. They have extensive experience in the hospitality, F&B and service industry along with everything else they do. Expectations are very high !
@Patrick Shea thank you so much for giving an insight on one of the popular long distance route. I do agree my friend that AI's (Air India) cabin was a disaster.😐😓😥 It's all due to the mismanagement and losses is why they're unable to retrofit their existing planes, maintain them constantly. 🤕 But still, there are some good hopes for the future for AI, thanks to the TATA group for buying back their creation and their historic agreement with Airbus and Boeing for 500 jets, which includes the popular A350, Boeing 777x and Boeing 787-9 planes. Things may seem better for Air India. 🤗🤗😊😄
Hey man! Thank you for staying so positive even after a not-so-great flight. You were really respectful when you pointed out the negatives man, unlike other people. Your optimism needs to be applauded. AI used to be better and offered excellent service in the past; according to my grandparents. I hope things get better with TATA. Hope you had a nice stay in India!
I always enjoy my time in India! Thanks for your comments! Even when things aren’t quite as nice as we’d like, I try to remind myself that any chance to travel is a good experience
I saw this video in my feed and was thinking “I think he could have been drunk when he booked this.” I’ve visited India many times and I would never pick Air India under any circumstance. Everything you experienced is pretty typical. I absolutely love India and I’m thrilled that Tata has control of them and hopefully will turn them around. Thanks for taking this flight and reporting!
Sounds like all issues considered you have a very positive and forgiving attitude. Good on ya! I feel your pain. I am a flight attendant for a major airline and I can sympathize with you. Glad to hear your crew was so great!
Totally! I feel like at least having a great soft product is huge, it gives the flight attendants some type of pride to be there. Hopefully new ownership and cabin renovations will truly overhaul the experience!
I think you took this flight long ago because this route is now operated by ex-delta 777-200 lr, which are in good shape and amazing interiors. I know because there are several written reviews about it and I am taking it myself in June.
This flight was taken in February 2023. My guess is a potential equipment swap maybe, but I do know that they have recently been placing the ex-Delta aircraft on the SFO flights to both Bangalore and Mumbai
Air India IFE is from the stone age . . The superstore series on your device is an excellent watch I guess you flew on an old aircraft day. AI has already started to use the scrapped refub delta planes
Yea I noticed that most days, SFO-BLR is an ex-Delta plane now. I am happy I got the "authentic" AI experience at least. But I do wish the IFE would have worked. Or at least the power outlet, so my laptop didn't die...
Air india was known as "flying palace" in 60s and 70s. It is suprisingly unbelievable that during those days Singapore airlines was used to be trained by air india. But as of now Tata took over the the company back as it was running in loss. Let's hope that it can rule the sky again it used to be back those days
With their history, they definitely could return to what they once were. It will take a significant effort to make it there. I’m pulling for them though!
Amazing review Patrick. I’ve been watching and subscribed I think back when you had just hit maybe 3K subscribers, and I was amazed even then that you were doing reviews like you had hundreds of thousands already. You were so merciful and positive in attitude for that hard product! What an adventure!
Thanks for the report. That was a long flight with a lot of challenges. That's amazing you could sleep that long. Longest economy flight for me was 13 hours. Thanks for showing the viewing deck at SFO. Didn't know that was there.
My experience flying domestic with Air India was quite good. Food not bad, metal cutlery, efficient FAs, flight on schedule etc But international was a completely different story. Insects flying around, FAs who couldn't be bothered to do their jobs (most, not all), IFEs not working, below par food etc. The interior cabin's design probably predates the dreamliner I was flying in. I really hope TATA can turn things around. Will take a long time probably.
You can’t compare short domestic flights with long haul transatlantic/transpacific flights. That’s apples and oranges. Domestic flights in India can last as little as 1 to 2,5 hours - I wouldn’t complain sitting on a tight space with little legroom and no IFE screen for such a short time. As long as I get from point A to point B However For 10+hour routes that is totally unacceptable. And if they are a member of STAR ALLIANCE - they should comply with the high standards
@@samroy5967 My international flight was around 11.5 hrs. Sheer torture. Most people had an issue with the IFE not working. When it did, the system was so outdated and only had a limited selection of movies, mostly Bollywood. Even a Middle Eastern airline like Emirates has a vastly superior collection of Bollywood and other Indian regional movies. IFE was the least of all the issues though. The most pressing was the dirty cabin with flying insects and broken parts stuck with tape, along with the super cold attitude of most of the FAs. They had such a depressing look on their faces, like they absolutely hated their jobs. Air India still has long way to before they can even think of competing with other major airlines, especially the Middle East trio of Emirates, Etihad and Qatar that have the most flights to India if I'm not wrong.
@@vinithradhakrishnan8969 I wonder if more passengers report directly to the headquarters (maybe write a review with an attached copy of a scanned boarding pass as proof of travel) only then the management will take some efforts to fix aircraft issues and train their staff accordingly. Someone else said his IFE screen was broken the whole flight and then he asked for a cup of juice AND ALSO a cup of water with his meal and the FA rolled her eyes and served his 2 drinks with an angry attitude - saying something like “you want 2 drinks?? Why not 3?” 🙄 unbelievable. Is that Indian hospitality on a national carrier welcoming foreigners to “incredible India”? I’m sure there’ll be a queue of youngsters all over India willing to take her job and perform better. Management should let their staff know that they can easily be replaced with a grumpy attitude like that
Same here, took a 14 hour flight on AI, the experience was a disaster. The interior of 777 is severely outdated and almost everything's falling apart, IFE stopped working for everyone, forgot to serve the food. I will never book AI for my life, just hearing the name gives me PTSD
I flew Air India from SFO-Delhi and back in early 2023, on two of their Boeing 777-300ERs. Both airplanes were about 14-years-old but the cabin interiors looked like the plane was 30-years-old. I encountered many of the same issues you described -- warm cabin, broken tray tables, non-functional IFE screens, smelly bathrooms, etc. Most airplanes in their fleet show their age and the lack of maintenance. The comfort level was no better than that of a local state transport bus in India. However, the food usually makes up for the deficits in other areas. I have always been impressed with Air India's food. It's also worth considering that I traveled on their old aircraft, as did you. They recently purchased 4 Boeing 777-200LRs from Delta and they are routinely used on SFO-Mumbai/Bangalore routes now. My parents traveled on one of those this year and they said the product was fantastic, but that's mainly because the cabin interiors of those 4 planes is exactly the same as Delta's. All things equal, I think Air India is worth considering and surely has a bright future. Their service still lags behind it's peers in Asia but Air India has a plan to renovate their fleet. The San Francisco Bay Area has a substantial Indian and Indian-American population and the launching of direct flights from SFO to Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai puts most Indians in the Bay Area within 2 flights of their homes in India. I would like to see Air India champion that game, and hopefully competition from United will also help.
Good points. I am excited for the new cabins and I want to try out the new product once it arrives. I am curious if United will be able to give them competition from SFO without using Russian airspace. It’s a hell of a flight if you avoid Russia and could lead to serious weight restrictions
I think this is my first video of you in Y class …wow, 18 hrs .. I will need to have much entertainment and work to engage me during that time period. Overall great trip,report as always !
I got upcoming travel in November and this video got me concerned if i made the right choice by flying Air India for the first time . Hopefully TATA will fix things quickly and bring back the glory to Air India again.
Depending on which route you will be flying, some have been replaced with former Delta Air Lines 777s so you’ll have the newer Delta interior and IFE. So you may be in luck with that
As an Indian, I'm so sorry that you had to go through this nightmare! Also you really were positive despite what you were going through! Tho the good part is that Air India is now under the TATA's, all the wide bodies would be receiving cabin refurbishment. New aircrafts like the A350 would be joining soon with updated cabins. Try them again for sure, I guarantee that you would be left surprised!
I have great memories of Air India, having been a regular flyer with them as a kid some 20 years back. However, over the past 15 years, government ownership ran this airline to the ground. I am an ex-Tata employee and I am confident that the Tatas will turn this company into a world class airline in the next 5 years
I hope you deeply understand the word "world class" (5 years!!) when you use it. This would mean having to turn the whole company on its head given that ,it's not just getting newer planes but also attitudes.
@@seshdwarakanath955 From a hospitality perspective, 5 years isnt too long at all. Non-cooperative staff are being retired, while new hires are being trained by folks from Taj Hotels. By 'world class', I meant that Air India can easily surpass service levels of European and North American carriers. I am curious to know what 'attitudes' are you referring to?
Emirates 777 and 380 are just mindblowing… their economy seats and the services they provide are like that of business class on any airline in this world🎉❤
I will say that once the new cabins begin showing up more and more next year it should get much better. I look forward to going out there to try out the new product
I have flown Indigo, but haven't done any reports on it. You WILL however find a Vistara video on my channel from earlier this year from Delhi to Paris
Bro I am a pilot in Air India serving as first officer. You have travelled with us long ago and now things are changing in Air India. I think you should also make a video of the new Air India.
I’d definitely like to give it another shot. I have travelled domestically with air India and enjoyed it. Now that the ex-Delta aircraft serve SFO, I’d be happy to see the new cabins. Or maybe when the A350s arrive?! Regardless, I loved the crew and the food, so a newer cabin may make all the difference
I congratulate you Patrick for handling this flight so well. I know I couldn't have like you did. And what a list of little things wrong/not working on board! Nice video as always. 9.812
$800 for the product you received does sound quite a lot, but being the only non-stop option between the two cities, there is a lot of premium value added. Last year I did Mumbai to JFK return via Singapore in Premium Economy on SQ, and the cost was just $1,350. I also secured a solo seat for SIN-JFK sector at additional $140 per flight which was well worth it considering being a 19hr flight. Just like your AI flight it came with 2 full meals (each with 3 main choices, but you can also pre-select various options from Book the Cook menu) + refreshment, and plenty of snacks including cup noodles on request. It was actually better than some business class products since there is no one else next to you, plenty of storage, and excellent entertainment system. Great review! By the way, the veg main dish you had is not tofu, but likely to be paneer - Indian style cottage cheese 🙂
Patrick, first & foremost, great profile pic! 😉. Second, it’s my first time on your channel and I subscribed because you made me laugh when talking about the guy who got upset when you asked to go to the loo (although I’m sorry you had to encounter that). Finally, I’m pleasantly surprised the cabin crew were nice because they usually aren’t on Air India from what I recall. (Btw, how was your trip to India? Please show us what you did! Lol!)
Welcome to the channel! India was wonderful. I connected to Mumbai on this specific trip and had a wonderful time there although it was a very quick trip this time. I hope to get a trip to India where I can spend more time there
@@PatrickSheaAviation thank you for the welcome and glad you had a great time! The food scene is so great in Bombay so hope you were able to taste good food! 😎
This is what you get from corruption, ignorance and basically a bankrupt airline...no reason for lack of cabin maintenance, it is LAZINESS. And not to mention unsanitary! I was in India a few times and flew Business/First Class to Dubai roundtrip from New Delhi, it was an okay experience. Great vlog!
Thank you! And I agree, seeing a cabin in this type of shape is just a bit disheartening. You have to hope it isn't signs of a darker narrative about laziness with the management of the airline
I can see in the comments, all the hopeful people who thinks that Air India will make great changes are Indians and all the hopeless people are the foreigners and they described this whole journey as if they will die! Anyway I am not spreading any hate or so and as an Indian and an AvGeek I am hopeful too. Loved the video, keep it up 👍
3:20 Lufthansa A350-900 Freiburg im Breisgau or Freiburg Sachsen. Dresden is on a B747-8 which does fly to SFO normally seen on EWR-FRA LH402/403. Speaking of Air India are they better than UA or not? Within the SFO G gates and international check-in CEB bound passengers will use KE Skyteam/OZ Star Alliance🇰🇷 BR Star Alliance like Air India/CI Skyteam 🇹🇼 CX Oneworld 🇭🇰 this is done to avoid MNL on PR🇵🇭. At the balcony you should see PR105 SFO🇺🇲-MNL🇵🇭 if visible or PR115. For San Francisco to Manila flights there are boxes as luggage so are the SFO TO CEB flights via TPE🇹🇼 ICN🇰🇷 HKG🇭🇰 Excellent trip report
I am travelling to Kolkata via New Delhi with Air India tomorrow (10/3/23) so I am a little apprehensive after your report. I hope the tings will turn out right. I normally do not use AI. The sole reason of choosing AI was it was cheaper than the other airlines flying to Kolkata during this period.
Depending on where you’re starting from there is a slight chance you get one of the aircraft that they bought from Delta or Etihad. Those have the same seats that Delta and Etihad had in them when they were previously retired
@@PatrickSheaAviation I made the trip. Broken folding trays, seats were ancient, no entertainment, bathrooms were old. But the air hostesses were very nice and helpful. They were also keeping the bathrooms very clean by just elbow grease. There is still hope for Air India.
I just started following your page and love your reviews. On this review I applaud you and your optimism, but I don't think I would fly Air India until they have new planes and a better product. Please keep up the good work!
Bro you miss out ex - delta currently 3 in fleet and 4th coming next week total 5 on leased air india only refurbish b777-300er, b787-8 planes they are planning to pause out 3 non ex- delta b777lr in 2024 in video that plane also included 😅 And air india also lease 6 ex-etihad b777-300er by next month and operate on Delhi London route By end of this year also add 6 a350-900 ex-aeroflot Excited to see air india future
But i hope a new livery and renovated interior with extra comfort seats and new in flight entertainment system is gonna make air india a world class airline and speaking about wifi it's India's regulatory rules to not use wifi onboard for control tower connection control by DGCA
That's interesting about the wi-fi. I wonder how it's affecting the ATC communications differently. I do hope new ownership and renovations can return Air India's historic legacy
You should try the route now. AI operates the ex Delta LRs on SFO BLR & BOM VT-AEx. These 3 original AI LRs VT-ALF/G/H are currently operating SFO DEL and will be disposed after the new A350s start coming in. How was the arrival experience at BLR airport ?
Show was nice. A passenger should come out with negative points too same time add some positive. Any way I decided to traval most my trip in AIR INDIA. INDIA'S PROUD AIR LINE. Thanks dear.
Back in 1989, while serving in the military, I deployed overseas from west coast USA to Okinawa, Japan. We were flown over on a L-1011. The aircraft made 3 stops, during which we were not allowed to disembark. I spent 25 hours seated in economy until we reached Okinawa and I could get off the plane. I think you gave Air India a fair review. I would not fly them right now. If the interior is so ratty, what confidence should I have in the mechanicals of the aircraft. They seem far too willing to cut corners.
Thanks for the review. I guess the only 2 positive factors are good meal options and direct service which allows you to save time and skip connections and transfers. Or did I miss something? I think even Indians prefer to fly MiddleEastern carriers with a connection in DXB/AUH/DOH/IST rather than flying direct on their national airline.
Yea the direct service is great, especially for business travelers and I’d also add that the crew is a big positive factor for them. But other than that, the gulf carriers are a major improvement over AI right now
It’s on its way to getting better, I wouldn’t say it’s there just yet. They are flying the ex-delta aircraft on the route now which is nice, but I’m still waiting for them to have their own product which will truly show that they have improved
Honestly we need to wait for the new planes to hit the market along with the renovated cabins to review this airline - this experience is the legacy of the broken service that was common with AI.
I flew the same route back and forth last month. I have mostly flown other airlines over several decades. My expectations weren't very high, but I thought the Air India service was fair. The crew was courteous and the vegetarian food was ok, not great though. The legroom was decent also. The in-flight entertainment was sparse, but I slept most of the time. The cabin was clean when we entered. I missed having wifi though. Maybe I flew on a newer aircraft. There are better airlines for sure, but I like the direct flights. One doesn't have to waste time changing planes and suffer the inconvenience of secondary security checks that I have sometimes found to be a weird experience in some of the other airports. Both SFO and BLR airports are decent. Immigration services are usually fast and baggage claim is mostly hassle free. You don't have to walk much.
All great points! I do know they’ve begun using the former Delta aircraft so there’s a chance you were in one of those aircraft which would have given you an updated cabin. I do thing Air India’s soft product really isn’t all that bad. Crew was always fantastic and the food was actually quite tasty, not a given on most airlines
I’m an Indian I haven’t flown Air India since 2020 covid time when I had to take one of their repatriation flights to see my dad on his death bed. I’m very thankful to Air India that they accommodate me at the last minute. My mom is flying on this to Blore alone. This was the only direct flight option and it bugs me because we paid $1500 for the flex economy ticket, flight is so poorly maintained. Hopefully the Tatas bring it to its former glory.
I do know they have begun using planes on this route that they are leasing from Delta so if she gets the updated cabin, it should be a much better cabin product
SFO - BGL - AirIndia 18 hrs journey and 16 hrs vice versa - for such long journey the management should improve their services within short time accordingly so as to compete with other International Airlines
SFO is a good airport for flying star alliance in premium cabins because you automatically get funneled into the polaris lounge unlike say LAX or EWR where you can use the polaris lounge but you have to go to the other terminal for it and need to use whatever star alliance lounge in that terminal unless you're fine with walking a bit. The plus side of the latter is getting access to multiple lounges in the airport.
Thanks! And yea that does seem to be the general consensus with it. I am hoping new ownership and cabin renovations will make a big difference. Only time will tell
As a Indian I will never choose any Indian airlines for international routes except vistarta. I hope air India can fixed things fast since it’s been long time Tata has overtaken and also Tata and other indian airlines has mostly bribed Indian aviation minister not to allow more international airlines to operate in India.
@@PatrickSheaAviation I just hope so. Definitely I’m sure Tata will take it to next level. It will be great united also starts its operations asap to BLR to SFO I think they are waiting to open Russian airspace?
Man…unfortunately you were unlucky. You got the un renovated -200LR planes. When i rode the same route 2 months ago, my plane was an ex-delta -200LR so it had a newer interior and a newer livery. The first flight there was a disappointment, with no IFE and window seat, but the flight back was surprisingly pretty good, with both working. They were bought somewhere in 2022-23 and i have no idea why they didnt use the ex-delta planes. The ex-delta ones have a different livery, with white engines with the logo instead of a fully red engine. They also have no red rings on the windows, reducing the age
@@PatrickSheaAviation ik im 8 months late, but now I'm sure the experience would be better as they're now mostly operating new ex-delta planes, with refreshed IFE screens, modern cabins, and better planes. I would have flown on air india again to India this summer, if they hadn't made it $5000, compared to the $2000.
That's to my knowledge only flight that connects west coast. United as of now dropped idea of direct flight to Bengaluru due to operational constraints infact they also had to drop EWR- Mumbai service and to compensate they are now operating two EWR IGI flights.
Yea the India flights are flight from North America due to Russian airspace. United was supposed to launch SFO to BLR BOM and DEL just like Air India, but couldn’t because the route they had to take would be too long
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Air India’s livery is “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” personified.
Also Biman Bangladesh livery is like that but more retro
Hideous
Air india is on the brink of new overhaul. It recently ordered 500+ airplanes. Once they come, it will regain it's glory
Wait till you see air India one
+ "If it is broke, don't fix that either"
Now that TATA has taken back AI (with SQ's help), things should improve. Hopefully even add premium economy. It's too bad vistara will be no more.
It will be great to see if they can make the much needed improvements! The already announced cabin updates are a very needed first step
What you mean by SQ's help. :) TATA will make the things better than any airlines; and no offence to SQ. they are the best anyway.
@@sarvanan71 SQ does have an ownership stake in vistara which is carrying over in air India. It's about 25%. That information should be easy enough to find.
@@PatrickSheaAviationif there is any company that can turn Air India around, it’s got to be the TATAs. They have extensive experience in the hospitality, F&B and service industry along with everything else they do. Expectations are very high !
@Patrick Shea thank you so much for giving an insight on one of the popular long distance route. I do agree my friend that AI's (Air India) cabin was a disaster.😐😓😥 It's all due to the mismanagement and losses is why they're unable to retrofit their existing planes, maintain them constantly. 🤕 But still, there are some good hopes for the future for AI, thanks to the TATA group for buying back their creation and their historic agreement with Airbus and Boeing for 500 jets, which includes the popular A350, Boeing 777x and Boeing 787-9 planes. Things may seem better for Air India. 🤗🤗😊😄
14 hours in Air India economy? Respect!
Sorry, 18 hours!
It's not for the wary....
Hey man!
Thank you for staying so positive even after a not-so-great flight. You were really respectful when you pointed out the negatives man, unlike other people. Your optimism needs to be applauded. AI used to be better and offered excellent service in the past; according to my grandparents. I hope things get better with TATA.
Hope you had a nice stay in India!
I always enjoy my time in India! Thanks for your comments! Even when things aren’t quite as nice as we’d like, I try to remind myself that any chance to travel is a good experience
22:54
I saw this video in my feed and was thinking “I think he could have been drunk when he booked this.” I’ve visited India many times and I would never pick Air India under any circumstance. Everything you experienced is pretty typical. I absolutely love India and I’m thrilled that Tata has control of them and hopefully will turn them around.
Thanks for taking this flight and reporting!
What airline do you choose?
Sounds like it is common for Air India. Hopefully the cabin renovations are able to really change things
@@adriansdr flying to India I fly British, Qatar, or Etihad. Within India I fly IndiGo.
@@263Leo go for vistara❤
@@Sauravv__ Vistara no longer operates. That’s another airline history
Sounds like all issues considered you have a very positive and forgiving attitude. Good on ya! I feel your pain. I am a flight attendant for a major airline and I can sympathize with you. Glad to hear your crew was so great!
Totally! I feel like at least having a great soft product is huge, it gives the flight attendants some type of pride to be there. Hopefully new ownership and cabin renovations will truly overhaul the experience!
I think you took this flight long ago because this route is now operated by ex-delta 777-200 lr, which are in good shape and amazing interiors. I know because there are several written reviews about it and I am taking it myself in June.
This flight was taken in February 2023. My guess is a potential equipment swap maybe, but I do know that they have recently been placing the ex-Delta aircraft on the SFO flights to both Bangalore and Mumbai
Upload a video
Have you taken the fight ? How was your experience?
Ex delta is SF Mumbai
Air India IFE is from the stone age . .
The superstore series on your device is an excellent watch
I guess you flew on an old aircraft day.
AI has already started to use the scrapped refub delta planes
Yea I noticed that most days, SFO-BLR is an ex-Delta plane now. I am happy I got the "authentic" AI experience at least. But I do wish the IFE would have worked. Or at least the power outlet, so my laptop didn't die...
Air india was known as "flying palace" in 60s and 70s. It is suprisingly unbelievable that during those days Singapore airlines was used to be trained by air india. But as of now Tata took over the the company back as it was running in loss. Let's hope that it can rule the sky again it used to be back those days
With their history, they definitely could return to what they once were. It will take a significant effort to make it there. I’m pulling for them though!
Amazing review Patrick. I’ve been watching and subscribed I think back when you had just hit maybe 3K subscribers, and I was amazed even then that you were doing reviews like you had hundreds of thousands already.
You were so merciful and positive in attitude for that hard product! What an adventure!
Thanks!!
You have a refreshing approach to airline review videos. Your delivery and light humor are well-done.
Thank you!
Thanks for the report. That was a long flight with a lot of challenges. That's amazing you could sleep that long. Longest economy flight for me was 13 hours. Thanks for showing the viewing deck at SFO. Didn't know that was there.
Thanks! I was fortunate to sleep the amount that I did, and having the window seat definitely helped!
What is sFO plz tell me
@@gurpreetkaur3871 that’d be the airport code for the international airport in San Francisco… my home airport!
My experience flying domestic with Air India was quite good. Food not bad, metal cutlery, efficient FAs, flight on schedule etc
But international was a completely different story. Insects flying around, FAs who couldn't be bothered to do their jobs (most, not all), IFEs not working, below par food etc. The interior cabin's design probably predates the dreamliner I was flying in.
I really hope TATA can turn things around. Will take a long time probably.
You can’t compare short domestic flights with long haul transatlantic/transpacific flights. That’s apples and oranges.
Domestic flights in India can last as little as 1 to 2,5 hours - I wouldn’t complain sitting on a tight space with little legroom and no IFE screen for such a short time. As long as I get from point A to point B
However For 10+hour routes that is totally unacceptable. And if they are a member of STAR ALLIANCE - they should comply with the high standards
@@samroy5967 My international flight was around 11.5 hrs. Sheer torture. Most people had an issue with the IFE not working. When it did, the system was so outdated and only had a limited selection of movies, mostly Bollywood.
Even a Middle Eastern airline like Emirates has a vastly superior collection of Bollywood and other Indian regional movies. IFE was the least of all the issues though.
The most pressing was the dirty cabin with flying insects and broken parts stuck with tape, along with the super cold attitude of most of the FAs. They had such a depressing look on their faces, like they absolutely hated their jobs.
Air India still has long way to before they can even think of competing with other major airlines, especially the Middle East trio of Emirates, Etihad and Qatar that have the most flights to India if I'm not wrong.
@@vinithradhakrishnan8969 I wonder if more passengers report directly to the headquarters (maybe write a review with an attached copy of a scanned boarding pass as proof of travel) only then the management will take some efforts to fix aircraft issues and train their staff accordingly.
Someone else said his IFE screen was broken the whole flight and then he asked for a cup of juice AND ALSO a cup of water with his meal and the FA rolled her eyes and served his 2 drinks with an angry attitude - saying something like “you want 2 drinks?? Why not 3?” 🙄 unbelievable.
Is that Indian hospitality on a national carrier welcoming foreigners to “incredible India”?
I’m sure there’ll be a queue of youngsters all over India willing to take her job and perform better. Management should let their staff know that they can easily be replaced with a grumpy attitude like that
Same here, took a 14 hour flight on AI, the experience was a disaster.
The interior of 777 is severely outdated and almost everything's falling apart, IFE stopped working for everyone, forgot to serve the food.
I will never book AI for my life, just hearing the name gives me PTSD
@@pranaym3859 what do you mean by “FORGOT TO SERVE THE FOOD” 😳
How can you forget this on such a long flight?
I flew Air India from SFO-Delhi and back in early 2023, on two of their Boeing 777-300ERs. Both airplanes were about 14-years-old but the cabin interiors looked like the plane was 30-years-old. I encountered many of the same issues you described -- warm cabin, broken tray tables, non-functional IFE screens, smelly bathrooms, etc. Most airplanes in their fleet show their age and the lack of maintenance. The comfort level was no better than that of a local state transport bus in India. However, the food usually makes up for the deficits in other areas. I have always been impressed with Air India's food. It's also worth considering that I traveled on their old aircraft, as did you. They recently purchased 4 Boeing 777-200LRs from Delta and they are routinely used on SFO-Mumbai/Bangalore routes now. My parents traveled on one of those this year and they said the product was fantastic, but that's mainly because the cabin interiors of those 4 planes is exactly the same as Delta's. All things equal, I think Air India is worth considering and surely has a bright future. Their service still lags behind it's peers in Asia but Air India has a plan to renovate their fleet. The San Francisco Bay Area has a substantial Indian and Indian-American population and the launching of direct flights from SFO to Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai puts most Indians in the Bay Area within 2 flights of their homes in India. I would like to see Air India champion that game, and hopefully competition from United will also help.
Good points. I am excited for the new cabins and I want to try out the new product once it arrives. I am curious if United will be able to give them competition from SFO without using Russian airspace. It’s a hell of a flight if you avoid Russia and could lead to serious weight restrictions
"That's right, we pulling out the big words today"
Luv it.
Ha! Yes!
That is sad, but great video as always. Is nice to see how positive you stay even after a awful experience.
It’s still better than AirAsia😂
Thank you!
BLR-SFO is the longest 777-200LR flight ✈
Beautiful video ❤
Dude u r a saint for being able to withstand this nightmare for 18 hours😨😨😨😨😨😨
Lol… never again 😩
I think this is my first video of you in Y class …wow, 18 hrs .. I will need to have much entertainment and work to engage me during that time period. Overall great trip,report as always !
Tough journey for sure…. But one hell of an experience
Air India is so beautiful in its colour schemes❤
Great flight report! Love always when you upload a new video! Your flight reports always make my day better!
Great to hear! Thanks!
I got upcoming travel in November and this video got me concerned if i made the right choice by flying Air India for the first time . Hopefully TATA will fix things quickly and bring back the glory to Air India again.
Depending on which route you will be flying, some have been replaced with former Delta Air Lines 777s so you’ll have the newer Delta interior and IFE. So you may be in luck with that
youre a brave soul. i will never fly that filthy old airline but another solid review. Thanks for posting.
Thank you!
As an Indian, I'm so sorry that you had to go through this nightmare! Also you really were positive despite what you were going through! Tho the good part is that Air India is now under the TATA's, all the wide bodies would be receiving cabin refurbishment. New aircrafts like the A350 would be joining soon with updated cabins. Try them again for sure, I guarantee that you would be left surprised!
Totally man. Ill be back once those new airplanes arrive
That tofu you had is actually called paneer, it's a type of cheese made from milk,unlike tofu that is soybean based.
Yep, I just learned that a couple days ago on a connecting flight through Chennai
@@PatrickSheaAviation oh !great!
Liked the video especially the background score. Your review seemed honest and unbiased. Keep up the good work!
Thank you!
I have great memories of Air India, having been a regular flyer with them as a kid some 20 years back. However, over the past 15 years, government ownership ran this airline to the ground.
I am an ex-Tata employee and I am confident that the Tatas will turn this company into a world class airline in the next 5 years
I am excited to see what the TATAs will be able to do to return AI to its past of rich history
I hope you deeply understand the word "world class" (5 years!!) when you use it. This would mean having to turn the whole company on its head given that ,it's not just getting newer planes but also attitudes.
@@seshdwarakanath955 From a hospitality perspective, 5 years isnt too long at all. Non-cooperative staff are being retired, while new hires are being trained by folks from Taj Hotels. By 'world class', I meant that Air India can easily surpass service levels of European and North American carriers. I am curious to know what 'attitudes' are you referring to?
great video as always, love the details and subtle humour haha, thanks.
Thanks!!
You've been posting bangers! Another great review!
Thank you!
I salute you for trying, I would never take a longhaul with AI until they renovate their cabins.
I look forward to trying the renovated cabins when they come out
Agreed, that Air India is stuck in the past but things are improving to a newness
I am definitely excited for the TATA's renovation!
Man, I have to give you lots of credit sitting in HELL for 18 hrs. You're a brave person!
Emirates 777 and 380 are just mindblowing… their economy seats and the services they provide are like that of business class on any airline in this world🎉❤
but the food sucks on emirates
Thank you for the review. It helped a lot in making a decision in my upcoming trip to India.
I will say that once the new cabins begin showing up more and more next year it should get much better. I look forward to going out there to try out the new product
Great vid! Do you have a trip report on Vistara by any chance, and did you check Indigo while you were in India? Thanks!
I have flown Indigo, but haven't done any reports on it. You WILL however find a Vistara video on my channel from earlier this year from Delhi to Paris
Loved the background music you played during the video and your frank opinion
Thanks homie
Twice travelled by Air India direct from Vancouver to Delhi and back. Nice service
Their service is wonderful, after cabin renovations, I have no doubt they’ll once again be a top airline
nice video. hope to fly this route one day
I too hope you get to try out this route! Good luck!
Bro I am a pilot in Air India serving as first officer. You have travelled with us long ago and now things are changing in Air India. I think you should also make a video of the new Air India.
I’d definitely like to give it another shot. I have travelled domestically with air India and enjoyed it. Now that the ex-Delta aircraft serve SFO, I’d be happy to see the new cabins. Or maybe when the A350s arrive?! Regardless, I loved the crew and the food, so a newer cabin may make all the difference
Hey Patrick !! Thanks for sharing a Great video of an entire flight!!!
Thanks!
I congratulate you Patrick for handling this flight so well. I know I couldn't have like you did. And what a list of little things wrong/not working on board! Nice video as always. 9.812
Thanks! It was definitely an adventure
$800 for the product you received does sound quite a lot, but being the only non-stop option between the two cities, there is a lot of premium value added. Last year I did Mumbai to JFK return via Singapore in Premium Economy on SQ, and the cost was just $1,350. I also secured a solo seat for SIN-JFK sector at additional $140 per flight which was well worth it considering being a 19hr flight. Just like your AI flight it came with 2 full meals (each with 3 main choices, but you can also pre-select various options from Book the Cook menu) + refreshment, and plenty of snacks including cup noodles on request. It was actually better than some business class products since there is no one else next to you, plenty of storage, and excellent entertainment system.
Great review! By the way, the veg main dish you had is not tofu, but likely to be paneer - Indian style cottage cheese 🙂
You're a very brave man. I wouldn't step foot on an Indian airline.
Ha! Idk if it’s that bad, and it’s only getting better from here
Patrick, first & foremost, great profile pic! 😉. Second, it’s my first time on your channel and I subscribed because you made me laugh when talking about the guy who got upset when you asked to go to the loo (although I’m sorry you had to encounter that). Finally, I’m pleasantly surprised the cabin crew were nice because they usually aren’t on Air India from what I recall. (Btw, how was your trip to India? Please show us what you did! Lol!)
Welcome to the channel! India was wonderful. I connected to Mumbai on this specific trip and had a wonderful time there although it was a very quick trip this time. I hope to get a trip to India where I can spend more time there
@@PatrickSheaAviation thank you for the welcome and glad you had a great time! The food scene is so great in Bombay so hope you were able to taste good food! 😎
Air India, reliable and beautiful Nissan Altima of the skies ❤🇮🇳 and I love it!
Ha! Yes!! Love it!
the smell in that cabin wouldve been something else
It was even worse in my seat adjacent to the restroom 😅
This is what you get from corruption, ignorance and basically a bankrupt airline...no reason for lack of cabin maintenance, it is LAZINESS. And not to mention unsanitary! I was in India a few times and flew Business/First Class to Dubai roundtrip from New Delhi, it was an okay experience. Great vlog!
Thank you! And I agree, seeing a cabin in this type of shape is just a bit disheartening. You have to hope it isn't signs of a darker narrative about laziness with the management of the airline
I can see in the comments, all the hopeful people who thinks that Air India will make great changes are Indians and all the hopeless people are the foreigners and they described this whole journey as if they will die! Anyway I am not spreading any hate or so and as an Indian and an AvGeek I am hopeful too. Loved the video, keep it up 👍
Thank you!
On a positive note, the airports in San Francisco and Bangalore both look excellent.
Well SFO is my home airport so I’m a bit biased, but I do love it. BLR was great as well!
@@bikal1645 it’s getting that attention little bits at a time. Terminal 1 is beautiful now
3:20 Lufthansa A350-900 Freiburg im Breisgau or Freiburg Sachsen. Dresden is on a B747-8 which does fly to SFO normally seen on EWR-FRA LH402/403. Speaking of Air India are they better than UA or not? Within the SFO G gates and international check-in CEB bound passengers will use KE Skyteam/OZ Star Alliance🇰🇷 BR Star Alliance like Air India/CI Skyteam 🇹🇼 CX Oneworld 🇭🇰 this is done to avoid MNL on PR🇵🇭. At the balcony you should see PR105 SFO🇺🇲-MNL🇵🇭 if visible or PR115. For San Francisco to Manila flights there are boxes as luggage so are the SFO TO CEB flights via TPE🇹🇼 ICN🇰🇷 HKG🇭🇰
Excellent trip report
Thanks! I would choose UA over Air India personally
The new air india will be the best ❤
I am excited to try it out and see what improvements are made
I am travelling to Kolkata via New Delhi with Air India tomorrow (10/3/23) so I am a little apprehensive after your report. I hope the tings will turn out right. I normally do not use AI. The sole reason of choosing AI was it was cheaper than the other airlines flying to Kolkata during this period.
Depending on where you’re starting from there is a slight chance you get one of the aircraft that they bought from Delta or Etihad. Those have the same seats that Delta and Etihad had in them when they were previously retired
@@PatrickSheaAviation I made the trip. Broken folding trays, seats were ancient, no entertainment, bathrooms were old. But the air hostesses were very nice and helpful. They were also keeping the bathrooms very clean by just elbow grease. There is still hope for Air India.
Ohh!!! Ufff that's a disastrous journey😢
I just started following your page and love your reviews. On this review I applaud you and your optimism, but I don't think I would fly Air India until they have new planes and a better product. Please keep up the good work!
Thank you! I do agree, I look forward to their new fleet arriving
The new air india a350s will be undelivered aeroflot planes so the product might be better than what’s on their normal planes
As the elders would say: "bless your heart." No airline should be able to take your money and provide you with these awful situations!
Bro you miss out ex - delta currently 3 in fleet and 4th coming next week total 5 on leased
air india only refurbish b777-300er, b787-8 planes they are planning to pause out 3 non ex- delta b777lr in 2024 in video that plane also included 😅
And air india also lease 6 ex-etihad b777-300er by next month and operate on Delhi London route
By end of this year also add 6 a350-900 ex-aeroflot
Excited to see air india future
I will try to get on a flight with the new fleet that’s arriving, but at least I had the authentic Air India experience before all then change
Give this man a positivity under adversity award pls 🎉
Ha! Thanks!
But i hope a new livery and renovated interior with extra comfort seats and new in flight entertainment system is gonna make air india a world class airline and speaking about wifi it's India's regulatory rules to not use wifi onboard for control tower connection control by DGCA
That's interesting about the wi-fi. I wonder how it's affecting the ATC communications differently. I do hope new ownership and renovations can return Air India's historic legacy
@@PatrickSheaAviation I think it's because security reasons rather than interference with the flight
We still fear about terrorist attacks
You should try the route now. AI operates the ex Delta LRs on SFO BLR & BOM VT-AEx. These 3 original AI LRs VT-ALF/G/H are currently operating SFO DEL and will be disposed after the new A350s start coming in.
How was the arrival experience at BLR airport ?
BLR was easy! Airport was nice. I do plan to return once the A350s and new interiors arrive. Hopefully to give an updated view to it all
Show was nice. A passenger should come out with negative points too same time add some positive. Any way I decided to traval most my trip in AIR INDIA. INDIA'S PROUD AIR LINE. Thanks dear.
That meal is the definition of “you ate didn’t you? Damn”. Whole airline acts like you are bothering them by just purchasing a ticket.
Back in 1989, while serving in the military, I deployed overseas from west coast USA to Okinawa, Japan. We were flown over on a L-1011. The aircraft made 3 stops, during which we were not allowed to disembark. I spent 25 hours seated in economy until we reached Okinawa and I could get off the plane.
I think you gave Air India a fair review. I would not fly them right now. If the interior is so ratty, what confidence should I have in the mechanicals of the aircraft. They seem far too willing to cut corners.
It does seem like they have the money to fix it, but decide to channel it to other places. I'm curious what their cabin renovations will include
Awesome bro ❤
Thanks!
Air India need some redesign on its new livery. Its important!!
It looks like that will be happening. Exciting stuff for air India
Air India has always been a painful experience. Tata’s have to really put in lot of hard work to bring it back to its original glory .
It will no doubt take work, but it sounds like they have already started major overhauls of the hard product
Now the flight is changed with the leased one from Delta. The flight is good now.
Thanks for the review. I guess the only 2 positive factors are good meal options and direct service which allows you to save time and skip connections and transfers.
Or did I miss something?
I think even Indians prefer to fly MiddleEastern carriers with a connection in DXB/AUH/DOH/IST rather than flying direct on their national airline.
Yea the direct service is great, especially for business travelers and I’d also add that the crew is a big positive factor for them. But other than that, the gulf carriers are a major improvement over AI right now
My startup bosses are the kind that frequent SFO-BLR
Hopefully not in economy every time at least!
Thanks Support for Indian Aviations
Thank you!
I really liked the background music of Sitar in your video
haha love the background music 🤣 great review.
Yes, air india improved.. New evaluation required.
It’s on its way to getting better, I wouldn’t say it’s there just yet. They are flying the ex-delta aircraft on the route now which is nice, but I’m still waiting for them to have their own product which will truly show that they have improved
I flew air india way back in 2017 from New Delhi to Chicago
Air India taken over by TATA (a original owner). Now he has ordered nearly 500 new aircrafts as all current fleet are 20 to 30 years old aircraft.
Honestly we need to wait for the new planes to hit the market along with the renovated cabins to review this airline - this experience is the legacy of the broken service that was common with AI.
I like the background music. Whats the name? By the way, loved your video. 25 mins felt 5 mins.
Thanks! I don’t recall the exact songs but I get all my music from Epidemic Sound
Tata has taken over Air India, please wait for a year or so, thereafter everything will be world class. Till then please ..!!. 😊
I’m hopeful we will see a great change! Can’t wait!
Longest flight ever for 777-200lr was DOH-AUK around 9034 miles, that its the second in the world I guess...
I flew the same route back and forth last month. I have mostly flown other airlines over several decades. My expectations weren't very high, but I thought the Air India service was fair. The crew was courteous and the vegetarian food was ok, not great though. The legroom was decent also. The in-flight entertainment was sparse, but I slept most of the time. The cabin was clean when we entered. I missed having wifi though. Maybe I flew on a newer aircraft. There are better airlines for sure, but I like the direct flights. One doesn't have to waste time changing planes and suffer the inconvenience of secondary security checks that I have sometimes found to be a weird experience in some of the other airports. Both SFO and BLR airports are decent. Immigration services are usually fast and baggage claim is mostly hassle free. You don't have to walk much.
All great points! I do know they’ve begun using the former Delta aircraft so there’s a chance you were in one of those aircraft which would have given you an updated cabin. I do thing Air India’s soft product really isn’t all that bad. Crew was always fantastic and the food was actually quite tasty, not a given on most airlines
Great video, but the music was pretty annoying. Needed to mute at some point.
I’m an Indian I haven’t flown Air India since 2020 covid time when I had to take one of their repatriation flights to see my dad on his death bed. I’m very thankful to Air India that they accommodate me at the last minute.
My mom is flying on this to Blore alone. This was the only direct flight option and it bugs me because we paid $1500 for the flex economy ticket, flight is so poorly maintained. Hopefully the Tatas bring it to its former glory.
I do know they have begun using planes on this route that they are leasing from Delta so if she gets the updated cabin, it should be a much better cabin product
@@PatrickSheaAviation you were right, she is on the flight and the interior is all blue 😀
Just flew on Air India 777W from Vancouver to Delhi. The crew was good, but the aircraft was horrible. Hope things change soon.
Fantastic
Thank you!
Where they strkct with the baggage weight. Did you check in a bag. What was the customer service
I didn’t check anything in and they actually didn’t weight anything so I guess they weren’t too strict about it
Air India is getting Ex Delta 777-200LRs, EX Etihad 777-300ERs, EX Singapore Airlines 777-300ERS and EX Aeroflot A350-900s.
SFO - BGL - AirIndia 18 hrs journey and 16 hrs vice versa - for such long journey the management should improve their services within short time accordingly so as to compete with other International Airlines
They have replaced this route’s aircraft and now fly it with aircraft formerly operated by Delta and have updated interiors
SFO is a good airport for flying star alliance in premium cabins because you automatically get funneled into the polaris lounge unlike say LAX or EWR where you can use the polaris lounge but you have to go to the other terminal for it and need to use whatever star alliance lounge in that terminal unless you're fine with walking a bit. The plus side of the latter is getting access to multiple lounges in the airport.
Agreed! I may be biased (being from San Francisco and all) but I do really enjoy SFO as compared to other US airports
@@PatrickSheaAviation LAX is only good because you can lounge hop especially when flying star alliance or one world
Great video! Thank you! Subscribing.
Air India is notorious for poor maintenance of its interiors.
Thanks! And yea that does seem to be the general consensus with it. I am hoping new ownership and cabin renovations will make a big difference. Only time will tell
Superb ❤❤❤
As a Indian I will never choose any Indian airlines for international routes except vistarta. I hope air India can fixed things fast since it’s been long time Tata has overtaken and also Tata and other indian airlines has mostly bribed Indian aviation minister not to allow more international airlines to operate in India.
I do hope the cabin renovations move Air India in the right direction. It’s sad to see such a storied airline have these strugglrs
@@PatrickSheaAviation I just hope so. Definitely I’m sure Tata will take it to next level. It will be great united also starts its operations asap to BLR to SFO I think they are waiting to open Russian airspace?
Your background music has a very “Apocalypse Now” vibe to it.
In 2016 I traveled Air India from Newark to Hyderabad via Mumbai. It was ok .
Do you have any idea regarding the Registration number of the Aircraft ?
This one was VT-ALF
@@PatrickSheaAviation Alright Thanks
Man…unfortunately you were unlucky. You got the un renovated -200LR planes. When i rode the same route 2 months ago, my plane was an ex-delta -200LR so it had a newer interior and a newer livery. The first flight there was a disappointment, with no IFE and window seat, but the flight back was surprisingly pretty good, with both working. They were bought somewhere in 2022-23 and i have no idea why they didnt use the ex-delta planes.
The ex-delta ones have a different livery, with white engines with the logo instead of a fully red engine. They also have no red rings on the windows, reducing the age
Yep. Although this was the true “air India experience”. Although I am excited for their new airplanes to bring a refreshed cabin to the game
@@PatrickSheaAviation ik im 8 months late, but now I'm sure the experience would be better as they're now mostly operating new ex-delta planes, with refreshed IFE screens, modern cabins, and better planes. I would have flown on air india again to India this summer, if they hadn't made it $5000, compared to the $2000.
That's to my knowledge only flight that connects west coast. United as of now dropped idea of direct flight to Bengaluru due to operational constraints infact they also had to drop EWR- Mumbai service and to compensate they are now operating two EWR IGI flights.
Yea the India flights are flight from North America due to Russian airspace. United was supposed to launch SFO to BLR BOM and DEL just like Air India, but couldn’t because the route they had to take would be too long
try Vietnam Airlines from San Francisco non-stop direct flight to Saigon, Vietnam and see if they are any better than Air India
I actually JUST booked that. Although from Saigon to SFO. That should be out later this year!
bro had very good experience 😆
19:20 Superstore ❤❤
My godddd this disastrous travel is scaring the shit out of me... As i need to do a long haul with the same carrier
They are slowly improving. Depending on your route, you may be able to get one of the planes recently acquired from Delta or Etihad
@@PatrickSheaAviationI’m taking AI in June from sfo to
Bangalore…. I’m
traveling economy. I’ll get the new plane I think, right?