I flew last Thursday on Air India Flight 128 from London Heathrow Terminal 2 to Mumbai. I was expecting a slow process at London for security and immigration. But it was pretty seamless without even having to take out laptops, etc. I did have to drink the water in my bottle, which I had forgotten to empty.
We began the important step of boarding the flight at the gate. Last year, a similar Air India flight was plagued by inordinate delays. The experience this year was better, but there are still areas for improvement in pre-boarding. The first thing you notice is the screen and the folding tray when you take your economy seat. The screen has a hole in the frame holding it, which suggests it has seen better days. The folding tray was dirty and cracked, and you had to hold it on your lap. The tray had to be cleaned by the air hostess.
The screen in front of you works with an ancient remote, and the response time is the same as it would take you to read this entire blog. Please note the overlapping screen in the photo below. The coffee served was lukewarm, and we got crunchy corn as a snack from a PVR theatre (PVR-branded). We were asked about veg or non-veg meal and we received a non-veg continental meal which was bland, whereas our immediate neighbour had an Indian meal. Air India clearly thought I loved continental food and did not even bother to inform ( (or they ran out of the Indian food). You fly Air India partly for the food, and if it's not good, you lose interest in flying with them. The snack was a tasteless chicken rondel with more carbs than chicken. Ingredients were repeated, and allergies were noted in tiny print (e.g., "contains nuts").
British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Air India seem to be the only direct flights between London and Mumbai. Although the new Navi Mumbai airport may increase options, it's likely that Middle Eastern airlines will still provide better value with a single stop, regardless of the differing aircraft quality in the two sectors.
Air India’s privatization was due to its financial drain on the government, and it continues to burden its new owners. Also, the whole experience leaves a lot to be desired, and its relative advantage of Indianness is extinct. There is no character in the airline, even though the crew is now much younger. I don't fly as much now, but I prefer Indigo for domestic flights and Singapore Airlines for international trips.
I have posted some pictures below and hope that Air India gets better.
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