India's Airline Industry

India1989 · Post by **India1989** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 8:55 pm

I haven't been any of these non stop flights. Next time I will go to India on 2007 August. I might go on this flight or maybe Air India.

gvhvhg · Post by **gvhvhg** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:01 pm

The non-stop flight from Newark to India is not even nonstop. It is nonstop in the sense that you do not get off the plane, but you stop in London for an hour to refuel.

Similarly then I went non stop on AI this summer from JFK to India because we were so late that there was no time to deplane in London!

That flight was a disaster. Our flight was cancelled because they decided to use the aircraft to transport Manmohan Singh to Washington for the Indo-US Summit. Apparantley they put up temporary walls all over the plane and create numerous conference and meeting rooms on the plane!

So a whole flight-full (not a word I know!) of people were rebooked onto the next day's flight---joining the whole flight-full of people who were already booked on that flight!!!!!! Don't ask how long the line was.....and don't ask how they got everyone on (they must have booted some off im sure...yet for some reason I think not....)

So because Manmohan had taken our aircraft we were given the backup aircraft....A piece of crap (excuse my language) leased from Singapore Airlines with no leg room and no working tv projector. So we embarked on the 24 hour journey with no leg room and no movie just so Manmohan could sell us out!

(Please don't respond to this comment if you disagree....)

Oh there's so much more to this story but I'll leave it at that...for now...

Post by **Dhruv** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:09 pm

BSharma wrote:Has anyone tried the non-stop flight from New Jersey to India, or between Canada and India? American Airlines is starting a non-stop flight from Chicago to Delhi. Please share your experience if you have been on one of these non-stop flights between North America and India.

Airbus 340. Great flight as long as you have legroom seats and no 2-3 year olds around you.

Also very convenient. Would highly recommend it.

PS: This is the non stop over the North Pole flight that I am talking about.

Sandeep · Post by **Sandeep** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:21 pm

India1989, I was just about to write this. Air India is only good for people who can't eat food other than Indian. Airhostess behaviour is one of the best on Indian flights. Flight journey is a luxury in India and so Airhostess tend to overdo things and make you feel as confortable as possible. Actually, I didn't find much difference between airline (I travelled very less though) . I travelled in Air India, Delta and Lufthansa. Not much difference. This time I am going by Singapore Airline, have to see how it is.

You can't say it bad just cause its an Indian airlines.

India1989, please try to stop saying these kind of things when someone disagrees with you. Everyone like India over here.

India1989 · Post by **India1989** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:33 pm

Sorry. But many people just guess that its bad by the name. Many people do. So I have a point. ANyways sorry.

gvhvhg · Post by **gvhvhg** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 11:39 pm

India1989, I was just about to write this. Air India is only good for people who can't eat food other than Indian. Airhostess behaviour is one of the best on Indian flights. Flight journey is a luxury in India and so Airhostess tend to overdo things and make you feel as confortable as possible.

Agreed---those are two aspects in which Air India is superior to all...

Sorry. But many people just guess that its bad by the name. Many people do. So I have a point. ANyways sorry.

I for one begged my father too book our tickets on Air India the past two trips we have made to India BECAUSE I wanted to prove him and everyone wrong that Air India was not good. Unfortunately after this second trip I have realized that I was wrong...

Sandeep · Post by **Sandeep** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 11:42 pm

Actually Boeing 747 that Air India has is not all that bad!

puneets · Post by **puneets** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 12:09 am

BSharma wrote:Has anyone tried the non-stop flight from New Jersey to India, or between Canada and India? American Airlines is starting a non-stop flight from Chicago to Delhi. Please share your experience if you have been on one of these non-stop flights between North America and India.

The AA non-stop flight (Chi-Del) is scheduled to start on Nov 15th or 16th. The total time is around 14.5 hours. I'll be taking that flight on Nov 19th..and will give an update once I reach Lucknow.

puneets · Post by **puneets** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 12:23 am

gvhvhg wrote:Similarly then I went non stop on AI this summer from JFK to India because we were so late that there was no time to deplane in London!

The AI flight is not non-stop. They always stop at London and do not allow passengers to 'deplane'.
Each time they make a different excuse.
Some of the versions that I have heard (experienced once) are:

1. Bad weather at destination - so we'll just refuel here and quickly turn back so that we reach early.

2. The lounge is not empty, so we cannot allow passengers to deplane.

Now, AA, Delta and Continental have real 'non-stop' flights to India (from US).

I have travelled with AI once, and it was a somewhat terrible experience. My friends were alloted seats which did not physically exist !! When they told this to the stewardess, she frowned as if its not her problem. Then she told them to first let everyone sit and then occupy any seat which is empty. The flight attendants did not even help them in finding space to keep the bags in the overhead bins..the solution which the attendants had was to put the bags in front of their legs (under the seat)! Pathetic

puneets · Post by **puneets** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 12:25 am

Dhruv wrote:Airbus 340. Great flight as long as you have legroom seats and no 2-3 year olds around you. Also very convenient. Would highly recommend it.

PS: This is the non stop over the North Pole flight that I am talking about.

AA is planning to use Boeing 777-200 aircraft for their non-stop flights (Chi-Del).

puneets · Post by **puneets** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 12:28 am

My best experience has been Swiss Air ..'cos they upgraded me from Economy to Business class for free!

..maybe 'cos I checked-in quite early and they had some unbooked seats in the business section.

India1989 · Post by **India1989** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 1:30 am

It is same for all the aircrafts in economic class. You don't have leg space. that's the main problem.

gbelday · Post by **gbelday** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 2:43 pm

You can't say it bad just cause its an Indian airlines.

I am not buddy. I have great respect for anything that is Indian. However, I said what I said purely as a customer based on experience. The first time, our baggage got lost in Bombay and we were in Hyderabad by then. It took forever to get our stuff back. The second time, there was some flight delay out of JFK and the flight didn't take off for about 6 hrs. An my son was about a year old then. There were no announcements and we were not given any updated until we asked repeatedly. And then we had to fly out of Ahmedabad while coming back and it was a mad house at the departure gate there. There were these ton of people who had extra baggage and this created whole lot of problems. And then they didn't have enough bassinets available (though we booked earlier) and I had to keep my son on my lap the whole journey (Imagine that!!) I didn't find the service that great as well.
We are just not flying them ever again. I asked them to heat up milk for my son and I got "looks!". Never had any problems with such requests on any other airline. We flew Singapore that same year again and the serivce was really great!

I guess I should stop now - everytime I think of AI, my blood boils!!

puneets · Post by **puneets** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 3:17 pm

Relax gbelday

We'll try not to bring up this topic again (when you;re around)

Sandeep · Post by **Sandeep** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 3:58 pm

Surprising to see many people having bad experience!