Air India

✅ Trip Verified | The Airline was on a downhill spiral since almost 16 years if not more. When the Tata's took over people had high hope for its recovery. However even after 28 months things are as bad if not worse. I avoid flying this airline and rarely do unless I have no better options. It's a big let down for a Tata company. I do not know if there is any other business in this group that is anywhere even close to as bad as Air India is now. I also feel one reason the airline cannot improve is due to the guy at the top Campbell Wilson. This guy has a lot of management experience but most is for a budget airline and he is trying to run it in that manner. Just a recent example is the reduction of baggage allowance for domestic flights to 16 kgs for Economy passengers. This guy says this is in line with the industry trend. Well I don't think so unless he is comparing with the budget airlines. Even Japan Airlines offers 2x 23 kgs on its domestic flights. So what is the difference between AI and the other budget airlines, offering the same 15 kgs. In my recent case they advanced the timing of my flight which did not suit me as it did not give me enough time to connect with my Inbound flight from Tokyo. I called and pleaded that the new timing will not suit me and therefore I wish to cancel. I was told that I can cancel but there will be no refund. I have never had issues with their Star Alliance partner airlines when they change flight timings and I get a full refund in case of cancellation. Not only Star Alliance but numerous airlines with One World and Sky Team offer a full refund if new flight timings do not suit. Obviously this is another similarity with Budget Airlines. I definitely cannot recommend this airline in it's current avatar unless there is a drastic change which I do not see happening any time soon, definitely not under a CEO who is trying to run it as a budget airline. I also understand that the airline is currently at a loss. However with poor management and bad decisions they are losing further loyalty.

✅ Trip Verified | My recent experience with Air India on a long-haul flight from Melbourne to Hyderabad was nothing short of a nightmare. From start to finish, the journey was marred by a series of disappointments and discomforts that left me deeply dissatisfied. The food served was not only of poor quality, but it was also presented in a manner that suggested utter disregard for basic hygiene standards. Packages were not just messy inside but also had spills all over the exterior, making the already unappetizing meals even less appealing. To add insult to injury, the taste was abysmal, and the quality of desserts was subpar, failing to meet even the most basic expectations. Moving on to the condition of the aircraft itself, the state of the toilets was deplorable. Broken toilet doors and malfunctioning facilities resulted in a pervasive stench that permeated the seating area, creating an incredibly unpleasant atmosphere for passengers. It's unacceptable to subject paying customers to such unsanitary conditions. Furthermore, the lack of inflight entertainment for a significant portion of the seats is simply inexcusable in this day and age. With technology readily available, there's no reason why passengers should be deprived of this basic amenity, especially during a lengthy 20-hour flight. Speaking of discomfort, the seating arrangements were far from satisfactory. Uncomfortable seats made the already arduous journey even more taxing, leaving passengers feeling physically strained and restless. And if the in-flight experience wasn't bad enough, the ordeal continued upon arrival at Delhi airport. The mishandling of baggage collection, with staff carelessly pulling out bags from the belt and haphazardly placing them outside, created chaos and confusion among passengers trying to locate their belongings. In conclusion, my experience with Air India was nothing short of a disaster from start to finish. The combination of poor food quality, unsanitary conditions, lack of entertainment, uncomfortable seating, and chaotic baggage handling has left me with a strong resolve never to fly with them again. It's truly disappointing to see such a renowned airline fall so far below acceptable standards, and I urge prospective passengers to think twice before considering Air India for their travels.

Not Verified | This is the worst experience I’ve had flying internationally. On the first leg, the recline was broken. On the second leg, the in-flight entertainment remote was taped to the armrest because it too was broken. There is one little USB to try and charge gadgets not robust enough for my laptop. Oh, and the recline didn’t work either. For fifteen hours. Regardless, the economy seat backs are about 2 inches of hard plastic coated in musty fabric. Zero padding to be found. For fifteen hours. The extra 1” of legroom when compared to US carries doesn’t add much to the experience I’ve got to say. This is the most run-down disgusting cabin and up there with one of the more miserable flying experiences I’ve had. Find another airline. It will be worth it.

Not Verified | Non-stop flight to DEL from SFO 15hrs 45 minutes had 3 toilets out of order. In-flight entertainment was broken in 75% or more of the seats. Individual reading lights were also not working. Seat-back trays on which you place food was cracking. My theory is that Indian crew possibly prefers janitors back in India to clean toilets and so possibly locks them as out of order if clogged or dirty.

Not Verified | We have booked for Premium Economy class. When we were doing online checkin 48 hrs before the flight, we could not get a reserved seat in Premium Economy. We thought that it may be a system error but when went to the airport counter, Air India personnel said that the flight did not have Premium Economy. Also the attendant was very rude. Even if they knew it a couple of days before, they did not intimated it to us. We are still waiting for the reimbursement of this change from Air India. This is not the customer service we expect.

✅ Trip Verified | I had a terrible customer service experience with the ground staff. They were very rude and uncooperative, lacking basic manners. It seemed like they didn’t care when I asked for the complaints procedure and policy, as no one was aware of it. After insisting, they provided a complaint book with no explanation of the procedure.

✅ Trip Verified | Worst airline even to fly business class. Had approval to carry pet but refused to board because of excess 6kg. Worst Staff behaviour. Not helping at all.

Not Verified | I will not fly Air India. Both legs of my flight had no in flight entertainment, so 15 hours each way. My big issue is how they charge for bags being over weight. They generously give free checked bags, but they weighed my carry ons boarding the flight and said I had to pay over 10,000 rupees to board as my bags were over weight. How greedy and petty.

✅ Trip Verified | For this early morning flight, I had opted to show up on the weekend hoping that the load on this flight would not be as full as they normally would be over the weekends. The check in supervisor was kind and thankfully there were couple of seats available where I could get a seat onboard. The boarding started on time and the crew onboard was pretty friendly. For breakfast had opted for the egg omelet with hash browns which was fine along with tea. Arrival into CCU was also good and timely. Baggage retrieval was also good. Overall a good flight.

✅ Trip Verified | Check in smooth, Staff at CDG airport Paris were cooperative. Boarding smooth and easy Crew. Average, not as pleasing as I would expect from India. Needs to improve to make the travellers feel cared. Meal too hot to my taste. Desserts were of poor quality. IFE touch screen was not working. No WiFi onboard. Meal didn't fully match the menu provided on Air India mobile app. Smooth Transfer at Delhi