Information on Air India Flights

Despite its former glory as the “Flying Maharajah,” Air India’s reputation has faded over the last decade, as the airline struggled with outdated services and a lack of investment. However, the airline’s fortune shifted with its privatization in 2022, allowing Air India to spend billions of dollars on acquiring new aircraft and upgrading its existing fleet.

Currently, the airline is not yet where it aims to be, but you can already see great improvement in many areas, including the updated fleet. Most notably, Air India is using modernized long-haul aircraft on an interim basis until its own recently ordered planes arrive, making it well worth considering them again. I have been pleasantly surprised by how much the airline has accomplished so far. Here’s what you can expect.

Unique routes on Air India

Air India serves more domestic destinations (44) than international ones (37), with 40% of all seats being offered to and from the main hub in Delhi.

Particularly on transatlantic routes from North America, the national carrier offers some of the world’s longest routes, like those from San Francisco to either Bangalore or Mumbai. The airline also serves Vancouver, Chicago, Toronto, Washington DC and two major New York airports non-stop from India. More routes to the US are being added.

Most intercontinental routes on Air India go through London, with Heathrow handling the majority of the mainline connections, while Gatwick serves five secondary destinations such as Amritsar and Kochi. My favorite route is from New York to Delhi, where Air India has its best offering on the Airbus A350.

Air India fare categories

The Indian national flag carrier has eight fare categories on offer with one common package throughout, and it’s not a given these days – you always get hot meals, a checked bag and a carry-on bag as part of your journey. In most cases, you’ll also get free seat selection.

In economy, Air India gives passengers three fare category options: Comfort, Comfort Plus and Flex. The latter is about one third more expensive than the cheapest option, but the actual difference in what you get for this premium is fairly insignificant. You’ll earn more frequent flier miles and suffer lower charges for changes and cancellations. There’s not much else you’ll receive to improve your flight experience.

In business class, there are two fare categories: Comfort and Comfort Plus. The differences are the same as in economy, but the premium is fairly small this time, so this might be a worthwhile option for peace of mind if you’re travel plans aren’t completely solid.

Check-in

Web and mobile check-in opens 48 hours prior to departure. A bit frustratingly, especially on international flights, it’s often impossible to benefit much from remote check-in. Even if you only travel with a carry-on bag, airline bureaucracy regularly requires personal inspection of documents at the airport, so you’ll need to wait in line anyway.

I find that one should always get to the airport in India with at least an extra hour to spare, as things here often tend to take longer than expected. You will also encounter some extra steps you may not be used to.

Usually, there is a ticket and security check before you are even allowed to enter the terminal building in India. Long lines at economy class check-in counters are common as many people traveling to and from India tend to check mountains of luggage, taking extra time and slowing down the overall process. There’s also passport control and the main security checkpoint to clear, but that is still not all.

Before reaching the gate, you have to go through a secondary check, screening all carry-on items a final time – I haven’t seen this elsewhere, and it adds even more backups to the process. Unless you’re traveling to Europe or the US from India, which often happens around or after midnight, try to avoid late evening departures. This is by far the busiest period with the longest lines.

Seats and legroom

With Air India, it pays to do your homework before booking, as the value for money you get can be hugely different depending on the aircraft you book. The Airbus 350 offers the best experience on the airline, and I try book routes with this aircraft whenever possible.

The brand-new long-haul Airbuses will take over more routes in the future, but they currently fly to London (LHR) and both JFK and Newark (EWR) in the New York area. For other US routes, it’s mostly the Boeing 777, but you may be lucky enough to get the 777-200LR aircraft purchased from Etihad and Delta Air Lines. They fly to the US from Mumbai and Bangalore, with some additional routes from Delhi.

On the oldest 777-300ER aircraft, cabins are in the process of being refurbished to provide up to 35 inches in some economy seats. You’ll get 33 inches in the Boeing 787-8 and at least 31 inches everywhere else, which is more than on some US carriers in long-haul economy.

On the A350 aircraft, Air India also has recently introduced Premium Economy cabins for the first time, offering 38 inches of seat pitch (the industry average in this cabin) with a decent width of 18.5 inches.

Wi-Fi and in-flight entertainment

Air India doesn’t offer any inflight Wi-Fi as of yet, but there is a plan to roll it out on the new A350 fleet.

The newer Boeing 777-200LR aircraft have modern entertainment systems featuring 2,200 hours of content. On the legacy 777-300ER aircraft there is a wireless Vista system offering over 950 hours of video and audio programs to be streamed on your personal device onboard.

Packing a book on long Air India flights is always a good idea. The power outlets onboard many of the older aircraft are unreliable, so you may not be able to stay charged enough to stream content throughout your entire journey. It also helps to bring a fully charged external power bank for backup.

Cabin crew and in-flight service

After not having added any new recruits for years, now you will see some fresh faces roaming the cabins. With Air India on its way to being restored to its former glory, it has added 5,000 members to its cabin crew strength. The airline’s existing cabin crew have also recently undergone rigorous retraining, embracing the high standards of the new Air India.

One unique feature of Air India is that you always get a hot meal in all classes, even on shorter flights. While we often complain about airline food, the good news here is that the aromatic Indian cuisine translates very well to in-air dining, which is a real plus.

Change and cancellation policies

The fees for changing or rescheduling your booking are fare-based and depend on both the fare category booked and how much time remains until departure.

There are fees for any changes made less than 72 hours before departure, but they’re not very expensive. Modifications to Comfort Plus or Flex tickets more than 72 hours before take-off incur no additional charges, except the difference in ticket cost, if any.

Similarly, cancellation charges are also based on the fare type you booked and the window within which you request cancellation. More premium fare categories bring reduced fees and/or more generous time windows to cancel without extra penalty.

Loyalty programs

Air India majorly revamped the Flying Returns loyalty program in 2024. A major change for frequent flyers is that mileage is now earned based on what you pay, rather than how far you fly.

Air India is a member of Star Alliance, so you can use and earn some of your loyalty benefits across alliance airlines. I find this can be a lucrative partnership, as Air India tends to give more miles than other member airlines, even on a cheap intercontinental ticket. Another plus is that Air India miles never expire, as long as you take at least one flight with them every two years.