- Air India is rebuilding its reputation after being thrown into turmoil by nationalisation.
- The airline recently began operating its newest Airbus A350 with an improved business class.
- After flying for 13 hours in Air India's old Legacy Business Class, I noticed that the cabin has been significantly upgraded.
After years of stagnation, Air India is completely rebuilding its brand and finally giving business class travelers something to look forward to.
The Tata Group, which first founded Air India in 1932 before it was nationalized in 1953, bought back Air India in 2021.
Under revamped management, Air India has vowed to improve its reputation, which has been plagued by broken seats and dirty aircraft.
One of the company's most important projects is to improve the experience of premium passengers, especially those flying business class on the latest Airbus A350.
The plane began operating domestic routes in India in January, but international flights have not yet been announced, but customers can likely expect the United States as a destination.
Last month, I flew Air India's old Boeing 777 business class from New York to Delhi to check out the improvements, and then toured Air India's new A350 in Hyderabad, and it was like night and day.
Before the Tata acquisition, Air India's once top-class reputation was in decline.
In its heyday, Air India was considered the gold standard in the aviation industry and even influenced the business model of Singapore Airlines, which is now considered one of the best airlines in the world.
But under state ownership, Air India fell into disrepair, with customers regularly complaining about broken and dirty seats, poor on-time performance and poor customer service.
But the new management team is already delivering on the promise of a new Air India.
“The list of things to do at Air India and the list of opportunities that lie ahead of us is incredible,” Air India's new CEO Campbell Wilson told Business Insider in January. . “And in most of these cases, it's not a question of, 'Is there a case to do that?' But, 'What should we do first?' ”
The biggest, and perhaps most important, change is the order for just over 470 next-generation Boeing and Airbus aircraft.
The record deal, announced in February last year, is Air India's first aircraft order in 17 years and is worth a whopping $70 billion at list price.
Air India officially launched the first of its new passenger aircraft, the Airbus A350, at the Wings Airshow in Hyderabad in January.
This wide-body jet boasted a completely remodeled cabin that included sleek new economy, premium economy, and business class seats.
Here are the amenities that stood out to me most during my tour of the new business class:
The A350 Business Class's hard products, i.e. everything physically connected to the jet, come from Russian airline Aeroflot.
Air India acquired Aerolot's A350 after Western sanctions prevented its delivery. We kept the original seat design and added our own flare.
1.Each cube is completely private with a sliding door.
Each of the 28 business class seats has a full sliding door, allowing each passenger to protect themselves from the rest of the plane.
There are partitions between the seats in the center section.
By comparison, the outdated 777 business class had no privacy at all.
The old seats had no doors and the awkward 2x3x2 layout meant someone could be assigned the dreaded middle seat, even in business class.
There was also no direct aisle access, so window and middle passengers had to bypass the passengers next to them.
When I fly, I can't help but notice the person next to me eating and sleeping, but on Air India's new A350, that's no problem.
The door was towered high enough that it was difficult for other passengers to easily peer into the pod next to them.
2. Now you have enough storage space.
Wilson said the new business class design came from discussions with five-star airlines including Singapore, Emirates, Qatar Airways and All Nippon Airways.
Finding inspiration for new products is easy. For example, the sliding doors may be made by ANA and Qatar, and the various storage areas may be hand-picked from one or more companies.
The most impressive feature is the fully equipped closet at each seat, but there is also some storage space.
The window seat closet is smaller than the center section closet, but can still accommodate longer clothing such as dresses and coats.
The 777 I flew on had very little storage space, just a shoe compartment, a cup holder, a seatback pocket, and a small side table.
The side table was large enough for glasses and snacks, and my sneakers were in the cubby. The cup holder is perfect for my water bottle, and I packed everything else I needed into the seatback pocket.
However, customers can expect more organizational space with the new A350 products.
3. The new bed setup looked more attractive than the traditional version.
The beds on the old 777 were comfortable, but the new bedding is definitely an upgrade.
Privacy alone is improved, but the best part is the unique pillow and mattress padding combination.
Air India has designed a pillow that doubles as a mattress pad. You can see the opening in the photo, but I didn't notice it until one of the representatives pointed it out.
2-in-1s are convenient for storage and efficiency, and are just one of countless bedding elements included alongside pillows and fluffy blankets.
Older 777 beds didn't have the same thick mattress pads and were slightly slanted instead of completely flat.
I'm short and sleep curled up, so the slight slope in the bottom half of the Legacy bed didn't bother me, but taller travelers might find it uncomfortable.
However, the beds on the new A350 are completely flat.
4. This soft product boasted the 'elite' look that Air India was aiming for. And I like the purple color scheme.
Wilson told BI that Air India wants to one day compete with the elite airlines it draws from and this shows through in the attention to detail in its software products.
I especially liked the purple color overall. This is in consideration of the merger with Vistara.
Items included cheese platters, cocktail glasses with stirrers, and coffee cups with images of Air India's mascot, the Maharaja.
The aforementioned pillow and mattress pad combination is another example of Air India's great A350 soft products. The carrier also has improved tableware, utensils, and amenity kits.
But my favorite was the glass cheese platter because the two parts together resembled 'The Vista' (Air India's golden window shaped logo). I thought this was a smart thing to do.
The outdated business class software product wasn't that great, but I still thought it was pretty good considering.
Air India doesn't deny that its aging 777 Business Class fleet is uncompetitive, but it's clear that it's trying to make up for the shortcomings where it can. And the best way is soft products.
We loved the Tumi amenity kit, pajamas, slippers, linens, and tableware on our 13-hour trek to India last month, but the A350 takes it to an even better, more luxurious level.
5. There is a bar behind business class.
The bar was stocked with expensive alcohol such as Johnnie Walker Black Label and Gray Goose.
The well-stocked liquor station reminded me of the liquor stations on airlines like Emirates and Qatar Airways.
Although there is no bartender or lounge area, this is another great example of how the world's best airline inspired the reimagined Air India.
While customers won't get the same luxury on the 777's legacy offerings, passengers will still be able to order beer, wine and spirits in business class.
I liked the wine and beer served, but didn't try the liqueurs. Mainly because I'm not a fan of mixed drinks anyway.
Beer 91, an Indian craft beer, was my favorite.
Beyond the obvious, other notable differences on the A350 include a larger, brighter TV and more charging ports.
The charging outlet on my 777 flight was broken, and the flight attendants tried to fix it to no avail.
There was also a remote control and it worked without any problems. And there was also a flimsy tray table. These amenities have been upgraded on the A350 and closely resemble the premium business class that Air India is aiming for.
Not to mention, the upgraded cabin feels new and sleek throughout. I couldn't find any duct tape holding the seat in place.
Air India is famous for securing some of their business and economy class seats with duct tape, and I found this to be true on the plane as well.
It is important to note that business class seats on the new A350 and older 777 are not the only business options in Air India's fleet.
Air India travelers should check the flight they're flying on before booking to see what they're paying for.
Note: Air India also has a traditional business class on its Boeing 787.
The airline leases 11 Boeing 777s from airlines such as Delta Air Lines and Etihad Airways.
For example, an Air India passenger flying from San Francisco to Delhi might fly business class on a Delta 777.
On the other hand, those flying between New York-JFK and Delhi (like me) will be flying a Legacy 777.
The airline is also in the midst of a massive $400 million renovation project that will upgrade its widebody aircraft with all-new cabins.
This means older business class cabins on 777 and 787 aircraft will be phased out, but not until at least late 2025, according to Wilson.
“By the end of 2025, our entire legacy widebody fleet will also be upgraded to match what's on board the A350,” he told BI. “So, essentially, our fleet The aircraft will have been completely reborn by then.”
