Here is my review of Air India 777-300ER from EWR Newark to BOM Mumbai.
The terminal Air India operates out of at EWR, Terminal B, is the oldest and worst out of the 3.
It was not bad, however.
Check-in was fast, partly because I got there early before the huge rush.
I checked 3 bags, and they were tagged and loaded.
Remember that you cannot check in online for these flights, so get there really early.
This is the terminal B check-in area. As you can see, I got here early. Last time, it was completely full of a 777-300ER's worth of people and families travelling to India.
Check-in counter at Terminal B
Then we moved to the gate.
Security was super fast, as it tends to be at this time of day.
Terminal B is almost completely bare. At this time of day, the only shop open is an overpriced sandwich shop with ok-ish sandwiches.
Boarding was slow, as is standard with Air India. However, for those with young children, boarding starts quickly.
The cabin was very dirty, as is standard for Air India. Trans on the floor, crumbs on the seat, dirty seats, etc.
IFE was not working for me. I've flown this route many times, and it's only worked twice. Worked is an overstatement; the UI is terrible. It runs slower than you can imagine. Imagine a slow computer, and make it 100 times slower. There is a very limited selection as well.
No Wi-Fi on this aircraft, or any of Air India's aircraft.
We departed on time!
Food was served 3 times with the galleys open to passengers. The food was good on the way there, with the aloo gobhi tasting just like my mom's. Food was even better on the way back.
The crew was super nice.
We landed on time.
At BOM, immigration takes a very long time. Fortunately, I got there early so there wasn't much of a line.
At bag claim, one of my bags was off to the side in a huge crowd of bags.
Great flight overall!
View from the window on the other side
View from my window
Thanks for sharing your first review here. The old AI aircraft are way overdue for a refresh. Their newer 777s they acquired second hand from Delta and Etihad are a huge improvement. Would have been good to see some cabin photos--next time!
100% by far, EWR Terminal B is a dump
That used to be the case, but changed a few years ago, AI just haven't invested in acquiring Wi-Fi yet. Vistara have had Wi-Fi for a new years now and other Indian carriers are looking into adding it as well.
Thanks for sharing and welcome!
EWR's new Terminal A is beautiful though, and so is Terminal C. They said they're going to break ground on the new Terminal B in 2024! Also, I'm quite surprised to hear they changed the law. Thanks for the correction.