Welcome to my trip report from Bombay to London. I was ticketed in Premium Economy but was moved to Upper Class as the Premium seat entertainment system was broken. Cabin duty manager recognized my Sky Team status and offered the upgrade right after take off. I'll review this product ignoring the upgrade.
As I approached BOM airport, the sun was seen rising just behind runway 09-27 in the east. Airport was crowded and I see they had new entry checkpoints installed - with Digiyatra entry on one side and manual checks on another.
Check-in, security and immigration was quick and easy. I was given an invitation to the Adani West Lounge. Prior to lounge, I looked around some of the stores. There seems to be quite a few new retail and dining outlets including vending machines all over
There is a new "lounge" called Aviserv circle that had sleeping pod and showers for Rs 1299/- - not a bad option for someone on a long layover.
I wanted to confirm the entry rules for the Adani East lounge as there was lot of misinformation online. Recently, they started accepting select cards for entry as shown in image below. Priority Pass is not accepted.
Next, I made my way to the Adani West lounge. They provide complimentary spa treatment for 20 minutes foot therapy. I got an appointment for 20 minutes later and waited it out looking at the airside action
After the spa treatment, I went to grab breakfast. As all the tables were occupied and I had more than an hour, I decided to wait. The manager then offered me a table in the roped off First section as a courtesy. Both business and First section can order eggs or dosa any style.
Breakfast was incredible. Enjoyed my time there reading the newspaper with a Cappuccino.
With 40 minutes to departure, I made my way to the gate, stopping to admire the artwork at BOM. There are quite a few food options near gate area now, including the famous Bandra spot called Elco.
Boarding was almost complete by the time I boarded. Noticed during the safety video that my screen was not working. Premium cabin was fully booked. After multiple reset attempts, I spoke to the Cabin Service lead and he was extremely kind and offered to move me to Upper Class, recognizing my loyalty to Sky Team and Gold status.
Once I moved to UC, I was advised I could keep my pre booked premium meal or opt for the Mutton remaining which I accepted. For dessert, I opted to get from the Premium meal.
The meal was nothing special. Bread was provided with starter and was cold and hard by the time main arrived. It tasted fine but presentation was poor. Dessert was .
After the meal, I got some coffee and spent some time at the UC bar and later saw a movie. Meal service seemed a bit strange. Coffee/Tea/Drinks were not proactively offered. Bread was offered just once with starter.
After finishing a movie, I tried to convert the seat into bed mode. These herringbone seats are so dated. The bed mode was uncomfortable for watching tv. Soon enough I flipped it back. The Cabin service director was very attentive and helped everyone with the seats and bedding. Several times during the flight he checked on me to see if I need anything to make the flight better. Great service. WiFi was available for purchase
After about 6 hours into the flight, I was a bit hungry. Looking at the menu - I couldn't tell if it was on demand dining like EY/QR. I asked a crew for a snack as they were serving samosas in Y and PE. He mentioned they will start 2nd meal service soon and asked me to wait 40 minutes.
After about 20 minutes, the Cabin Service director again asked me if everything was okay and I asked for the Chicken burger. He mentioned it would take 20 minutes as they are doing temperature checks. The burger was good. Again, I felt it would be better if they they either do a full tray service or allow us to order multiple items if needed from on demand menu. This went on for remainder of the flight as everyone was getting individual trays at random having to ask for it.
We landed ahead of schedule, with no circling over London which is rare. I had an onward journey to US so I cleared transfer security and spent a bit of time in the Aspire Lounge. No 1 Lounge was not accepting cards at that time.
