Review of Air India flight from Hyderabad to New Delhi in Business

Hi everyone,

This is my first Flight Report in English ! Let's see how this turns out…

On the return leg from my Delhi - Hyderabad - Delhi trip I discovered that AI was blessing its passengers with its brand new A350.
I immediately decided to check if upgrades were available - for RS 8,000 (~88EUR) I could jump from Y to J. Colleagues discouraged the upgrade stating I wouldn't get the full experience. But my AvGeek mind knew better than my wallet.

So here I am in an Uber on my way to HYD, after discovering the bustling capital city of Telangana. There is no direct metro to HYD. Uber took me about 40 minutes from the city center.

HYD - Rajiv Gandhi International Airport

The curb is well organized with ample space for drop-offs.
Several shops and cafes are available outside. In HYD, it is impossible to accompany passengers further than the terminal entry doors. Hence, cafes are very welcomed outside.

A bit of queueing at Air India Business class counter. It took them much longer than it should to write the business lounge invite voucher.
The written voucher looks personal and more sophisticated. But I am not sure all J travellers have 5 minutes to spare to get it written. A printed tix-style would suffice.
All AI prints already bare the new visuals.

Security is very fluid. A FIDS is available just after security for pax dispatch towards the right gate.

HYD has a single roof concept for Domestic and International Departures. Domestic operations occupy the western half of the terminal. A long pier with a few shops, stalls & restaurants. The pier has a large commercial zone and all its lounges all the way at the end which I find a rather good idea - Too often did I find myself at the end of the pier with hardly any f&b option. 

Amongst other strengths, Hyderabad domestic terminal strength lies in its vast selection of shops, cafes, and restaurants.

Fountains are available next to toilets.

Attention to detail behind the signboards. All in all, HYD is very neat, clean and modern.

Convenience at its best ? In India, cigarettes are sold directly next to smoking areas…

The pier is quite long, fortunately travelators are there to make the trip to lounges & dining are shorter.
Gates 101 to 124 are for remote stand departures. The remote stand boarding gate is surpisingly very clear with high ceilings & a broad selection of f&b. Not documented here.

Finally reached the end of the pier and the impressive f&b section. I even found a brioche doree, one of France's most popular on-the-go bakery chains. Local food chains are available too.

The lounge section is one floor below. Very crowded as most passengers get access through their credit card benefits very easily. 
The En Calm entrance is crowded and messy.

The buffet is under assault

Food selection however, is very comprehensive. It is 100% indian food which I find normal for a domestic terminal. Several stalls have live-food with chefs serving and preparing.
I chose a small selection of rice and gravy, and requested a massala chai to the lounge staff.

The lounge is extremely crowded, luckily a Business Class only section is available which is much calmer.

I chose to sit at a small private pod, that has charging ports.

Lounge staff brought me a tandoori paneer skewer spontaneously and requested my permission for a picture of me with the chefs, which I accepted. All passengers sitting in the business class section got this nice treat.

Alcohol is not complimentary in the domestic lounge. 

Time to go to the boarding gate. I have to walk all the way back to the beginning of the pier. A selection of newspapers is available.

There it is ! VT-JRI, a 6 months old A350-900. It is the last of a total of 6 A350-900 originally planned for delivery to Aeroflot delivered to AI. Minor cabin changes have been made. The rest of the 20 A350-900 and 20 A350-100 ordered by AI will have an original AI interior.

Please excuse the terrible reflection. One of the worst planespotting performances in my career.

Charging ports are available next to the boarding gate.

Boarding was very chaotic. All passengers had to queue in an inappropriately small and narrow corridor. J pax could access the jetbridge through a separate - calmer - gate, but it was not announced. So I boarded with everyone else, but was asked to wait because Business Class cabin was still being cleaned. Then I was met by an AI staff halfway through the jetbridge to bring me to the dedicated business class jetbridge. 
All in all, messy and unorganized. 

Empty business class jetbridge.

Fuselage shot !

AI840 HYD - DEL

An AI pilot was deadheading on this flight.
Welcome onboard was not particularly warm. At first sight, the cabin looks bright and spacious.

7A ! Here is my seat. Last one in the cabin. The colours are warm yet the general feel is not heavy or 'kitsch'. 
Window blinds are electronically controlled.

Sitting POV. Namaste !

This extremely narrow closet can only serve to hang coats and jackets, and maybe an ipad or computer in the upper section. Nice touch for space optimization.

Another storage space is available  on the left side, as well as a universal charging port. No headphones available on this domestic flight.

Very large and stable tablet.

Light options. The bigger lamp has several selectable intensities which is a nice touch.

Seat commands and remote control. I find the location of the push-buttons very inconvenient as my elbow kept pushing them unintentionally.

A hot towel and apple/orange juice are distributed after 5 minutes.

Earphones were distributed too. A shame not to have qualitative headphones.

2 minutes later, a bottle of water came. Turnaround operations are still underway around the aircraft. 

A 1200km hop to Delhi. I like this physical geography map display.

A menu is distributed prior to takeoff. Great look & feel.

4 dishes to chose from, of which two are vegetarian and two are non vegetarian. No alcohol available on this domestic flight.
A choice of 3 deserts is also on offer.

Later on, I discovered this very convenient shoe storage locker.

Complimentary Wi-Fi was tested, and approved. Good speed.

AI's amazing safety video is played, while we taxi. This safety video showcases a variety of traditionnal indian dances, in magnificent set-ups. I must admit, I sometimes struggle to understand how Safety authorities validate uber-entertaining safety videos.

Before takeoff checklist completed. 

Rambo flies with me to Delhi. The foot 'box' is quite spacious and allows to stretch legs comfortably.

Galley and door 2R. The bar on the right hand side remained empty for the duration of the flight.

Amenities in the toilets & Touchless toilet flush ara a nice… touch.

I got the north-indian chicken curry.
The meal did not leave me an everlasting impression. Staff was rather efficient on the flight but lacked warmth and a sense of hospitality.
The portion was very generous.

Shahi Gulab Jammun for desert. It was very delicious ! 

Yes, I am in India ! A nice touch after the meal.

As you can see on the right hand side, the door can close fully. I struggled to close the door, something was blocking it. After calling a crew, they could help me close it. 
The seat becomes an intimate small suite with a fully flat bed. Really nice product !

The lights of aerocity on the horizon indicate an imminent landing.

After landing, the captain apologizes for a 10 minute delay caused by apron congestion. We end-up parking at remote bay. I couldn't be happier, as I'll get a close look at the beast.

A luxurious dedicated business class bus operated by SATS for AI is waiting for us. 

DEL - Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport

We get dropped at T3 domestic arrivals. The iconic T3 'arrival hands' greet us welcome in New Delhi !
Many food and beverage options at domestic arrivals. The Airport Express metro is very convenient to reach the city center. T3 is clean and well maintained.