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INTRODUCTION
Hello and welcome back! Today I'll be flying on Air India's 777-300ER product from New York JFK to Mumbai. I have previously flown this route on Air India but on their 777-200LR last year. Both aircraft were leased by Air India, (the -300ERs from Etihad & -200LR from Delta). I booked the ticket as a One-Way ticket a couple of weeks before the flight for around $2300.
I stayed the night at the TWA hotel at JFK which was opposite Terminal 5. I took the AirTrain from T8 the night before but it was a bad decision since I had a lot of luggage with me and the road from the terminal to the hotel was a bit uneven. I decided to take an Uber the next morning. I will publish the full review of my stay at the hotel on YouTube soon!
CHECK-IN & LOUNGE
I checked in at the Air India counter, which didn't have a line and ended up being pretty straightforward. I surprisingly had to weigh my hand luggage as well.
The inbound flight from Mumbai was an hour delayed which gave me plenty time to check out the Air India lounge. I have previously been to this lounge a couple of times but wanted to see if there were any changes that had been made in the last year.
The lounge was small but seemed to have had enough seating for all passengers. AI operates 2 flights a day at this time, one to Mumbai and the other to Delhi on the A350 (along with a new evening 1-weekly JFK-DEL service).
The lounge included a range of hot food and snacks as well as a self service bar and coffee machine. Overall a decent selection but there is definitely room for improvement.
BOARDING
Over the past week, all Air India US bound flights have been making refueling stopes in Vienna/Copenhagen due to air space restrictions. This made the return journeys heavily delayed. Today was the first BOM-JFK flight since April 25th that flew directly without the refueling stop, minimizing the delay. However since the inbound aircraft was slightly delayed on departure from Mumbai, out flight was delayed an hour.
Today's Aircraft:
Air India
Boeing 777-300ER
VT-AEP
The aircraft was previously owned by Etihad and was leased by Air India until a few weeks before I took the flight, when they decided to purchase them. Air India have retained the original cabin, which is why the cabin seems familiar
At the front of the aircraft is 8 First class suites in a 1-2-1 configuration. I have flown this product last summer from Mumbai to London Heathrow and have a review posted both on flight-report and YouTube (make sure to check those out!)
There are 40 seats in Business class in a 1-2-1 configuration. The seats are staggered, making those seats closer to the aisle far less private. My seat for today was seat 7K which was a bulkhead seat (but offered no additional legroom).
Waiting for me at my seat was a pillow and a light blanket. Additionally, under the IFE was a mattress, a duvet and some slippers.
I took a walk to the Economy section which was laid out in a 3-4-3 configuration, a bit different from the 3-3-3 found on Air India's legacy 777s.
I started off with a cold water and cold towel which was served shortly after.
As the new Air India safety video was played we pushed back, although about 45 minuted behind schedule. I could see Air India's A350-900 from Delhi pulling up to the gate. Today's flight time is about 14 hours and 15 minutes.
AFTER-TAKEOFF
Shortly after takeoff the crew came around with warm nuts and a drink from the bar. I ordered a Mojito.
The menu offered a variety of Indian and continental options
I started with the caprese (which was a little salty)
I chose the chicken curry rice with a side of daal and raita for the main course. Even though the chicken curry was a little oily, it was excellent.
Cheese board to finish
Air India offers pajamas to all First and business class customers, they were really nice and comfortable
Here is a look at the amenity kit which was presented in a pouch with Indian embroidery. The kit itself and the lotions and potions are from Ferragamo.
Slippers
An hour after meal service I decided to get some sleep. The crew offered to make the bed. The mattress was really nice and thick and the bedding was really comfortable overall, a lot better than many international airlines
Good morning! I managed to get a few hours of rest
Midflight snacks were rolled out on a trolley, I chose the smoked salmon sandwich
Hot water and corn chips
As we were approaching India, it was time for breakfast, the omelette was a bit dry but tasty and the asparagus was a bit soggy.
Descending into Mumbai
A Quick Look at the first class section when deplaning
