Here's what it's like to fly business class on the Air India 787 Dreamliner - and for a low-ranking airline, it's pretty luxurious
Before even stepping on the plane, Honig said he was pleased with the convenient flight departure time of 11.15 p.m. from Newark. It provided the perfect opportunity to grab a pre-flight drink at the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, where Air India business passengers are invited to hang out.
The invite to the Clubhouse came as a surprise for Honig, who called it "easily the best lounge at Newark Airport," and even one of the best in the US. "There’s a fantastic bar, sit-down a-la-carte dining, showers, plenty of seating and more," he wrote.
He appears to have made time for a couple of cocktails and a bite to eat before jetting off.
On board, the colour scheme may be garish — but Air India’s 787 business class cabin is fully equipped with lie-flat seats.
The business or "executive" cabin is arranged in a 2-2-2 layout, with just three rows of six seats. While it looks pretty spacious, Honig said that the in-flight entertainment was "incredibly limited," and the airline didn't offer Wi-Fi.
Still, the seats were pretty comfortable.
Unfortunately, Honig had to use the hot towel to wipe down his seat "and still ended up picking up quite a bit of dirt."
However, overall, he was happy with the service of the flight attendants, who were polite and friendly, an upgrade on his previous experience with the airline. This is what Air India's bright and colourful cabin crew uniforms look like.
Fortunately, he had an empty seat next to him.
He received an amenity kit which looks pretty well-equipped with in-flight luxuries, including various lotions, shower gels, soap, slippers, a toothbrush, and toothpaste.
Next up was his Indian supper. He was disappointed not to receive a menu to pick food and drink items from, which these days is relatively commonplace in business class. Honig said the chicken curry was spicy and flavoursome. But while the spread looks pretty varied, he said it wasn't quite restaurant quality.
There was a fancy-looking cheese board and fruit basket served on a trolley for afters, though.
After dinner, Honig said he managed to get over four hours' sleep in the flat bed, which he pointed out is pretty good going for a six-hour flight. "Air India’s pillow was comfortable and decently large, and the larger blanket (not pictured) was soft and sizeable as well. Both contributed to me getting a decent night’s sleep," he wrote.
Well-slept, fed, and watered, Honig left the plane giving the flight a thumbs up overall, despite there being room for improvement in the luxury stakes. "I wouldn’t hesitate to fly AI on this route again in the future, though, assuming the price is right."
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