I flew 13 hours in business class on Air India from New York to Delhi. The seat was awkward and offered no privacy, but wasn't as bad as I feared.

Taylor RainsFeb 1, 2024, 21:42 IST

My 13-hour flight on Air India's legacy Boeing 777 business class offered a lot of legroom but barely any privacy.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

Air India has a reputation for having an awkward business-class product with regularly broken seats.
Although the airline is introducing better products, the old seat will fly until at least 2025.

Air India is getting a makeover.

Everything started in 2021 when the Tata Group agreed to buy back the airline it originally founded in 1932. During its golden days, Air India was considered a top-tier carrier with fancy on-board bars, lounges, and luxe cabins.

However, the government took over in the 1950s and ran Air India into disarray. Worn-out planes, broken seats, and dirty carpets were just a few of the complaints regularly coming from passengers.

Under Tata, however, the company has invested hundreds of millions into a total revamp — including everything from updated uniforms to fancy new business class seats.

To see the transformation, I tried out Air India's old — and notoriously awkward — Boeing 777-300ER business class product from New York to New Delhi (Business Insider paid a media rate).

Here's why the cabin wasn't as miserable as I thought it would be.

The Tata Group had a full-circle moment when it reacquired Air India after being ousted in 1953.

A Boeing 747 under the Tata Group.Tata

Since then, the company has vowed to restore Air India’s reputation after decades of financial and quality struggles.

Air India unveiled its brand new A350 in January at the Wings Airshow in Hyderabad.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

According to outlets like Reuters and The New York Times, Air India's planes and seats are commonly worn and in poor condition.

The middle section of Air India's Boeing 777 legacy business class is in an awkward 2x3x2 layout.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

Given its reputation, I had low expectations going into my 13-hour flight from New York to Delhi last month.

Air India has dozens of legacy widebodies like the Boeing 777 I flew on (pictured) that still feature a dated cabin.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

But despite the reviews, the flight really wasn't that bad — here's why.

The author sitting in Air India's legacy business class.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

I could see Air India’s rebrand starting from the moment I checked in at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The red display board featured Air India's new brand identity.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

Check-in took about five minutes thanks to the dedicated business-class line, though the economy queue looked quite long.

Check in line for first and business class travelers.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

I made my way through security and to the Air India lounge to wait for my 12:30 p.m. flight.

Author holding boarding pass, lounge ticket, and passport.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

I’ve been to this lounge several times as it’s part of the Priority Pass network, and it’s just OK.

The lounge was boring and basic, with OK food. Taylor Rains/Business Insider

Boarding started around 11:30 a.m. with business class passengers among the first people ushered onto the Boeing 777 plane.

Economy passengers were boarded in rows.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

I made my way to seat 9D and enjoyed a welcome drink and hot towel as I settled in.

The welcome drink on Air India.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

My first impression of the seat is that it was extremely dated and a key amenity — the power outlet — was broken.

The power system was broken.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

The product also lacked ample storage, with just a seatback pocket, a shoe cubby, a cupholder, and a small side table to work with.

The seatback pocket, shoe cubby, and cup holder were a distance away from the seat.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

What looked like a useable cubby between the seats held a life jacket, while the armrests were already used for the tray table and TV remote.

The center cubby held the life jacket.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

Meanwhile, the tray table was pretty flimsy — it wasn't the sturdy, adjustable table on five-star carriers like Singapore and All Nippon.

The tray table could fold in half but was not more adjustable than that.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

The awkward part, however, was the 2x3x2 layout.

You can still be assigned a middle seat even in business class on some Air India Boeing 777s.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

This means customers in business class could still be assigned a dreaded middle seat.

View from the author's aisle seat, 9D.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

And there were no dividers or doors to separate people — so there was little to no privacy.

Notice the duct tape in the bottom left corner of the photo used to patch a seat.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

I couldn't avoid seeing the people next to me sleeping, meaning I wasn't hidden away, either.

There was no hiding despite being in business class.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

There were some good things about the seat, though, like the legroom, legrest, and bed.

The privacy between the seats is minimal.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

And I actually found that despite the lack of direct aisle access, there was enough space to shimmy around the aisle passenger.

There is space between the end of the bed and the seatback.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

The television was fine, with plenty to watch — though the screen was dimmer than I’d liked.

The view when laying down in the bed.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

Despite my complaints, I recognize where new management is trying to make up for its product shortcomings.

The Bira 91 lager was my favorite alcoholic option onboard.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

This was made clear by the soft product.

An example of the soft product is the black slippers I'm wearing here, while the legrest is part of the hard product.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

In particular, the amenity kit was made by Tumi and came with everything I'd need for the long-haul journey.

The Tumi kit included socks, an eye mask, a pen, lotion, and toiletries.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

And I loved the pajamas, slippers, and linens provided.

I changed shortly after takeoff. I noticed the lavatory was lacking amenities, but did have mouthwash.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

I was also surprised with the food. Although not perfect, I liked most items served, and the bread was the best I've had on a plane.

Some of the bread on the plane.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

For lunch, I ordered grilled Mexican prawns for an appetizer and millet steak for my main dish. I loved the prawns, but the entrée meat was dry.

The millet (top) and prawns (bottom).Taylor Rains/Business Insider

For dessert, I had fruit — which was nice and fresh — and a custard-like sweet with pistachios.

The dessert and fruit.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

I opted for a chicken sandwich for dinner. It was good, but I honestly couldn't each much as I was groggy from my nap.

The dinner on Air India was OK, and I'd probably enjoy it more if served later into the flight.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

My favorite part of the dining experience was when the flight attendants pushed a cart filled with smaller dishes through the cabin.

The a-la-carte tray before landing had really taste snacks.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

After the last meal, we were about an hour from landing and the flight attendants came by with coffee and cookies before tidying up the cabin.

I loved the brown butter pineapple cookies.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

During this time, we were treated to some amazing views of the Himalayan mountains.

Even though I was in an aisle seat, a fellow traveler let me see out their window.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

The Boeing 777 plane finally landed after 13 hours in the sky — which, I should note, included flying over Russia.

The route over Russia, according to FlightAware.FlightAware

Overall, my experience on Air India's business class was comfortable, and the food was mostly great.

Other options served for the first meal's dessert.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

According to Air India, a business class seat in February on my route costs about $5,500 roundtrip. The flight on American is about $9,000.

American Airlines flight path from JFK to Delhi, flying around Russia.FlightAware

While the lack of privacy and awkward setup on Air India makes for a mediocre product compared to competing airlines, its likely not a dealbreaker.

This was the view to my right, with other passengers in clear sight.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

In fact, I actually liked it better than La Compagnie and Air New Zealand.

Air New Zealand's angled 1x1x1 layout took away some privacy. And the TVs were smaller than those in some regular economy cabins.Taylor Rains/Insider

However, passengers will soon not always have to worry about the old business class as Air India continues introducing new products.

Air India's legacy business class does not offer direct-aisle access to window seat passengers.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

For example, some passengers flying long-haul may find themselves on a leased Delta or Etihad Boeing 777 aircraft.

The Delta 777-200LR business class.Delta Air Lines

Or, starting this year, passengers can experience Air India's brand new business class product the carrier just unveiled on its new Airbus A350.