I flew economy on Air India's old Boeing 777-300ER for 15 hours. The broken seat, light, and TV made for a rough journey.

Taylor RainsFeb 16, 2024, 17:09 IST

My Air India flight from Delhi to Newark was rough, thanks to the broken seat, broken USB port, and broken seatback TV. Taylor Rains/Business Insider

I flew on Air India's legacy long-haul economy product from Delhi to Newark, New Jersey.
The television and the USB port on my seat were broken, making for a rough 15 hours.

Air India may be on the rise with its swanky new Airbus A350, but it can't escape the basket case that is its old long-haul economy product.

I flew from Delhi to Newark, New Jersey, in January on the company's aging Boeing 777-300ER. For 15 hours. In coach. (Business Insider paid a media rate). The specific plane, registered VT-ALO, is about 15 years old.

After hearing the horror stories about Air India's economy product, I had low expectations going into the ultra-long-haul journey.

And despite paying an extra $50 to reserve an aisle seat after being randomly assigned a middle, I happened to choose one that was completely broken.

Here's what the flight was like and how I passed the time without power outlets, a reading light, or seatback entertainment.

Going into my 15-hour trek from Delhi to New Jersey on Air India, I had low expectations.

Air India has dozens of legacy widebodies that feature a dated cabin. I flew on the pictured Boeing 777 in business class before flying back in economy.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

Air India is not the gold-tier airline it once was, and there was no shortage of online reviews complaining of broken seats and dirty planes.

Air India was Tata Airlines when it was founded. Pictured is a Boeing 747 from the Tata archives.Tata

Despite an OK flight in the carrier's awkward Boeing 777 legacy business class to Delhi, the return trek in economy was rough.

There was little to no privacy onboard Air India's legacy business class.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

For my journey in economy back to the US, my trip started at Indira Gandhi International Airport around 11 p.m. for a 2:05 a.m. flight.

A guard was at the airport entrance checking people's tickets, I suspect to make sure everyone entering was actually flying.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

The app would not let me check in online and told me to see an agent at the airport — and I arrived to find a line a mile long.

Dozens of people crowded the check-in area in snaking queues.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

Regardless of how well-traveled you are, give yourself an extra hour to check in when flying economy on Air India.

The author's boarding pass and passport.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

Clearing passport control and security took another 45 minutes, and I finally arrived at the gate around 1 a.m.

A view of the terminal on the way to the gate.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

A 30-minute delay was announced shortly after, which turned into an hour by the time we took off.

Gate 26B at Delhi airport.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

Unfortunately, the problems didn't stop there. After boarding the Boeing 777, I found my seat was broken in more ways than one.

Air India's Boeing 777 is set up in a 3x3x3 configuration. I opted for 22F — a right-side aisle seat.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

The faults started with the seatback television, which wouldn't respond to taps or the buttons on the handheld remote.

The TV was frozen on the home screen — tapping any button did nothing.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

The cabin crew reset the system three times but to no avail. My screen wasn't the only one broken, either.

The TVs in the rows directly right of me and diagonal to me were also broken, though those were stuck on a white screen.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

Also broken was the USB port, meaning I then had to be conservative with my battery when watching my pre-downloaded movies and shows.

The broken USB port. There wasn't an outlet under the seat, either.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

As a backup to the backup, I brought a book just in case I found myself without any entertainment at all.

I brought "The Book of Lost and Found" by Lucy Foley.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

Reading wasn't entirely easy, though. My remote not only didn't signal to the TV, but it also wouldn't turn on my reading light.

Nothing responded to the remote, so it was useless on the flight.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

In between balancing a light to read and keeping my phone charged, I mostly slept thanks to melatonin.

The cabin lighting helped me sleep, too.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

While the key amenities expected to work on an ultra-long-haul flight were busted, the aging seat wasn't all bad.

I didn't struggle to find space for my carry-on luggage.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

According to SeatGuru, the seats offer 31-33 inches of pitch, depending on the row — which was plenty of space for my 5-foot-3-inch self.

There was plenty of legroom.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

The seatback had several spots for storage — which was actually better than the seat in business class.

I liked the two extra pockets attached to the main one.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

A big cupholder also hung from the side of each seat, which helped organize the clutter.

My bottle easily fit in the large pouch.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

I also loved the footrest, which I've only seen on a few other carriers in the regular coach cabin, like All Nippon Airways and Aerolineas Argentineas.

I love an unexpected footrest, like the one I found on this Air India flight.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

The footrest complemented the nicely cushioned seat and good recline.

Air India's economy cabin, with this picture taken shortly after the first meal service.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

My only issue with the comfort of the physical seat was the headrest — which was broken.

The wings of the headrest wouldn't click into place when bent in.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

Despite its flaws, Air India is trying to make up for its shortcomings by elevating the so-called soft product.

The remote was stored in the armrest.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

There was a pillow and blanket provided, as well as headphones for the TV (assuming it's working).

The pillow and blanket were fine, though the pillowcase could be softer.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

I was also happy with the food. The first consisted of a simple savory pastry and juice.

I had orange juice with the pastry.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

Breakfast included eggs, sausage, potatoes, yogurt, and a croissant.

The breakfast meal served aboard my Air India economy flight.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

For dinner, I had chicken with rice and beans served with bread, veggies, yogurt, and dessert.

The dinner meal served aboard my Air India economy flight.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

I enjoyed a few Bira 91 beers with dinner and then read until we landed a few hours later.

The book was a life-saver.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

Considering the very few pros of the seat, my 15-hour trek from Delhi to New Jersey was disappointing, to say the least.

My tray table wouldn't stay perfectly secured.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

The broken features are not necessarily a design flaw but just an overall lack of care from the once-nationalized Air India to keep the interiors of its planes in good shape.

The tray table next to me was patched with tape.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

The broken features are not necessarily a design flaw but just an overall lack of care from the once-nationalized Air India to keep the interiors of its planes in good shape.

Fortunately, the Tata Group is already following through on plans to improve the airline — most noteworthy is its new planes and cabins.

A new economy cabin on Air India's Airbus A350.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

In addition to its A350 and legacy cabins, Air India also flies leased Boeing 777s from airlines like Etihad Airways and Delta Air Lines.

The Delta 777-200LR Air India has leased features business class with sliding doors.Delta Air Lines

Still, customers can expect to fly on Air India's legacy widebody product until at least late 2025, but a better cabin will eventually come.

The Air India Boeing 777 I flew from Delhi to Newark.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

We paid $781 a night to stay at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. These 6 things made our weeklong trip an excellent value.

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I flew economy on Air India's old Boeing 777-300ER for 15 hours. The broken seat, light, and TV made for a rough journey.

Going into my 15-hour trek from Delhi to New Jersey on Air India, I had low expectations.

Air India is not the gold-tier airline it once was, and there was no shortage of online reviews complaining of broken seats and dirty planes.

Despite an OK flight in the carrier's awkward Boeing 777 legacy business class to Delhi, the return trek in economy was rough.

For my journey in economy back to the US, my trip started at Indira Gandhi International Airport around 11 p.m. for a 2:05 a.m. flight.

The app would not let me check in online and told me to see an agent at the airport — and I arrived to find a line a mile long.

Regardless of how well-traveled you are, give yourself an extra hour to check in when flying economy on Air India.

Clearing passport control and security took another 45 minutes, and I finally arrived at the gate around 1 a.m.

A 30-minute delay was announced shortly after, which turned into an hour by the time we took off.

Unfortunately, the problems didn't stop there. After boarding the Boeing 777, I found my seat was broken in more ways than one.

The faults started with the seatback television, which wouldn't respond to taps or the buttons on the handheld remote.

The cabin crew reset the system three times but to no avail. My screen wasn't the only one broken, either.

Also broken was the USB port, meaning I then had to be conservative with my battery when watching my pre-downloaded movies and shows.

As a backup to the backup, I brought a book just in case I found myself without any entertainment at all.

Reading wasn't entirely easy, though. My remote not only didn't signal to the TV, but it also wouldn't turn on my reading light.

In between balancing a light to read and keeping my phone charged, I mostly slept thanks to melatonin.

While the key amenities expected to work on an ultra-long-haul flight were busted, the aging seat wasn't all bad.

According to SeatGuru, the seats offer 31-33 inches of pitch, depending on the row — which was plenty of space for my 5-foot-3-inch self.

The seatback had several spots for storage — which was actually better than the seat in business class.

A big cupholder also hung from the side of each seat, which helped organize the clutter.

I also loved the footrest, which I've only seen on a few other carriers in the regular coach cabin, like All Nippon Airways and Aerolineas Argentineas.

The footrest complemented the nicely cushioned seat and good recline.

My only issue with the comfort of the physical seat was the headrest — which was broken.

Despite its flaws, Air India is trying to make up for its shortcomings by elevating the so-called soft product.

There was a pillow and blanket provided, as well as headphones for the TV (assuming it's working).

I was also happy with the food. The first consisted of a simple savory pastry and juice.

Breakfast included eggs, sausage, potatoes, yogurt, and a croissant.

For dinner, I had chicken with rice and beans served with bread, veggies, yogurt, and dessert.

I enjoyed a few Bira 91 beers with dinner and then read until we landed a few hours later.

Considering the very few pros of the seat, my 15-hour trek from Delhi to New Jersey was disappointing, to say the least.

The broken features are not necessarily a design flaw but just an overall lack of care from the once-nationalized Air India to keep the interiors of its planes in good shape.

Fortunately, the Tata Group is already following through on plans to improve the airline — most noteworthy is its new planes and cabins.

In addition to its A350 and legacy cabins, Air India also flies leased Boeing 777s from airlines like Etihad Airways and Delta Air Lines.

Still, customers can expect to fly on Air India's legacy widebody product until at least late 2025, but a better cabin will eventually come.