Home > Air India > 2005 > Review

Taken December 2005 from London, England (Heathrow Airport) - LHR to Chicago, IL (Chicago-O'Hare International Airport) - ORD

I chose Air India because they were by far the cheapest airline on this route.

Both outbound and inbound flights were very full, and the cabin crew worked hard to serve all the passengers going from India to the US or vice versa (London is just a stopover point on this journey), and travelling from Chicago is more pleasant because the plane has been fully cleaned beforehand, and not hurriedly as in London. AI take security seriously, and they have additional checkpoints prior to boarding, which was reassuring.

The crew were efficient, but appeared very stressed at all times. They did try their best to serve the rowdy passengers, however, don't expect much in the way of a smile! The only thing that puzzled me was that the female cabin crew seemed to work phenomenally hard in comparison to the older male 'purser' types who wandered up and down, but didn't seem to actually be doing anything.

The meal service was fantastic compared to that of most other European/US airlines, particularly if you don't mind Indian flavoured foods. They were also generous with alcohol and soft drinks throughout the flight, and handed out fresh juice after being seated, which is a useful touch.

Perhaps the most negative part was the abysmal inflight entertainment. Out of date is an understatement. They had overhead TV screens, with a mixture of Indian dramas/soaps and eclectic Western movies (I didn't recognise a single one). The planes appear very worn from use (747's) and the decor really needs to be updated too, it all felt very 1970's. I felt sorry for passengers travelling the entire US-India (or vice versa) route, they must have been bored out of their minds!

Finally, on both legs, the plane left late (particularly London-Chicago) because the passengers were difficult, refusing to listen to/not understanding boarding instructions. I was delayed by nearly 2h outbound, and an hour inbound because of this (they are very strict at the Chicago end - it felt like being at school). It doesn't help that many of the passengers had limited knowledge of English (not their fault, obviously).

Overall, it is value for money, if only they'd update their planes.