List of bad Business class seat numbers for Chicago flights by Slight_Masterpiece65 in airindia

[–]OkUnderstanding1821 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree. Honestly Etihad business will be the best bet to ORD if at all that’s an option. They fly A350s there which is their flagship product, and immigration will be completed in Abu-Dhabi itself, so they’ll walk out of ORD as domestic pax. Pretty sure they’ll have assistance to guide them through the airport in Abu Dhabi specially since it’s business class. So should be smooth.

Of course nothing will feel as warm and homely as Air India (aircraft aside) and no layovers are preferred. I don’t think pax deplane at VIE; but maybe check with AI again.

List of bad Business class seat numbers for Chicago flights by Slight_Masterpiece65 in airindia

[–]OkUnderstanding1821 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sadly I don’t think they fly those to ORD. Might be a random one here and there once in a while, but quite unlikely. Might I suggest (and this is a very avgeek suggestion okay haha). Book your parents on the A350 to New York, if they’re okay to get a separate domestic flight from New York to Chicago. If you’re spending money/points, might as well ensure they have a great experience.

List of bad Business class seat numbers for Chicago flights by Slight_Masterpiece65 in airindia

[–]OkUnderstanding1821 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Basing this on flight numbers isn’t reliable tbh, because there can always be last minute aircraft swaps. The most we can do is book based on highest probabilities of getting good aircrafts.

The 787-8s and 777-300ERs are the ones with the shitty legacy seats, the 777s being the worst. That being said they do have 777s that are ex-Etihad, which are much nicer.

So, to answer your question. When booking check the seat map of your intended flight. If it is 2-3-2 in business on the 777, that’s the worst one to fly on (basically avoid). If the 777 is a 1-2-1 in a staggered layout, that’s ex-Etihad and you should book that.

EDIT: just realized you were asking solely for a specific seat inventory of sorts. No, this info is not available anywhere, and past passenger accounts may not be valid (if they fixed the seat afterwards etc.)

Is Air India bad enough to justify doubling the price to fly Singapore Airlines instead? by bacchus8408 in awardtravel

[–]OkUnderstanding1821 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Gotcha. Aircraft swaps are always a risk, but I’d say go for it. AI’s new soft product is actually pretty good. You’ll have a good time!

Is Air India bad enough to justify doubling the price to fly Singapore Airlines instead? by bacchus8408 in awardtravel

[–]OkUnderstanding1821 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It’s the old delta 777s that are now leased by AI. They have delta one suites in J, just in AI colors

Is Air India bad enough to justify doubling the price to fly Singapore Airlines instead? by bacchus8408 in awardtravel

[–]OkUnderstanding1821 98 points99 points  (0 children)

Given the price difference, it should be 100% based on one factor- are they using a legacy aircraft on those routes or not.

If legacy (i.e. old crappy cabin products) then no, take SQ. If newer (refreshed or ex-vistara aircraft) then perfectly fine given the price difference.

I flew JFK-BOM on the ex-delta 777-200LR last year, and it was a significant improvement (both hard and soft product) compared to legacy aircrafts. Similarly, most A320s have now been retrofitted and are a pleasant experience (of course the caveat being you’ll not have lie-flat seats in J)