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sumantra
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Spiderguy252
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 Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 10:31 am Post subject: |
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I'm a huge fan of Abrelosojos's Trip Reports. 
He seems to love Indian carriers, doesn't he?
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circleglobe
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| Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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They are always a pleasure to read. And since he travels so frequently, to different regions across the world, and on so many airlines, and in both business and economy, I think they are more valuable than most. Lots of data points and reference points.
I wonder if an Indian or an NRI or particularly a US-based NRI would be harder on AI than he is, even with exactly the same hardware and service, because of different attitudes, higher expectations, and 'baggage' (past experiences with AI). |
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d3vski
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Location: In the First Class lounge.....
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| Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 9:05 pm Post subject: |
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| circleglobe wrote: | They are always a pleasure to read. And since he travels so frequently, to different regions across the world, and on so many airlines, and in both business and economy, I think they are more valuable than most. Lots of data points and reference points.
I wonder if an Indian or an NRI or particularly a US-based NRI would be harder on AI than he is, even with exactly the same hardware and service, because of different attitudes, higher expectations, and 'baggage' (past experiences with AI). |
IF your an Indian passenger or of Indian origin, Air India will not be able to do anything right (even if they lease a Jet Plane with Jet crew!!!) because we have in our sub concious mind, a very crappy view of air india and its operations!!!! |
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circleglobe
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| Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 1:51 am Post subject: |
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| Agree wholeheartedly. Makes life harder for AI. |
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Nimish
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Location: Bangalore, India
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| Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 8:29 am Post subject: |
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| d3vski wrote: | | IF your an Indian passenger or of Indian origin, Air India will not be able to do anything right (even if they lease a Jet Plane with Jet crew!!!) because we have in our sub concious mind, a very crappy view of air india and its operations!!!! |
Hardly true - though I'm not doubting that folks might have fair bit of bias against AI anyways. What does AI in, is not that bias, but their shoddy service levels - esp on the ground where it really sucks. Having 2 adjacent check-in agents chit chat with each other about the boss's behavior or about the internal AI politics is not what anyone (Indian or not) wants to be subjected to during the 5 minutes of checking in...
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avbuff
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Joined: 22 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 8:53 am Post subject: |
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| d3vski wrote: | | IF your an Indian passenger or of Indian origin, Air India will not be able to do anything right (even if they lease a Jet Plane with Jet crew!!!) because we have in our sub concious mind, a very crappy view of air india and its operations!!!! |
That is a very lame statement coming from you.
Who the hell is responsible for this biased mindset? Of course AI's 'stellar' reputation throughout the past 2 decades. They are facing what they had sowed all these years. They took the luxury of treating their passengers like sh*t right from the reservation offices to the time you get out of the airport. It has been a continuing process of torture and they are doing all these makeovers when everything is lost to their rivals.
Obviously you have not traveled AI or IC in the 80s,90s or even early 2000s else you would have known what the whole AI experience is all about. |
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circleglobe
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| Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 9:29 am Post subject: |
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Valid point but I don't think we need to label other opinions with terms like 'lame'. Obviously there are very strong feelings and opinions about AI--particularly from those having bad experiences with them. His was an exaggeration (something we all do at times in conversation), but there was a fair point there too.
Also 'glowing' in the thread title is misleading in that the reviewer was clear and straightforward about having an awful ground experience. |
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justbala
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| Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 2:39 pm Post subject: |
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The only saving grace in tht TR was the F/A and to some extent the IFE. The rest of the trip seemed like a disaster. Ground handling was shoddy, meals looked terrible (the breakfast is exactly what 9W used to provide in domestic Y, well but for the china) and if these was J, I am sure the Y class had an experience similar to what Karan faced earlier.
I have always wondered if AI/IC F/As give a preferential treatment based on the color of ur skin!! I have had this experience, where a IC aunty on a domestic flight from BLR, gave a zillion watt smile and namaste and a "welcome to India, hope ur stay was comfortable, Mr xxxxxx" to the American in front of me, and treated me almost as if I was invisible. Was pretty shocked at this experience!! This was an all Y A319 so the pax was definitely not travelling J!!
In one of Alex's earlier trip report on CD, the F/A actually asked him if he wanted the cabin light changed for a better photo. I am sure if it was a desi guy doing it, she would have ended up screaming like a banshee!!
This could probably be one reason why 80% of the AI TRs by Indians are negative and vice-versa for videshi AI/IC TRs!! |
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karatecatman
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Spiderguy252
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| Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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There seems to be a surge in Indian Trip Reports recently. Why is that? 
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TKMCE
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| Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 2:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | IF your an Indian passenger or of Indian origin, Air India will not be able to do anything right (even if they lease a Jet Plane with Jet crew!!!) because we have in our sub concious mind, a very crappy view of air india and its operations!!!! |
This may be a very fashionable thing to say for you but people including myself have experienced their crap attitude and most defintely it was not pleasant
How will you feel if the guy ahead of you in the que who is a European is helped with his very liight check in baggage (despite the guy telling the staff not to mind as he can easily handle it) onto the X ray machine and then when your turn comes, you are pointedly refused assistance with your own baggage (heavy - but within the 20 kg limit) by the same Indian Air India staff who is supposed to assit pax???
To make matters worse when you reach check in you hear shouting all around at Indians by Indian check in staff. I ended up with the single Brit Check in staff (who was only one arround I could see who appeared not of Indian origin) and this staff on the other hand was politeness (and profesisonalism) personified and who wished me a nicet flight after handing me the boarding pass (I almost fainted due to surpirse on hearing that  - such was the crappy tratment going around generally that day).
THis was Check in on AI 112 one day in the mid 1990s. About a decade later (no way I was flying AI again after that from LHR), I flew from LHR again on QR (check in was I think by Aviance who was professional as usual), AI staff seemed to be continuing their crappy treatment by the look of what was happeening in their counters nearby.
Cheers |
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d3vski
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Posts: 440
Location: In the First Class lounge.....
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| Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 7:21 pm Post subject: |
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| d3vski wrote: |
IF your an Indian passenger or of Indian origin, Air India will not be able to do anything right (even if they lease a Jet Plane with Jet crew!!!) because we have in our sub concious mind, a very crappy view of air india and its operations!!!! |
Let me clarify what i meant, The reason most Indian origin people have a crappy view of Air India is because since the mid 80s they have generally suffered at the Maharajas hand.
Air Indias problems are air indias making, They treated people like shite over the last 20 years. Most people of Indian origin know someone close who has travelled on Air India over the last 20 years and suffered hence the word of mouth spreads and people begin to form those crappy views of air india.
Let me say it again, The views most indian origin people have of Air India are Air Indias fault!
Ive travelled on Air India 1997, lhr-ord on the brand new 744s that were being inducted. after what i experianced i swore that i would never travel Air India again and 12 years later, still have not set foot on an AI plane! |
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the_drifter
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Joined: 30 May 2009
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| Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 3:20 am Post subject: |
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| justbala wrote: |
I have always wondered if AI/IC F/As give a preferential treatment based on the color of ur skin |
I agree with Bala on this. Alex may not be realizing it, but he is getting super nice treatment from AI. Most of ius will not receive that sadly  |
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jasepl
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| Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 12:46 am Post subject: |
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Has no one at AI learnt yet that you take off the cling film from your bowls and plates before plonking them in front of the passenger? And really, AI, for the 35th time, a packet of kurkure is NOT an appetiser!
As for the author - more loyal than the Queen? |
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karatecatman
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| Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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| jasepl wrote: | | Has no one at AI learnt yet that you take off the cling film from your bowls and plates before plonking them in front of the passenger? |
Then Jet, Kingfisher and Singapore Airlines need to be hauled up as well. |
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karatecatman
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Jaysit
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| Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 6:53 am Post subject: |
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| d3vski wrote: | | circleglobe wrote: | They are always a pleasure to read. And since he travels so frequently, to different regions across the world, and on so many airlines, and in both business and economy, I think they are more valuable than most. Lots of data points and reference points.
I wonder if an Indian or an NRI or particularly a US-based NRI would be harder on AI than he is, even with exactly the same hardware and service, because of different attitudes, higher expectations, and 'baggage' (past experiences with AI). |
IF your an Indian passenger or of Indian origin, Air India will not be able to do anything right (even if they lease a Jet Plane with Jet crew!!!) because we have in our sub concious mind, a very crappy view of air india and its operations!!!! |
WHat a load of crap.
AI's 77L and 77W US-India operations are quite popular among US-based NRIs, the 744s - for obvious reasons - less so.
I've been flying AI between New York and Bombay now for the past 8 years, and the only people who barely react to that fact are non-Indians. Indians, be they NRIs or Bharatiya deshputras residing in India, think I'm mad.
Much of that surprise is for good reason. The state of AI's 744s was appalling. Even PIA's rickety 742-Combis had updated and clean cabins. Add to that the horror stories of 20 hour delays, and you have a recipe for disaster.
I've been lucky in that every AI flight I've been on between the US and India, the US and Europe has been on time. The service on board ranged from acceptable to excellent. The inflight hard product on the 744s was dated even in First Class, and that on the leased 772s was left to rot.
I wonder how many of you have actually flown AI over the last 10 years to make a realistic analysis of their operations. |
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Jaysit
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Joined: 19 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 6:58 am Post subject: |
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| karatecatman wrote: | | jasepl wrote: | | Has no one at AI learnt yet that you take off the cling film from your bowls and plates before plonking them in front of the passenger? |
Then Jet, Kingfisher and Singapore Airlines need to be hauled up as well. |
Jasepl is talking Business Class on AI here.
At least on First they bring out a quite fabulous dessert tray, something that is fast becoming a rarity even on the best international carriers.
I've never encountered a plate with a cling film plonked in front of me on SQ in Business Class. If IT and 9W are doing that, then they need a class in the art of service.
On the other hand, I've encountered cling wrap on an appetizer plate plonked in front of me on SAS Business Class last year. I felt like I was at an IKEA cafetaria. So, clearly, AI isn't the only culprit here. |
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