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.
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
Philanthropist and private pilot JRD Tata launched Air India as the country's first commercial airline, and it became famous for its inflight luxuries.
The carrier was nationalized after India gained independence from Britain in 1947.
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
"Everything is in the process of re-invention," Air India's new CEO, Campbell Wilson, told Business Insider in an interview in January.
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
Reuters noted many of Air India's business class seats are in "poor repair," while the NYT reported less-than-stellar customer service and on-time performance over the years.
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
The Points Guy reporter Samantha Rosen reported a bad experience on Air India in 2020, calling it the "worst" business class she'd ever flown.
Three years before that, TPG reporter Zach Honig wrote a similarly negative review pointing out 20 things he disliked about the business class experience.
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've flown in more than a dozen business-class products over the years. Surprisingly, Air India's wasn't the worst.
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.
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The display lining along the back of the check-in area showed Air India's new logo and color scheme and flight information for routes to Delhi and Mumbai.
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.
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A long line of economy travelers queued with mountains of luggage, so I'd budget extra time for check-in if you cannot get your boarding pass on the app or need to check bags.
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.
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Security was quick thanks to the dedicated business class line — though next time I'd just stick with TSA PreCheck to avoid the hassle of taking off my shoes and separating my electronics.
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
The current Air India lounge offers free food and drinks (alcohol included) but is small and crowded.
However, Air India is refreshing its New York-JFK lounge as part of its aim to become a more elite carrier.
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.
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The aircraft, registered VT-ALK, was delivered to Air India in October 2007 — making it about 16 years old.
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.
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The towel and drink are common perks in business class, and I thought the juice was tasty. I could've also opted for an alcoholic beverage if I wanted.
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
There was duct tape on the aisle seat next to me, and my power outlet was not working.
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
The tiny table between the seats was really only big enough for drinks, and everything else was a long reach away.
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
There was no obvious storage space for the headphones, so I just draped those over the seat lamp.
Meanwhile, the tray table was pretty flimsy — it wasn't the sturdy, adjustable table on five-star carriers like Singapore and All Nippon Airways.
The tray table could fold in half but was not more adjustable than that.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider
After flying five-star Asian airlines and even some Western ones like Condor, I thought the table left a lot to be desired.
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.
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I've flown on more than a dozen business-class products; this was the first time I'd experienced this configuration.
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
This isn't exactly "elite" by any means, and was one reason I worried about flying Air India. Luckily, I got an aisle seat on the 13-hour journey.
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
Fortunately, there was no passenger in the middle seat next to me, which helped.
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
Like most passengers around me, I hid under the blankets and wore my eye mask — it was the only way to feel somewhat cocooned.
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
I will note that the bed is angled, so it's not perfectly flat but rather slopes slightly down.
This didn't bother me because I curl up to sleep, but taller and larger travelers may find the bed uncomfortable and narrow.
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 beds do not fully stretch to the TV, so the middle or window seat passenger could step over the aisle without disturbing them — if they're careful, anyway.
Still, this isn't an ideal setup and something Air India is addressing with its $400 million refurbishment project.
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
The screen was also very far from the seat itself, which isn't a huge deal but I wish I sat closer to the TV. Thankfully, a remote was included.
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.
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"We acknowledge we've got a way to go, but despite the shortcomings we have, we want to at least be as good as we can and make updates in key areas," Wilson told BI in January.
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
The soft product includes things not physically attached to the plane, such as linens, food, service, and the amenity kit, to name a few. The hard product would be the seat itself.
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
The kit was also in a hard-sided case, which I can easily reuse on future trips.
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
The sleepwear was warm and cozy. It was a nice perk after not getting pajamas on recent flights with airlines like German carrier Condor and French boutique airline La Compagnie.
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.
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The first meal service started about an hour after takeoff, with two more that followed by the time we landed.
I do wish the second meal was served later into the flight so I could sleep more between lunch and dinner.
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
My other appetizer option was hummus, and I could also order butternut squash soup with my meal. Meanwhile, the second Western entrée option was a fish fillet with black olive mash, which I skipped because I don't like olives.
There were also two Indian dishes available, including murg khatta pyaz and khubani paneer korma.
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
The menu called the dessert a saffron phirni with mini gulab jamun and pistachios, which I thought was tasty.
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
To prepare for the time change, I used melatonin to force myself to sleep after lunch. This meant I woke up pretty groggy and didn't have much of an appetite.
For this meal, I liked almost everything except the side dish in the top left corner of my tray. The texture of it was just too soggy.
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
There were a handful of a-la-carte items like sandwiches, chicken, and fish. I opted for the fried fish, paired with a green sauce and more bread.
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
I changed back into my regular clothes and enjoyed a cappuccino and cookies.
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 downfall of an aisle seat is missing the views out of the plane windows, but luckily, other travelers are willing to share their space for views like this.
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
Despite sanctions, Air India still flies over Russia.
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
I can tell Air India is desperate to make up for its shortcomings in any way it can, and it's taking advantage of the soft product.
Plus, the cabin crew really did attempt to get my power outlet working — so I'll give them credit for trying.
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
That is a $3,500 cost saving, though I have flown American's Boeing 777 business class and admit it is much better than Air India's. The choice between comes does to a few factors, like the cost-benefit and airline loyalty.
However, passengers may also take into account that the American flight is at least an hour longer due to its circumventing Russian airspace, according to FlightAware data.
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
The lack of privacy didn't bother me during sleep hours, especially with the lights off, but I can imagine other travelers would expect more, given the business-class price tag.
However, the cabin on my flight was full, aside from the middle seat open next to me — so people are clearly paying for the upgrade.
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
At least on Air India, I could more easily step over my neighbor (if I was in a middle or window seat) — this is more difficult on La Compagnie.
Meanwhile, ANZ offers better privacy, but I really disliked the fact I had to wait for a flight attendant to set up my bed — on Air India, I could adjust the seat at the touch of a button.
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
Air India has myriad long-haul business class cabins in its fleet right now.
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
According to Wilson, Air India acquired 11 planes from carriers like Etihad and Delta that still sport that airline's product.
So, for instance, if you fly from Mumbai to New York-JFK on a Boeing 777, you may actually experience Delta's business class with sliding doors, not Air India's legacy product.
Or, starting this year, passengers can experience Air India's brand new business class product the carrier just unveiled on its new Airbus A350.
Air India unveiled its brand new A350 in January at the Wings Airshow in Hyderabad.
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Air India is the first airline in the nation to receive the A350, and it has fit the cabin with a much nicer product complete with sliding doors and direct-aisle access for all travelers.
The plane also includes significant upgrades to premium economy and regular coach.
Granted, the hard product is that of Russian carrier Aeroflot as the jet was destined for the Kremlin before being reallocated to Air India.
The middle section has a divider between the two seats for total privacy.
Nevertheless, Air India has added its own personal flare to the A350, and it's easy to see the new brand identity scattered throughout the product — from the small details on the glassware to the purple color scheme on the pillows.
This is all to say that while Air India's dated 777 business class is still flying until at least 2025, passengers have better cabins to look forward to.
Air India has updated its table set up and inflight menu as well.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider
"The project starts in the second half of this year on our legacy 787s and the 777s," Wilson told BI, referring to the $400 million retrofit.
"By the end of 2025, the entire legacy widebody fleet will also be upgraded to match what we're getting on the A350," he continued. "So, essentially, our fleet will be completely reborn by then."
