Compare Air India’s new A350 business class to the clunky 777 cabin

In its heyday, Air India was considered the gold standard in the aviation industry and even influenced the business model of Singapore Airlines, which is now considered one of the best airlines in the world.

But under state ownership, Air India fell into disrepair, with regular customer complaints of broken and dirty seats, poor on-time performance and poor customer service.

“The list of things to do at Air India and the list of opportunities that lie ahead of us is incredible,” Air India’s new CEO Campbell Wilson told Business Insider in January. . “And in most of these cases, it’s not a question of, ‘Is there a case to do that?’ But, ‘What should we do first?’ ”

The record deal, announced in February last year, is Air India’s first aircraft order in 17 years and is worth a whopping $70 billion at list price.

This wide-body jet boasted a completely remodeled cabin that included sleek new economy, premium economy, and business class seats.

The A350 Business Class’s hard products, i.e. everything physically connected to the jet, come from Russian airline Aeroflot.

Air India acquired Aerolot’s A350 after Western sanctions prevented its delivery. We kept the original seat design and added our own flare.

Each of the 28 business class seats has a full sliding door, allowing each passenger to protect themselves from the rest of the plane.

There are partitions between the seats in the center section.

The old seats had no doors and the awkward 2x3x2 layout meant someone could be assigned the dreaded middle seat, even in business class.

There was also no direct aisle access, so window and middle passengers had to bypass the passengers next to them.

The door was towered high enough that it was difficult for other passengers to easily peer into the pod next to them.

Wilson said the new business class design came from discussions with five-star airlines including Singapore, Emirates, Qatar Airways and All Nippon Airways.

Finding inspiration for new products is easy. For example, the sliding doors may be made by ANA and Qatar, and the various storage areas may be hand-picked from one or more companies.

The window seat closet is smaller than the center section closet, but can still accommodate longer clothing such as dresses and coats.

The side table was large enough for glasses and snacks, and the cubby held my sneakers. The cup holder is perfect for my water bottle, and I packed everything else I needed into the seatback pocket.

However, customers can expect more organizational space with the new A350 products.

The beds on the old 777 were comfortable, but the new bedding is definitely an upgrade.

Air India has designed a pillow that doubles as a mattress pad. You can see the opening in the photo, but I didn’t notice it until one of the representatives pointed it out.

2-in-1s are convenient for storage and efficiency, and are just one of countless bedding elements included alongside pillows and fluffy blankets.

I’m short and sleep curled up, so the slight slope in the bottom half of the Legacy bed didn’t bother me, but taller travelers might find it uncomfortable.

However, the beds on the new A350 are completely flat.

Wilson told BI that Air India wants to one day compete with the elite airlines it draws from, and the attention to detail in its software products shows that.

I especially liked the purple color overall. This is in consideration of the merger with Vistara.

The aforementioned pillow and mattress pad combination is another example of Air India’s great A350 soft products. The carrier also has improved tableware, utensils, and amenity kits.

But my favorite was the glass cheese platter because the two parts together resembled ‘The Vista’ (Air India’s golden window shaped logo). I thought this was a smart thing to do.

Air India won’t deny that its older 777 Business Class fleet is uncompetitive, but it’s clear that it’s trying to make up for the shortcomings where it can. And the best way is soft products.

We loved the Tumi amenity kit, pajamas, slippers, linens, and tableware on our 13-hour trek to India last month, but the A350 takes it to an even better, more luxurious level.

The bar was stocked with expensive alcohol such as Johnnie Walker Black Label and Gray Goose.

Although there is no bartender or lounge area, this is another great example of how the world’s best airline inspired the reimagined Air India.

I liked the wine and beer served, but didn’t try the liqueurs. Mainly because I’m not a fan of mixed drinks anyway.

Beer 91, an Indian craft beer, was my favorite.

The charging outlet on my 777 flight was broken, and the flight attendants tried to fix it to no avail.

There was also a remote control and it worked without any problems. And there was also a flimsy tray table. These amenities have been upgraded on the A350 and closely resemble the premium business class that Air India is aiming for.

Air India is famous for securing some of their business and economy class seats with duct tape, and I found this to be true on the plane as well.

Air India travelers should check the plane they are flying on before booking to know what they are paying for.

Note: Air India also has a traditional business class on its Boeing 787.

For example, an Air India passenger flying from San Francisco to Delhi might fly business class on a Delta 777.

On the other hand, those flying between New York-JFK and Delhi (like me) will be flying a Legacy 777.

This means older business class cabins on 777 and 787 aircraft will be phased out, but not until at least late 2025, according to Wilson.

“By the end of 2025, our entire legacy widebody fleet will also be upgraded to match what’s on board the A350,” he told BI. “So, essentially, our fleet The aircraft will have been completely reborn by then.”