Air India - Reviews and experiences

30 because of luggage issues. By the time we reached Mumbai, we were about four hours late. We had to collect bags, clear customs and security, then basically run through the airport for the connection. Some passengers didn’t make it. What hurt most was missing my father’s post-cremation rituals, which had been planned for June 14 and 15. That isn’t something you can casually rearrange. I asked Air India to move our return flight a few days later so we could complete the rituals, but there was no real flexibility or compensation offered. After that, I took three Indigo domestic flights, and all of them were early and straightforward. It just made the difference feel even more obvious. I didn’t expect perfection, especially with a diversion, but I did expect better support once we were stranded.

I signed up for the Maharaja Club because I fly on a fairly tight budget, usually for work trips and the occasional visit with family. In day-to-day life, those flights are how I keep things moving, so even a small fare saving or a useful points benefit would matter. So far, though, I honestly cannot tell what the membership is doing for me. I have looked for better prices, discounts, or practical mileage rewards, and nothing has stood out. Maybe there are benefits somewhere in the system, but they are not clear enough to be useful to an ordinary economy traveller.

Honestly, the most frustrating part wasn’t even that my bags showed up late. Travel delays happen, and I can deal with that. What made this whole experience awful was how Air India handled everything afterwards. I booked my trip from Visakhapatnam to Rajkot through their website under one booking and one PNR, with a connection in Mumbai. Both boarding passes were given to me in Visakhapatnam, and the staff there clearly told me my luggage would be transferred through to Rajkot. So naturally, I didn’t expect to collect it in Mumbai myself.

fairly fresh, decent portions, and not the usual bland airline tray. So there are good things here, definitely. My trouble started while travelling from Manila through Delhi to Bangalore. I had a suitcase and a golf bag, which I know is not the easiest luggage setup, but the rechecking process in Delhi was a real mess. I had to collect everything, go through customs and immigration, then put it back on the belt. The staff member handling the belt did not want to load my golf bag because he said it was too heavy. I understand it was awkward, but I was left standing there trying to persuade him while the clock was ticking. In the end I had to lift the thing onto the belt myself. Not ideal after a long flight, and I then had to rush through the airport to make my Bangalore connection. That whole arrangement feels backwards. If the final destination is Bangalore, it would make much more sense for the process to be smoother there instead of forcing travellers through this scramble in Delhi. The return journey on December 15 was even more frustrating. At check-in in Bangalore, I was told my flight had a one-hour delay. The ground team did make an effort to move me to an earlier flight, which I appreciated, although that flight left about 45 minutes late anyway. Once we landed in Delhi, we were told the Manila flight was on time. Fine, I thought, maybe things were getting back on track. Then, at boarding time, the gate changed and everyone had to hurry to another gate. When we got there, passengers for more than one flight were gathered around the desk, asking questions and getting more annoyed by the minute. It seemed like the staff did not know which aircraft was departing, when it was leaving, or what they should tell people. Business-class passengers were asked to wait in the lounge and promised updates. We waited, and waited, with very little information. Eventually, after around four hours, a bus arrived outside the gate and we were told to board. What bothered me most was not that the flight was late; it was the lack of communication. A basic, regular update would have helped so much. Even saying “we don’t know yet, but we’ll update you in 20 minutes” would have lowered the stress level. The airline has capable and caring crew, but the airport coordination needs serious work. It is not perfect, far from it, but there is something worth building on if the communication side improves.

My brother first warned me about booking this route, but I figured, how bad can it really be? Well, turns out a long-haul trip can somehow feel even longer when every connection has its own little surprise. We travelled with kids, plenty of bags, and what I thought was a reasonably straightforward itinerary. It was not straightforward. Not even close.