Background
This report is about Air India’s 787 in Business Class between Singapore and Delhi, something that I have been wanting to try for quite awhile.
AI’s J fares are super good (as low as SQ’s Y fares) and I have always been tempted to try except that I have always gravitated towards 9W because my work was usually to BOM rather than DEL and 9W offered superior products until recently – A332 with flat beds to BOM, offered at almost SQ’s Y fares. Now that 9W has gone downhill by downgrading all their 6 daily SIN services to 738s, and SQ has upgauged their services to A388s with flat beds, all the business pax naturally migrate to SQ and business fares on SQ are moving skywards ☹ With consolidation of SQ flights from 2 night flights to 1 night flight, the fares are now hitting the stars and it’s pretty impossible to get J seats ex-BOM or DEL on Thursdays and Friday evenings.
At around the same time as 9W downgauged their offerings, and SQ upgauged theirs, AI fortunately followed up on SQ by upgauging their services to 788 with flat beds. This started with SIN-DEL and will soon be followed by SIN-MAA-BOM by the winter. I only hope that SIN-BOM will go non-stop someday opening up more competition to SQ and reducing fares and increasing overall seat availability.
As of recently, my work started bringing me back to DEL and one of the options I consider is AI. The only drawback is that it is a dayflight and I would have to sacrifice quality time with partner and/or family to travel on it. I have therefore been flying SQ since April paying their skyhigh prices and fight for last minute weekend seats. This time, my partner happened to be unable to spend time with me and I thought I might as well make use of my Sunday for a leisurely morning flight to Delhi rather than the evening SQ flight. And there is nothing I regret about it. It was a great experience.
Flight Details:
Flight: AI 381
Route: SIN-DEL
Aircraft: 787-800
Registration: VT-ANP
Class: Executive
Seat: 3J
STD/ATD: 0915/0915
STA/ATA: 1215/1155
I arrived at a quiet Changi Airport T2 on the Sunday morning about 1.5 hours before the flight. I didn’t really know where AI counters are and forgot that AI business class check in will be at the SATS Premier Check-in Lounge, so I just requested to be dropped off at my usual Door 1 (SQ Business Class check-in).
Better than SQ’s own non-PPS business class passengers who check-in standing in the open floor, AI’s business class passengers may check-in at the SATS lounge which is also conveniently located next to immigration.
Check-in was sitting down (just like in T3 for SQ’s First Class pax). This morning, there were only AI's 2 flights and it was quite busy. But still, I didn’t have to wait more than 2 minutes to be checked-in.
The lounge is smallish and it has a sitting area towards one corner. There is also a magazine shelf at one side. It has quite a relaxing ambience.
Airside, AI uses the SATS Premier Lounge opposite MH. This used to be SQ lounge for KF Gold. It brings back some memories from a long bygone era.
This lounge is actually better-located than SQ’s current KF Lounge or even its Silver Kris business class lounge because there is daylight. The seats are still the same as before. It seems like there has only been minor upgrade.
The buffet counter.
The catering that morning was quite good too: nasi goreng, dimsum, omelette, and a few indian dishes but I won’t have indian knowing the quality will never match what I can have in India. And to me Indian food is at its worst on the buffet.
I walked to the gate with plenty of time to spare hoping to be able to snap a few pictures from the waiting lounge. But to my dismay, I found a rather long queue. At least, everybody lined up properly and patiently.
This report is about Air India’s 787 in Business Class between Singapore and Delhi, something that I have been wanting to try for quite awhile.
AI’s J fares are super good (as low as SQ’s Y fares) and I have always been tempted to try except that I have always gravitated towards 9W because my work was usually to BOM rather than DEL and 9W offered superior products until recently – A332 with flat beds to BOM, offered at almost SQ’s Y fares. Now that 9W has gone downhill by downgrading all their 6 daily SIN services to 738s, and SQ has upgauged their services to A388s with flat beds, all the business pax naturally migrate to SQ and business fares on SQ are moving skywards ☹ With consolidation of SQ flights from 2 night flights to 1 night flight, the fares are now hitting the stars and it’s pretty impossible to get J seats ex-BOM or DEL on Thursdays and Friday evenings.
At around the same time as 9W downgauged their offerings, and SQ upgauged theirs, AI fortunately followed up on SQ by upgauging their services to 788 with flat beds. This started with SIN-DEL and will soon be followed by SIN-MAA-BOM by the winter. I only hope that SIN-BOM will go non-stop someday opening up more competition to SQ and reducing fares and increasing overall seat availability.
As of recently, my work started bringing me back to DEL and one of the options I consider is AI. The only drawback is that it is a dayflight and I would have to sacrifice quality time with partner and/or family to travel on it. I have therefore been flying SQ since April paying their skyhigh prices and fight for last minute weekend seats. This time, my partner happened to be unable to spend time with me and I thought I might as well make use of my Sunday for a leisurely morning flight to Delhi rather than the evening SQ flight. And there is nothing I regret about it. It was a great experience.
Flight Details:
Flight: AI 381
Route: SIN-DEL
Aircraft: 787-800
Registration: VT-ANP
Class: Executive
Seat: 3J
STD/ATD: 0915/0915
STA/ATA: 1215/1155
I arrived at a quiet Changi Airport T2 on the Sunday morning about 1.5 hours before the flight. I didn’t really know where AI counters are and forgot that AI business class check in will be at the SATS Premier Check-in Lounge, so I just requested to be dropped off at my usual Door 1 (SQ Business Class check-in).
Better than SQ’s own non-PPS business class passengers who check-in standing in the open floor, AI’s business class passengers may check-in at the SATS lounge which is also conveniently located next to immigration.
Check-in was sitting down (just like in T3 for SQ’s First Class pax). This morning, there were only AI's 2 flights and it was quite busy. But still, I didn’t have to wait more than 2 minutes to be checked-in.
The lounge is smallish and it has a sitting area towards one corner. There is also a magazine shelf at one side. It has quite a relaxing ambience.
Airside, AI uses the SATS Premier Lounge opposite MH. This used to be SQ lounge for KF Gold. It brings back some memories from a long bygone era.
This lounge is actually better-located than SQ’s current KF Lounge or even its Silver Kris business class lounge because there is daylight. The seats are still the same as before. It seems like there has only been minor upgrade.
The buffet counter.
The catering that morning was quite good too: nasi goreng, dimsum, omelette, and a few indian dishes but I won’t have indian knowing the quality will never match what I can have in India. And to me Indian food is at its worst on the buffet.
I walked to the gate with plenty of time to spare hoping to be able to snap a few pictures from the waiting lounge. But to my dismay, I found a rather long queue. At least, everybody lined up properly and patiently.
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