Review: Air India First Class (777-300ER)

Atamvir Singh Multani, an aviation enthusiast, photographer, and writer, recently had a chance to fly onboard Air India’s first class product on the Boeing 777-300ER. Read on for his review that he wanted to share with Frugal Flyer.

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With travel plans coming together just a month before departure and a tight schedule to consider, I decided to take the plunge and book a First Class ticket on Air India from Vancouver to Delhi, with a fuel stop in Kolkata.

Air India is currently undergoing a much-needed transformation, with improvements being made across the board. The acquisition of Vistara has accelerated this progress. At present, the highlight of their fleet is the new A350, featuring a top-tier business class (J) cabin, which I previously reviewed here.

Aeroplan redemptions involving Air India can be a mixed bag, so setting the right expectations is key. Air India’s First Class offering isn’t in the same league as Emirates First Class, Singapore Airlines, or Etihad.

From the outset, I approached this Air India first class booking as more of a ‘Business Plus’ experience—and that’s exactly where the product seems to land. While the Air India first class hard product may not impress, in my opinion, it’s offset by solid availability, quality food, and the convenience of non-stop travel without layovers.

Booking Air India First Class

First Class	Aircraft	Route	Flight Duration
AI 186	Boeing 777-300ER	Vancouver (YVR) – Delhi (DEL) (Fuel Stop in Kolkata)	18 Hours 15 Minutes

This booking was a one-way Aeroplan redemption at a cost of 130,000 Aeroplan points + $106 CAD in taxes and fees.

There are many excellent premium Aeroplan cards in Canada that can help you earn the points to make a redemption like this, including the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card, which offers several priority benefits on Air Canada flights, access to Maple Leaf Lounges, and more.

Due to airspace restrictions, this flight makes a technical stop in Kolkata in India. Often, an argument is made about this redemption being on the lower end of options available; however, a first class cabin for 18 hours, that fit my schedule down to the minute, was an absolute no-brainer.

Ground Experience

On the day of departure at Vancouver International (YVR), Air India operated a total of 9 check-in counters open, with 7 servicing economy guests and 1 counter dedicated to Business and First Class passengers each. On arrival in Delhi, I was met at the bridge by dedicated ‘meet and greet’ personnel.

Check-in was smooth and quick. I was the only passenger booked in the F cabin. Post security, I headed for a quick bite at the Maple Leaf Lounge. The lounge is like most other Maple Leaf Lounges in Canada, as it is nothing spectacular.

The boarding process was one of the weaker links of this entire experience. Somehow, the queues became mixed, and it appeared the staff at the counter had no control over this.

Cabin Arrangement

This route is operated by a legacy Air India Boeing 777-300ER delivered in the late 2000s. The first class cabin is comprised of 4 flat bed suites, while there are 35 flat bed seats in Business Class, and 303 standard economy class seats.

All seats in First Class provide direct aisle access. For two people travelling together, the seats in the center have a divider that can be lowered. The cabin is configured 1-2-1. Since I was travelling solo, I went for the window seat – 1K.

Seat

This is an old hard product and shows its age! Now that we have set that behind us, let’s move ahead.

The seat has a multi-position setup and converts to a full lie-flat bed. Overall, the seat feels cozy with high shell walls. It comes with a 23-inch in-flight entertainment (IFE) console screen and offers plenty of room and space for storage.

The seat pitch is 80” and the width is 23”. Like quite a few legacy First Class seats, this one lacks a privacy door. While seated or lying down, there is a fair bit of privacy from the rest of the cabin.

It offers a reasonable amount of storage on the sides, under the footrest, and has space to keep a small handbag. 

Next to the IFE is the cupboard, which offers additional storage space for a jacket. The ottoman is fixed with stowage below and doubles as a guest seat.

A small remote is used to control the seat position. The seat can be stopped at any position from lie-flat to fully upright.

Bed

One of the standouts of this entire experience and the reason I booked this – a massive bed in the sky for 18 hours. Seat pitch in the full lie flat mode is 6ft 6”. The width is around 24”.

As someone who sleeps on their side, tossing and turning all the way to Delhi, this bed was a godsend. It makes for a very comfortable bed, and at 6’3”, I had no problem rolling around through the 18-hour trip.

The mattress pad, duvet, pillows, and blanket come together to make for a very cozy and comfortable experience. Post lunch, the purser offered to make my bed and I obliged.

Amenity Kit

Air India provides First Class passengers with TUMI amenity kits. Contents were standard, consisting of a lip balm, body lotion, face mist, socks, and an eye mask.

The amenity kit was also accompanied by a set of pajamas and a pair of slippers.

Dining

Upon boarding, the welcome drink on offer was apple juice or lime juice. I chose the latter. Interestingly, no alcoholic beverages were offered as a welcome beverage, such as champagne or wine.

After I boarded, the food and beverage menus were provided.

The food menu was as follows:

The beverage menu was as follows:

Having been swamped with work, I mostly stuck to non-alcoholic beverages on this flight. The bar included Laurent Perrier for champagne. Whiskeys on offer were a triple cask Glenlivet and Black Label. Also on offer were sommelier-curated wine pairings.

Lunch

We departed Vancouver at 12:45 in the afternoon and the first meal offered was lunch. This was a four-course meal. When my order was taken, I decided to keep it simple and start with a mocktail made of orange and lemon juice and soda.

The meal started with a roasted red pepper soup, followed by poached shrimp as the appetizer. The shrimp were delicious and set the bar. I ordered a mimosa to go with the shrimp.

For the main course, I decided on the Nimbu Murg Korma with Okra and lentils.

My dessert selection was the chocolate tart.

Breakfast

Breakfast was the second main meal of this flight. Offered at around 7-8 hours into the flight, I started off with a strawberry and banana smoothie.

For the main, I decided on the balsamic onion and thyme omelette. Up until this point, the shrimp were the highlight, the omelet absolutely knocked them out of the water (pun intended) and tasted phenomenal. 

The omelet was flavorful and came with sausage, hash brown, and spinach, all of which tasted fresh. Croissants in the sky are often hard and textureless, and I am happy to report this was not the case, and every bite of the croissant was pure indulgence.

After what was a very soothing breakfast, I once again chose to sleep, only to wake up 40 minutes prior to landing in Kolkata. All meals were served on fine china with two very attentive flight attendants designated to one seat.

Snack

Snacks and refreshments were available throughout the flight. There was a choice between Chilli Chicken, Spiced Salmon, and cheese offerings, but I didn’t partake.

The leg from Kolkata to Delhi had on offer a vegetarian sandwich and muffin which was underwhelming.

Entertainment

Entertainment Console

The in-flight entertainment console (IFE) is 23 inches and has a wide selection of movies, TV shows, and more. Personally, I left it on the map for most of the flight.

Phitek Noise Cancellation headphones are provided for all First Class passengers.

After having experienced the in-flight entertainment console on Air India’s A350 in business class, this screen almost felt like it did not belong. Touch latency was slower than the newer variants.

The IFE was controlled from the remote located in the armrest.

The IFE screen itself didn’t bother me as I had my movies on my iPad; however, in today’s day and age, it leaves a lot to be desired. 

If you have your own device, you can connect to Vista Stream – Air India’s in-flight streaming service, as over 1600 hours of content are available in multiple languages.

WiFi

In-flight WiFi is still in the works at Air India, and this aircraft was not equipped.

Conclusion

Air India First Class offers a solid, full-flat suite in a small, private cabin with strong service, storage, and dining. It sits between “Business Plus” and true First Class—a roomy, comfortable choice on long-haul routes, though not on par with the very best premium offerings worldwide.