Air India, My Choice for Cheap Flights to Paris
Written: May 11 '05 (Updated May 11 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great flight, great service, cheap airfares.
Cons: Limited food service.
The Bottom Line: Try Air India if you are looking for a bargain air fare, good service, and more leg room than you find on Airbus and Boeing 777 airplanes.
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| rlesino's Full Review: Air India |
I frequently go to Pairs, France for short pleasure/tourism trips. I use Gate 1 travel which has a discount arrangement with Air India, and the Kyriad hotel chain. I can usually get air fare and hotel for 6 to 8 days with breakfast included and van service to and from the hotel in Paris for under $800 US dollars. The airfare part is about $200.00 to $400.00 round trip. Yes, I said round trip from Newark, NJ airport to Charles De Gaulle airport in France....what a bargain.
Air India in Newark, NJ:
Air India has only one counter, and I usually get to it about three hours before my flight so I am in line early. That give me more time to have a few beers before the flight once I go thru security.
Air India is always friendly (this is my fourth flight on Air India to Paris). The flight is smooth, since their are NO stops between US and France, it is a direct flight. The food is usually vegetarian or a choice of curry chicken or curry lamb. If you don't like Indian food, you can order a special meal.
The flight is on a 747-400 older style jet which I like better than the new A-340 or other airbus planes, or the Boeing 777. The older 747 had more leg room in economy class.
Newark airport is modern and a breeze, I usually sail thru security and find a modern waiting area with bars, a restaurant, and many bathrooms, duty free store, etc.
The Air India Flight:
The flight is full of families and older people going to visit their family in India. So be prepared for children (I always bring my headphones with music) and plan to sleep most of the flight. In flight movies are the Ballywood style films.
Air India serves a full liquor assortment, and wines with dinner. I never have had a problem with the meals or food or booze, however you must like Indian food to start with, and I love it. If you are a steak and potato type person, this is not the meal flight for you...take another airline, or bring your own food on-board which is allowed and Newark airport has an excellent food cart in the waiting lounge with sandwhiches and salads, etc.
The flight leaves about 10 pm and arrives in France the following day at about 10 am. After the meal service, most everyone sleeps.
Most of the passengers are on their way to Bombay, India (Now called the modern name of Mumbai). When the plane lands in Paris, usually only about fifty people get off, the American tourists going to Pairs.
The return to the US from Paris:
On my return flights, they are usually full. Make sure your seat assignment in Newark includes your return with the seat you would like. The return is full of families coming to visit their relatives in the US. These folks have already been on a like flight from Mumbai, India and cannot get off the plane in Paris. So, they load the small number of passengers from Pairs, fuel the plan, load more food, and then we are off to the USA.
The return flight leaves Paris at 1pm and arrives in Newark at 6pm. It is a nice flight, with meal service, wine, (I usually have several cognacs after the meal on Air India, which is very nice that they have French wines and cognacs and as much as you want for free on international flights).
Again, the meal service in Indian style food which I love, but if you don't like it order a special meal or bring your own food. Sometimes, I buy a French style sandwhich at the Paris airport, a french bagette sandwhich with brie cheese and Italian ham...yummy.
The Pros of flying Air India:
1. Cheap round trip flights from Newark. $200.00 to $400.00 rd trip to France is a bargain these days. I even sometime don't take the return flight but just waste it, and take the Eurostar chunnel train to London and buy a one way from London to Newark since the Air India was so cheap.
2. Plenty of booze and wine.
3. Unless it is a holiday the plane is on 2/3 full. I can sometimes find an empty row and stretch out to sleep using the full row.
4. The older 747-400 had much better leg room, and air vents...a 777 has NO personal air vents.
5. Air India staff is friendly, speaks English and is mostly female with some male stewards. All the staff tries to be very friendly since this is such a long flight to Mumbai, (1/2 way around the world for the full trip....thank God I get off in Paris!!!!!!!!)
The Cons or (Downside):
1. Indian food. Curry is spicy and smells a little. So if you don't like the smell of curry, you will be smelling it for the whole flight.
2. Also, some Indian passengers, especially on the return to the US, have not taken a bath and it does get a little ripe depending on whom you sit next to.
3. Make sure at the Paris airport you have you flight ticket stub and the entrance from given to you on the plane, and your Passport. They collect all three items from you. Most American's throw away their ticket boarding pass stub once they are on the airplane, and in France they collect them on the jetway once you get off the plane.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
rlesino
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Location: Mount Laurel, NJ, USA
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Retired from Federal Government. Served a Senior Executive.
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