Three Dreamliners: NH/AI/UA 787's in Economy to HND, MAA/BOM and SFO

[yflyer]

After meal service, the cabin windows were centrally dimmed...



Today's morning flight was a good example of how the dimming function of the 787 worked quite well...the dark blue windows let in a little light, and allowed pax to see out, but left the cabin pleasingly dark, enabling everyone to get a good rest.


The flight that day was not full, and I had 3 seats to myself in the rear of the cabin. I raised the armrests, and had a short snooze on this 4 hour sector.



This really seemed to be the only way I could find to get decent rest on a 9-abreast Dreamliner. Choose a seat in the rear, and hope for a lightly loaded flight with empty seats in your row.

[yflyer]

The flight path that day...



The airshow display...



The view out the emex door window...



Cabin ambience as we prepared for landing...



The Chennai coastline is just visible in this picture as we descended...



A smooth landing and short taxi to the gate...

[yflyer]

Overall, this was a good flight. The AI hard product on the 787 is a competitive one.

Cabin service in my section of the cabin was attentive and warm in general, although exactly how warm depended on the specific cabin crew member: Some were exceedingly warm and attentive, although one went through the entire cabin service routine without ever breaking into a smile.

I was a little surprised, though, that the economy cabin fittings were a little more worn out than you would expect on a one and a half year old aircraft.

This was the first flight on a 9-abreast Y configured Dreamliner where I managed to get a decent stretch of sleep, although this involved 3 Y seats...

I was happy with my flight, and would be very comfortable flying Air India again should schedules and price be right.

To be continued...

[balajih67]

Overall, this was a good flight. The AI hard product on the 787 is a competitive one.

Cabin service in my section of the cabin was attentive and warm in general, although exactly how warm depended on the specific cabin crew member: Some were exceedingly warm and attentive, although one went through the entire cabin service routine without ever breaking into a smile.

I was a little surprised, though, that the economy cabin fittings were a little more worn out than you would expect on a one and a half year old aircraft.

This was the first flight on a 9-abreast Y configured Dreamliner where I managed to get a decent stretch of sleep, although this involved 3 Y seats...

I was happy with my flight, and would be very comfortable flying Air India again should schedules and price be right.

To be continued...

The plane looks worn out because the same plane is used nearly for 4 times a day.All air india flights departing singapore to chennai arrive just 1-1.5 hours b4 actual departure time of 9am.After landing in chennai at about 10:30,immediately depart for singapore at 11:30 and arrives here at 6pm(scheduled) but mostly around 6:30pm.

Then after just one hour continues on to mumbai as AI342.And from there within the next hour either returns to Sin to repeat the cycle or flies to paris,london,bangkok etc.Also air india uses the dreamliner for some of its domestic routes within india,even for journeys that take as little as 1 hour.

You were lucky to get such attentive crew members on AI.

[shikhargpt]

The plane looks worn out because the same plane is used nearly for 4 times a day.

Yup!

You were lucky to get such attentive crew members on AI.

Hahahaha word! Same thing with my AI381 TR!

[SQueeze]

Thank you for a great and comprehensive TR as usual!

ANA's food look great and delicious.

I am more familiar with AI, although not at the back of the bus. But looks great too overall there! I have also been noticing warmer and warmer crew just like you had experienced. They may not be consistent for now but I think they are on the uptrend to the better. I agree that their planes appear more and more aging as we go by and soon enough they will be as gloomy as their 777s and 321s. They need to do something about it.

Seat width issue - how do you find it? i have only travelled on Scoot's 777 and I thought it was quite torturous between Bangkok and Singapore. Is it better on the 787?

[yflyer]

The plane looks worn out because the same plane is used nearly for 4 times a day.

Yes, quite heavy utilization. That said, the plane is less than 2 years old...even with that type of utilization, it did seem more worn out that other aircraft of similar age, I am even comparing them with 737's or A320's on other airlines, which I would assume have similarly high utilization.

Thank you for a great and comprehensive TR as usual!

Thanks, SQueeze! More to come soon...

ANA's food look great and delicious.

It was! Both ANA and JAL impressed me with their catering.

Seat width issue - how do you find it? i have only travelled on Scoot's 777 and I thought it was quite torturous between Bangkok and Singapore. Is it better on the 787?

Seat width on a 9-abreast 787? I detest it. I cannot rest properly in such a narrow seat.

It think this layout is fine on a low cost carrier like Scoot, where the intention is to get from point A to point B as cheap as possible.

But after these 3 trips on Dreamliners, my plan is to avoid 9-abreast 787's the same way I avoid 10-abreast 777's. They are a last resort. I would not willingly fly on planes with this layout if alternatives are available.

I would rather fly on more comfortable planes like 9-abreast 777's, or standard Y on any Airbus (Whether A330/A340/A350/A380), even if they require an additional stop, or cost slightly more. Even a 2-3-2 Boeing 767 (Which JAL operates on the SIN-HND/NRT sector) is better.

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

We deplaned into the large, modern terminal in MAA...



I cleared customs and left the International Terminal, and headed outside to walk to the Domestic Terminal for my connection to Bangalore.

The good thing about the airport in Chennai is that you can actually just walk from International to Domestic. However, at the spot where I exited the International Terminal, I could not see any signage telling me where to go. I had to ask for directions to Domestic, and was pointed in the correct direction by one of the many people milling around the terminal.

Folks in India are generally very helpful, and standard practice getting around, whether on foot, car or 3-wheeler is to just stop and ask for directions when in doubt.



After a short walk, probably 200-300m, I reached the Domestic Terminal, which was a new and modern affair, with a large, airy interior.





Boarding pass in hand, I headed airside...



By this time, the ground crew had turned around VT-ANU, and she was already taxiing for take-off to her next destination.



As balajih67 remarked, a very heavily utilized aircraft!



Now that Air India was part of Star Alliance, I was eligible to use the airside lounge in MAA.



This was not a large lounge, but it was fairly empty...



...and the lunch time buffet, featuring mainly South Indian specialities, was superb!

Local style ready-made milk coffee, served in traditional metal cups...



A selection of crackers...



Curd rice and pickles...

[yflyer]

Piquant fried chillies...these had an incredible kick to them and were best eaten in tiny bites...



Malabar Paratha, which were quite similar to Singapore roti prata, although the texture was softer...



A range of spiced and curried vegetable preparations, all delicious...



Avial and black-eye beans



Kozhi Varutha Curry, a chicken preparation...



Basmati rice, and Kerala sambar...



Another rice preparation...



I initially mistook this dish for bee hoon, and was about to plunge the serving spoon in to grab some (And in the process would have ruined the whole dish), before I looked closely...



...and realized that these were actually idiyappam, also called nool puttu, or string hoppers...



...which were really like pancakes, each portion of vermicilli formed into a pancake and stacked neatly in the serving dish.

Not the most fancy lounge I have been to, but a lounge I would return to for the wonderful lunch spread.

[yflyer]

My next flight was an Air India A319 on the short hop to Bengaluru.



Every pilot in the world seems to use this technique to cut sunlight filtering into the cockpit...



...I suspect sometimes the newspapers are used this way inflight too...

2-2 layout in J...



And 3-3 in Y...



Nothing fancy in Y...then again, nothing fancy is really needed on a 1 hour sector...



Meal service comprised a simple cardbox box with a snack...



Plain white cardboard...not even an Air India logo, or any advertising...

Mango juice (Thumbs up!), water and a sandwich...



An on-time arrival into BLR, where we deplaned by air stairs...



Weather was cool and pleasant in Bangalore, as it is for most of the year...

[yflyer]

In Bangalore, I stayed at the ITC Windsor, an SPG hotel. The hotel structure is an old building built in the style of a traditional English manor.

There is a manor wing, located in the main building, and a tower extension, where I stayed this time round.





The rooms have been renovated over the years and are quite comfortable.







My room had a pleasant view of an inner courtyard and garden.



Bathrooms in grey marble.



Service and F&B restaurants in the hotel was first rate.

While there are many newer hotels in Bangalore, including spectacular ones like the Leela Palace, and the ITC Royal Gardenia (Also a Starwood property), I find myself returning to the ITC Windsor when I visit Bangalore for both practical and sentimental reasons.

Practical because the hotel has a great location close to the main highway to the airport. Sentimental because this was where I first stayed on my very first trip to India in the late nineties, when it was still called the ITC Sheraton Windsor Manor & Towers, and where I have stayed on many other occasions whenever I returned to Bangalore.

[yflyer]

My next destination was Mumbai. Arriving there after a 90 minute flight from Bangalore on a Jet Airways 737, I was awestruck by the beautiful new Mumbai airport international terminal. More on that when I get to my BOM-SIN flight on Air India.

In Mumbai, I stayed at the Westin Mumbai Garden City, located along the main N-S road artery, the Western Express Highway, which is either a 20 minute or a one hour plus drive from the airport, depending on the traffic.

This is a modern, high-rise hotel.

The main entrance and check-in area...



I checked in close to midnight...and was very happy to be upgraded to one of their suites...

This was more an apartment than a hotel room...



Comfortable lounge area...





Large bedroom, done in warm beige and light brown tones...



Spacious bathroom with walk-in wardrobe...the bathroom alone was larger than some hotel rooms that I stayed in recently...





Separate shower stall...



And a very inviting looking standalone bathtub...



This was the view of the Western Express Highway from my suite...a constant flow of traffic day and night..



A beautiful suite.

[yflyer]

I spent a couple of days in Mumbai for work. Any sightseeing was strictly out of a car window.



The Bandra-Worli Sealink Bridge, under construction when I first visited Mumbai, had been open since 2009. This trip was the first time I actually used the bridge.





This significantly cuts travel time between Bandra and Worli as well as Nariman Point.

On one of my drives, I passed Antillia, the skyscraper residential complex and home of business tycoon Mukesh Ambani...a very impressive looking building.



We also drove along Marine Drive, a scenic coastal drive, and pedestrian walkway along the beach front of Back Bay, overlooking the Arabian Sea.



I did not have an opportunity to go for a run in Mumbai, but if I did, this would be a great candidate for a route...



After our meetings in Mumbai, my colleague and I decided to have lunch at the Intercontinental Mumbai, a small hotel along Marine Drive.

We headed to Long & Short, a gastrobar in the hotel.



This restaurant has a balcony with great views of Marine Drive and the Arabian Sea...





Some of the mains on offer...



I sampled the Mumbai chicken sizzler...quite delicious...



It was too early in the day for a drink, but this was a place I would want to return to in the evening for a drink and maybe dinner on the balcony...

[yflyer]

At the end of the week, I headed to the new international terminal of Mumbai airport for my flight home on Air India.

This is a large, and very beautiful terminal -- there is no other way to describe it.

First opened in 2014, this is probably the most impressive airport terminal in India right now, and compares favourably with major airports in almost every other city I have been to.



The departure area. Like all other Indian airports, you need to show your travel documents and printout of your ticket or itinerary before they will let you into the check-in area.



A very spacious check-in area. The design is very distinctive, looking both modern and yet at the same time recalling the intricate traditional Indian and South Asian architecture styles.



Post security and immigration/customs checks, the airside areas were chock full of shops and amenities...





Departure gates were well appointed, and very comfortable...

[yflyer]

In Mumbai airport, Air India uses the GVK Lounge (It seems that Mumbai airport has several contract lounges who provide lounge services to different airlines.)

This is a very impressive lounge -- much better than previous lounges that I have visited in India.

Entrance to the GVK lounge, which I was able to use as a Star Gold member flying on Air India.



One of several seating areas...



Very pleasant lounge ambience...



The lounge was busy in the evening, but not completely full. It felt lively but not overcrowded.



Two bar counters, offering complimentary wine and liquor...



The 2nd bar at the other end of the lounge had a sports bar theme...



Separate dining area with a large buffet selection...





Fresh fruit...



A selection of juices, as well as sweet lassi...



Cold selections and salads...



Hot soup...