Airliners-India.com

A2A · Member Joined: 19 Aug 2012 Posts: 55 Location: BOM

Folks, I wanted to write a detailed TR about my Vistara Experience, and hence I took some time to write one. Here is the report for your feedback. I covered as many details over the 3 cabins as I could manage

http://livefromalounge.boardingarea.com/2015/01/10/review-uk-890-delhimumbai-vistara-economy/

I await your feedback, please do post interesting comments on the blog as well.

Thanks for reading.
_________________
Check out my Indian aviation rants and raves at www.livefromalounge.com

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

Ajay, thank you for more information about an even most avgeeks in India have been eager to find out about. We saw some pictures from spotters, some inside pictures from Devesh-ji's website with his son taking the inaugural, and sending us some nice pictures, and some assortment of meal pictures, and the service, on the social media (which for once, I followed with some rigour), from excited travellers wanting to find out what it would be about. Here is my usual styled reply, with comments, and questions.
- How costly was the re-booking? I forget the myriad details: did you get a status upgrade based on your other alliances?
- The SG signage at IGIA T3: this has been there for quite a while now at the domestic end. Was SG really scheduled to move from T1-C/D to T3? Is this still on the cards?
- Vistara to have its own lounge: hmm...will this be a sustainable strategy?
- The box meal option is fine for a quick turn-around, but not too nice from an environmental point of view.
- Ice-cream: Hmm...AI has constantly desisted from serving ice-cream, concentrating on Indian desserts, continental non-frozen ones, and fusion ones. Mother Dairy ice creams true, are delicious, and are priced attractively, with respect to the competition.
- The only point you seem to have missed out on, is the lack of IFE. What about power-ports: are they there in J, Y+ or...even in Y?
- The overall experience looks superb! A great start for the airline.

Thanks once again for sharing this review with us, Ajay!
Cheers, Sumantra.

A2A · Member Joined: 19 Aug 2012 Posts: 55 Location: BOM

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

Thank you for the very quick reply, Ajay! And of course, the answer to my irritating inquisitiveness.

avbuff · Member Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 5031

Excellent TR, was curious to know what Vistara on offer.

Here's wishing them all the best!

Nimish · Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 6:55 pm Post subject:

No IFE - not too much of an issue given the shorter flights. No power points in 2015 - odd IMO - even odder if they decide to launch WiFi based IFE in the future.

Thanks for the detailed TR - sounds enticing, but hopefully they manage to maintain the smiles for the days/ years to come!
_________________
We miss you Nalini!

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

himmat01 · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 1392 Location: DEL

Thanks for posting the first TR on UK. I flew UK 228 to Mumbai in the evening. I wanted to fly on the inaugural flight but at the time of booking the fare was around 15K.

My experience on both ground and air was great. I loved the personal attention which was given while serving the meals - Addressing passengers by their names and giving details about the meals before serving.
_________________
Save Maharashtra!

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

HAWK21M · Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 1:49 pm Post subject:

Very Interesting TR...the 1st on the Airline I've read.
_________________
Think of the Brighter side !!!

sri_bom · Member Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 2365 Location: Singapore

Thanks for posting the detailed TR on the inaugural flight. Vistara seems to have got most of the things right except for the now IFE/power ports. It will be interesting to see how receptive the Indian flyer will be for premium economy.

The food presentation even though in a box looked quite attractive and I think it is innovative as well. Hope Vistara continues to maintain the standards and raise the bar for the industry overall.

Sri_Bom

ameya · Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 3:34 pm Post subject:

Thanks Ajay for the TR. Enjoyed the detailed review.

The website does look rudimentary. The signage at Delhi airport, looks like the French flag – 9W Blue, UK white and SG red

The check-in staff was from AI or UK staff is wearing AI style Orange jackets ? and if they are AI, I hope it wont hurt to do a good namaskar when they do check in for AI too !

The only way to board by row number in India is probably what UK has done – have separate rows and if you are found in the wrong row, make them go at the back of the relevant row
_________________
www.networkthoughts.com

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

ameya · Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 6:35 pm Post subject:

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

ameya · Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 8:04 pm Post subject:

jbalonso777 · Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 9:44 pm Post subject:

Amazing TR Ajay, and congratulations on being on the first flight with the 'New Feeling!'

Thanks so much for sharing this with us so promptly. I was following your twitter feed extensively, and was getting anxious when I learnt that a runway change was underway!

Overall looks like a pretty decent experience to me, but the lack of power ports, etc seem a bit strange to me in this day and age. If UK were to refurbish their new A320s to have PTV screens...well, that's a huge cost right there!

Hmm, prawn as a non-veg option on board. I find this interesting. Never have I seen a seafood option (let alone sea food only option!) in the Indian skies. The meal boxes didn't look as bad as I thought, its a good move! But as Sumantra sir said, the environment is kinda messed up then... Rolling Eyes

Lovely crew really nice of them to address all passengers with their names. And lovely to see the Iran Air B747SP! Razz

Simply awesome, and I cannot agree more: a smiling crew = amazing flight, no matter how new the plane is or how good the meal is. Or how extensive the IFE collection is!

I read the second TR too, and well on the second day of operations, that doesn't look good Sad

I also read a tweet somewhere that they ran out of vegetarian options onboard, so either chicken or no meal! Sad

I really hope UK get over these really soon and I wish them all the very best in their endeavors!

Regards
Jish
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777

A2A · Member Joined: 19 Aug 2012 Posts: 55 Location: BOM

AI and UK both have AI-SATS managing ground services for them.
_________________
Check out my Indian aviation rants and raves at www.livefromalounge.com

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

ameya · Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 10:38 am Post subject:

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

stealthpilot · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 2325 Location: BLR, DXB

Lucky man ... inaugural Cool

Thanks for the great TR. On time, friendly, good food = the essentials.
Good luck Vistara, like you said this was the first flight (therefore the level of service was expected) ..... hope they keep it up.

- I don't think the boxes are necessarily environmentally unfriendly. If they recycle it's no big deal.
- We knew about the lack of IFE (also thanks to your previous info Ajay among other sources) and it's not the biggest deal IMO.
- power ports ..... hmmmm would have liked those. I dont necessarily use them but its a nice option to have and couldn't have cost much. I wouldnt expect it on AirAsia but would if I were flying Vistara. Again not a big deal at all but nice to have.
- nice choice of meals in Y. We all love the AI butter chicken and black daal but I would prefer the variety and a changing menu.
- the crew bending down every single time to address the pax .... yup it kills them. Hopefully just an inaugural touch for Y pax.
- greeting by name and explaining the meal choice is really nice, better than veg or non veg.
- Weird to have AI ground staff at check in. Eventually they would need their own staff to have quality control.
_________________
eP007

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

stealthpilot:
Environmental un-friendliness with paper: just check the amount of paper wasted with most of the MNC fast food/quick bites outlets. An unnecessarily huge amount of paper simply goes down the drain (almost literally). Most big corporations would push on the re-cyclability aspect for paper, and shove it down our throats: but look at the ground reality. How much is actually re-cycled? Second, what is the cost of re-cycling? Both to the environment, as well as doing an energy audit on this? Most re-cycling programmes are energy-intensive, and in many places, the actual electricity can be traced back to a fossil fuel-based energy source (look at Delhi's prime power source!). It is far more time-consuming to have the heavier but re-usable metal/china utensils, which with a good wash, pollute our water bodies far less. But this leads to more weight, and more time spent in the entire process.
Plastics were said to be the in-thing in the late 1970s, as we were told that it is perhaps the best re-cyclable material, being light and strong, as well. It would prevent the cutting down of so many trees, and forests! And look at where we are, today.
This is always a sticky issue, to which there are often no clear answers.

Food: While seafood (a slightly cliched term) may sound exciting to a Konkani, a Bong, a Mallu, or a person from India's vast coastal regions, it does not have a large appeal in general. No, not just because of possible allergies: the Halal implications are also to be considered. Air India for instance, certifies the meat-based products as Halal. Chicken is almost always a much safer option, from a health point of view as well, since doctors prescribe red meat to be avoided, in many cases. I admire how Air India sticks to the safe side, while at the same time, having more exotic options which can be pre-ordered on a booking (yes, I have seen this even on a domestic flight, post *A entry). On its longer International flights, I have always seen a `third' regional option always loaded (fish/seafood on the North American and European legs, done in a Continental style), or Japanese and Korean-styled dishes (fish and mutton, respectively) on the NRT and ICN/HKG legs. This is possibly one of Air India's most wonderful legacies from the JRD era, which thankfully they have firmly in place.
And the food is quite `authentic', and great - in general, thanks to the execution, and Air India's recipes.

Cheers, Sumantra.

Spiderguy252 · Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2015 4:01 am Post subject:

Solid report with great pictures. That J class seat looks great, though I still maintain that a cabin with solely Y+ and Y (with the former perhaps being 2-2 or such) will be a winner in the Indian skies.

J, Y+ and Y seems one too many for the typically 1-2hr flights here in India. It's like having a laptop, tablet and smartphone together when you can do with two devices at the most.
_________________
Yeah.