Three aviation reviews expose an uncomfortable gap between Air India’s improving cabins and the reliability passengers expect from a major international airline.

A passenger books an Air India flight to experience its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Shortly before departure, the airline changes the aircraft. His seat reservation becomes a problem, and reaching customer support takes nearly an hour.

Another passenger arrives at Delhi Airport and receives conflicting departure gate information. He walks across the terminal, only to discover that the gate has changed again.

The first reviewer praises Air India’s cabin crew and food. The second criticizes almost everything about the ground experience, but also speaks well of the crew.

I wanted to understand that contradiction.

Tata has spent more than four years rebuilding Air India. New aircraft are entering service, and old cabins are receiving expensive upgrades. Yet passengers continue to report problems with basic operations.

The question is no longer whether Air India is changing. It clearly is.

The question is why those changes have not produced a consistently reliable journey.

Three Flights, Three Different Air India Experiences

The first review comes from Simply Aviation, which examined Air India’s Boeing 787-9 economy service from Frankfurt to Mumbai.

The reviewer had hoped to experience one of the airline’s newly delivered Dreamliners. An aircraft change meant travelling on a former Vistara Boeing 787-9 instead.

The substitution reportedly caused problems with seat reservations. Reaching customer support proved difficult, although the representative who eventually answered resolved the issue.

Once aboard, the experience improved considerably.

The reviewer praised the clean cabin and attentive crew. The Indian meal also received favourable comments, and the overall verdict was positive.

Josh Cahill reported a very different experience on his Delhi to Bangkok flight.

According to Cahill, check-in arrangements were confusing. Air India’s electronic notifications and the airport’s departure displays gave conflicting gate information.

He described another gate change and a departure roughly 90 minutes behind schedule.

The precise reason for that delay has not been independently established.

Cahill criticized the older Airbus A320neo cabin and the catering, but he also acknowledged the professionalism of the crew.

His July 2025 review offers a third perspective.

He flew from Dubai to Delhi and then onward to Colombo shortly after the fatal Air India Flight AI171 crash at Ahmedabad. The disaster had changed the atmosphere in which passengers and airline employees were travelling.

Cahill described feeling unusually anxious during takeoff. He also found the crew subdued.

He wondered whether the loss of colleagues had affected them. That was his interpretation, not a confirmed explanation for their behaviour.

The three journeys produced strikingly different impressions of the same airline.

They cannot tell us how Air India performs across thousands of flights. They can help us identify where its passenger experience deserves closer examination.

Air India’s New Aircraft Are a Genuine Improvement

Air India has made substantial investments since Tata Group acquired the airline in January 2022.

The carrier introduced a new identity in August 2023. It subsequently merged with Vistara in November 2024 and began bringing new aircraft and upgraded cabins into service.

Passengers can now find newer seats and better entertainment systems on some aircraft.

In January 2026, Air India unveiled its first purpose-built Boeing 787-9, registered VT-AWA. The aircraft entered commercial service between Mumbai and Frankfurt on February 1.

Its cabin was designed specifically for the airline.

Air India’s official announcement describes the seating and entertainment systems that are intended to become standard across its Boeing 787 fleet.

The refurbishment programme has also begun delivering results.

On April 19, 2026, Air India unveiled its first extensively refurbished Boeing 787-8. The aircraft received new cabin interiors and entertainment equipment, along with upgraded lavatories.

The work is substantial, but not every aircraft has received it.

Air India still operates a mixed fleet. A ticket showing Boeing 787 or Airbus A320neo does not necessarily guarantee the same interior on every flight.

Until more aircraft receive the upgrades, passengers will continue to encounter different cabin products.

A Four-Star Rating Does Not Mean Every Journey Works

Air India received a four-star airline rating from Skytrax in May 2026.

The recognition matters. Skytrax evaluates cabin products and service standards, including parts of the airport experience.

Its published assessment also acknowledges variation across Air India’s aircraft and service standards.

A passenger who enjoys a newly refurbished business-class cabin may leave with an excellent impression.

Someone flying an older aircraft after a difficult check-in may see the airline differently.

Both experiences can be genuine.

Air India also reported that its Net Promoter Score, which measures customers’ willingness to recommend a service, had risen from minus 35 in late 2022 to nearly plus 40 by May 2026.

That is a substantial improvement in the airline’s reported customer feedback. It is not, however, an independent measure of punctuality.

A separate passenger survey presents a less comfortable picture.

Passengers Still Complain About Punctuality and Information

An August 2026 LocalCircles survey offers a closer look at passenger complaints.

Among 18,483 respondents answering its question about problems experienced on Air India flights, 66% identified timeliness. Another 40% reported problems with timely information and transparency.

These were survey responses, not official measurements of delayed flights. Participants could report more than one problem, and the sample should not be treated as representative of every Air India passenger.

Official operational figures offer a useful comparison.

According to DGCA data cited by LocalCircles, Air India Group achieved 85.9% on-time performance across India’s ten busiest airports in June 2026. IndiGo recorded 89.4%.

Air India was operating most of those flights on time. The gap with IndiGo was smaller than the survey responses alone might suggest.

The figures cover a particular group of airports and should not be confused with the airline’s worldwide punctuality.

Still, passengers who experience disruption need accurate information about what happens next.

A delayed flight is inconvenient. Conflicting instructions about where to board can make the experience far worse.

For families travelling with children, repeated walks between distant gates create additional difficulties. Older passengers who need mobility assistance may find the situation especially exhausting.

I have travelled from Karachi to Munich through Istanbul with my wife, who needs wheelchair assistance.

That experience has shaped how I judge airline service.

A comfortable seat matters, but I also want accurate information and a workable airport connection. An airline’s reputation means little when a passenger cannot find the correct boarding gate or obtain the assistance arranged in advance.

Air India’s reported problems raise the same concern.

Why the Cabin Crew Cannot Fix Everything

The two contrasting reviews raise an uncomfortable question about airline management.

Why did the cabin crew receive praise when other parts of the passenger journey went badly?

An airline employee can help a passenger settle into a seat. Cabin crew can answer questions and make a long flight more comfortable.

They cannot always correct errors in a reservation database.

Nor can they control airport gate allocations or resolve every problem caused by an aircraft change.

In the Bangkok review, Cahill reported that frustrated passengers became difficult to manage after confusion at the airport.

The crew then had to deal with problems that began before boarding.

I suspect this distinction explains part of the disagreement between the reviewers.

A courteous flight attendant may improve a passenger’s impression of the airline. But good personal service cannot correct every weakness in booking or ground operations.

Air India’s managers need to improve the systems that support their employees.

Otherwise, cabin crew will continue facing complaints about matters they cannot control.

The Ahmedabad Crash Changed the Question of Trust

On June 12, 2025, Air India Flight AI171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad while operating a Boeing 787-8 flight to London Gatwick.

The accident killed 241 of the 242 people aboard and 19 people on the ground.

It was a devastating event for the victims’ families and the aviation community.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released a preliminary report in July 2025.

Investigators reported that the aircraft’s two engine fuel control switches moved from RUN to CUTOFF shortly after takeoff. Engine power subsequently decreased.

The report did not establish why the switches changed position or who, if anyone, caused the changes.

In its June 12, 2026 update, the bureau said the investigation was continuing. Investigators were examining technical evidence alongside operational and human factors before reaching final conclusions.

As of November 8, 2026, I could not verify a publicly released final investigation report.

The available findings do not justify declaring that a particular mechanical defect, pilot action or deliberate act caused the disaster.

Cahill’s July 2025 review captured the anxiety of flying in the immediate aftermath.

During his Delhi to Colombo flight, the pilots reportedly conducted a go-around before landing safely.

A go-around is an established aviation safety procedure. Pilots may discontinue an approach when conditions are unsuitable for landing.

It is not, by itself, evidence that an aircraft is unsafe.

Cahill’s reaction illustrates how a recent disaster can affect a passenger’s interpretation of a flight.

I understand why some travellers become nervous after a fatal accident. But fear and evidence must remain separate when judging airline safety.

Air India has a responsibility to communicate clearly about safety issues. The investigation authorities have a separate duty to establish what happened through evidence.

Neither task can be replaced by a promotional campaign.

Tata Now Says the Turnaround Could Take a Decade

Air India’s original Vihaan.AI transformation programme was presented as a five-year effort.

By July 2026, Tata Sons chairman N. Chandrasekaran was describing the rebuilding process as a journey of five to ten years.

He acknowledged the difficulties involved in replacing ageing systems and rebuilding the airline’s capabilities. Aircraft supply constraints have added further pressure.

In August 2026, Air India appointed Tewolde Gebremariam, the former head of Ethiopian Airlines, as its new chief executive.

The leadership change places responsibility for the next stage of the transformation under new management.

Air India has already demonstrated that it can introduce better cabins. The harder challenge is delivering dependable service across a much larger operation.

Booking systems need to handle aircraft substitutions correctly.

Airport information must reach passengers quickly when gate assignments change.

Ground staff need clear procedures when flights are disrupted.

Passengers discover operational weaknesses when their bookings change or their flights are delayed.

These problems are less visible than new aircraft seats. They can also be more difficult to correct.

What Should Passengers Check Before Booking Air India?

I would not judge every Air India flight by the three reviews discussed here.

The experiences are too different, and the sample is far too small.

But passengers can take a few precautions before booking.

Check which aircraft and cabin configuration are scheduled for the flight. If a particular seat matters to you, remember that airlines may substitute equipment.

Examine the connecting time, especially if someone travelling with you needs wheelchair assistance.

Monitor airport departure displays along with airline messages. If the information conflicts, ask airport or airline staff to confirm the correct gate.

Keep a record of your reservation and any paid seat selections.

If the airline fails to provide a service, submit a written complaint with the relevant details.

Air India has a formal grievance process, including escalation to a nodal officer and appellate authority. Passengers can also use India’s AirSewa platform.

I recently examined how passengers can document poor airline service when photography is restricted.

For Pakistani travellers comparing international airlines, I have also discussed why ticket price and cabin reputation are only part of choosing between Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines.

The same consideration applies to Air India.

The ticket covers the airport experience too, not just the hours spent inside the aircraft.

Air India’s Reputation Will Be Decided on Ordinary Flights

I would not avoid Air India simply because one reviewer had a bad journey. Nor would I book it because another reviewer enjoyed his Dreamliner flight.

The airline has invested heavily in its aircraft, and some of the results are already visible. Its cabin crew also earned praise in two very different reviews.

But the complaints about ground handling deserve more attention.

A passenger with limited mobility cannot easily walk from one end of a large airport to another because the departure information was wrong. A family that paid to sit together should not have to spend an hour on the telephone after an aircraft change.

Tata says the transformation could take several more years. Passengers understand that replacing an ageing fleet takes time.

They are less likely to understand why an airline’s own messages cannot reliably tell them where to board.