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See the new suite-style seats Air India is launching in the US as it fixes its notoriously awkward business class
By Taylor Rains,Pete Syme,
12 hours ago
The closet in the center section of the plane offers ample storage space.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider
The Tata Group reacquired Air India in 2021 and invested billions to overhaul its fleet.
The airline's new Airbus A350-900 sports a new suite-style business class with sliding doors.
Air India is soon launching the jet in the US to appeal to premium fliers.
Founded by the Tata Group in 1932, Air India was once the gold standard for air travel — so much so that Singapore Airlines modeled its business after it.
But the once prestigious airline faced widespread criticism after it was nationalized in 1953. Customers complained about unkept planes and an awkward business class.
Air India welcomed its first new plane, an Airbus A350-900 , in January. One of the most exciting upgrades in the new plane is its suite-style business class, which Business Insider toured at the Farnborough Airshow in July.
The A350 was initially launched on shorter flights to familiarize crews, but the new and improved premium option will begin flying to the US in November.
Air India hopes to shake up the market and better compete with fan favorites like Qatar Airways and Emirates — and it has finally created something its highest-paying customers can look forward to.
Air India displayed the new A350 at the Farnborough Airshow in July. Air India has adopted the gold "Vista" as part of its branding.
Pete Syme/Business Insider
Air India first unveiled its A350 at the Wings Airshow in Hyderabad in January before bringing it to Farnborough. The airline unveiled new routes for its A350 at the airshow, starting with flights from Delhi to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on November 1.
Flights to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey start on January 2. The routes, which last about 15 hours and span about 7,300 miles, are currently served by the airline's legacy Boeing 777.
CEO Campbell Wildon told reporters at the airshow that the airline aims to build an "aviation hub" in India. He said the hub's geographically central location, like Qatar's in Doha and Emirates' in Dubai, could offer more efficient connections covering most corners of the globe.
The star of the show is business class. Air India's new business class includes 28 pod-like suites.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider
The cabins were designed by Russian carrier Aeroflot, not Air India.
The new suite-style cabin is leagues above Air India's legacy product. Air India's Beoing 777 legacy business class has no doors or direct aisle access.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider
Air India's legacy business class is awkward. Its 2 × 3 × 2 layout means some passengers will still be stuck in a middle seat despite investing in a "premium offering."
British Airways, Turkish Airlines , and Korean Air also have unveiled similar privacy-focused cabins.
There is no shortage of storage space. The open closet on Air India's A350 business class has ample storage.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider
The new suite features a closet, a cubby, and tabletop storage space. The closets can fit full-sized coats, suits, or dresses.
This is a nice change from Air India's legacy planes, which only provide a few small storage nooks.
Taller travelers can fit in the lie-flat beds. A lie-flat bed on board an Air India A350.
Pete Syme/Business Insider
Each seat has a roomy footwell and adjusts into a lie-flat bed that stretches 6 feet 7 inches long — meaning most travelers can comfortably fit.
The old business class bed was not completely flat. It had a slight slope, which made it less comfortable.
The seatback screen is a big improvement. The seatback screen came with a touchscreen remote.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider
Air India's old business class screen is dim and far from the seat, but luckily, it comes with a button-operated remote.
The new A350, by comparison, has a high-definition 21-inch flatscreen television. Customers get noise-canceling headphones, a touchscreen remote, and access to plenty of entertainment options, from Hollywood and Bollywood to music and games.
The linens and tableware are impressive. The purple two-piece item in the top right photo is the creative "vista"-shaped cheese platter.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider
It's easy to see the improvements in Air India's soft product. Things like linens and food can make or break a business-class experience — and Air India's is particularly elegant.
The A350 featured a cheese platter resembling Air India's "Vista" logo, a two-in-one pillow and mattress cover, and new china designed with the airline's iconic Maharaja mascot.
The items featured purples and golds — likely a nod to Air India's merger with Vistara.
Passengers will get Tumi sleepwear. Passengers get Tumi sleepwear and an amenity kit.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider
The Tumi pajamas and slippers have been available on Air India's long-haul flights as part of its soft product enhancements, so its no surprise they will also provided on its A350 planes.
Amenity kits stocked with an eyemask and dental kit complement the sleepwear.
There's a mini-bar. The mini-bar was not stocked during the media tour.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider
Business class passengers can access a mini-bar stocked with snacks and alcohol, such as Johnnie Walker Black Label and Grey Goose.
The new suite otherwise comes with the regular business class basics. Air India's new business class seat has ample power ports.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider
Air India's A350 has more power ports than its legacy predecessor and its adjustable tray table can be stored out of the way of the bed.
BI found the power outlets on the legacy business class to be broken during a January flight.
The A350 hosts one of several cabin configurations available on Air India. Air India technically has sliding doors in business class because it flies ex-Delta 777s equipped with the feature.
Delta Air Lines
Beyond its new A350s, Air India has adopted other strategies for upgrading its fleet.
In the meantime, the carrier has also acquired planes from carriers including Delta Air Lines and Etihad Airways, which feature those airlines' nicer cabins.
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