075-076-077-078-079-080

075-076-077-078-079-080

075-076-077-078-079-080

075-076-077-078-079-080

075-076-077-078-079-080

075-076-077-078-079-080
Photo taken by: Wayne Kwong
Flight: AI 315 from KIX to HKG
Class: Business
Purpose of trip: Leisure
Flight duration: 3h 15m
Aircraft: A310-300 Reg. no. VT-EVE (leased from SQ)
Meal: Lunch
Contents: Vegetarian or Non-vegetarian Indian and a Western choice

[075] * Pre-lunch drinks of water or Mumm’s champagne or anything we wanted. We were the only passengers in this cabin! We were piled with with these assorted Indian snacks and almonds. We got very personal service from the cabin crew.

[076] * Pineapple juice

[077] * Indian non-veg lunch consisting of chicken Korma and pilau rice, plain yoghurt and a papadam and some spicy vegetables. The bun was warm. The meal was very tasty indeed despite the flight being delayed for more than an hour. The prawn in the salad was huge and juicy. The leaves were fresh. The cheesecake was yummy!! The only complaint was that the plain yoghurt was a bit too sweet to go with the rice.

[078] * The Indian vegetarian menu. Another superbly tasty meal. Indian curries seem suitable for reheating!

[079] * Japanese apples and orange. Extremely sweet and juicy. Fantastic! Very healthy and nice way to finish your lunch.

[080] * The tea was superb. Nice strong Indian tea served from a nice characterful Indian silver tea pot!

The presentation of the meals could be better. The pre-meal snacks were ready packed. They had a one tray service. All courses were served at once. These days, for business class, most airlines would do a restaurant-style service. The saving graces were the tastiness of their meals and the cabin staff. The crew was friendly and always smiling. They made us feel at home.
Ratings: Indian veg and non-veg 9/10

072-073-074

072-073-074

072-073-074
Photo taken by: Wayne Kwong
Flight: AI 314 from HKG to KIX
Class: Business
Purpose of trip: Leisure
Flight duration: 3h 15m
Aircraft: A310-300 Reg. no. VT-AIB (leased from SQ)
Meal: Breakfast
Indian breakfast or Western breakfast

[072] * Pre-takeoff drinks of pineapple juice or water

[073] * Indian breakfast consisting of spicy potatoes, a puri (not pictured) and spicy vegetables. It was very tasty. The spiciness was just right. The apricot Danish pastry and the croissant were warm. The yoghurt was standard HK yoghurt. The fruits were juicy and sweet. I had the strong Indian tea afterwards.

[074] * Western breakfast with omelette and mushrooms and potatoes. Not as good as the Indian breakfast. The omelette was not dried out, but a bit bland.

They had a one tray service. All courses were served at once. They did not have a cereal course. The cabin crew were friendly and always smiling. We felt at home on the plane.
Ratings: Indian breakfast 8/10
Western breakfast 5/10
Cabin staff 9/10

070-071

070-071
Photo taken by: SM
Route: Ahmedabad AMD to London Heathrow LHR, May 2004
Flight duration: 8h28m
Aircraft type & class: Boeing 747-400, First Class
Meal type: Cocktails
Drink: Every conceivable form of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage. I picked the Mumm champagne.
Contents of the meal: Who cares? There was champagne! Nuts, chips, the usual stuff...
Comments: The champagne was flowing throughout the flight. By the time we landed at Heathrow, the 7 of us in the First Class cabin had made our way through 5 bottles - and I'm certain that neither the old Gujarati lady in 3A nor the deadheading pilot had any!
Rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10

069
Photo taken by: SM
Route: Ahmedabad AMD to London Heathrow LHR, May 2004
Flight duration: 8h28m
Aircraft type & class: Boeing 747-400, First Class
Meal type: Boarding Drink
Drink: Orange Juice
Comments: The state of Gujarat is under prohibition, so no alcohol can be served until airborne.
Rating 1-10 (worst-best): 8

068
Photo taken by: SM
Route: Mumbai BOM to Ahmedabad AMD, April 2004
Flight duration: 0h34m
Aircraft type & class: Boeing 747-400, Executive Class
Meal type: Boarding Drink
Drink: Fresh Watermelon Juice
Comments: Watermelon juice made a lovely change from the usual orange juice offerings at 7am. The cold towel was a welcome escape from the heat as well.
Rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10

067
Photo taken by: SM
Route: Mumbai BOM to Ahmedabad AMD, April 2004
Flight duration: 0h34m
Aircraft type & class: Boeing 747-400, Executive Class
Meal type: Snack
Contents of the meal: Open sandwiches (Cheese and Pineapple/Potato salad)
Drink: Coffee
Comments: Very disappointing. I expected a hot breakfast since the flight was over 30 minutes.
Rating 1-10 (worst-best): 2

058-059-060-061-062-063-064-065-066

058-059-060-061-062-063-064-065-066

058-059-060-061-062-063-064-065-066

058-059-060-061-062-063-064-065-066

058-059-060-061-062-063-064-065-066

058-059-060-061-062-063-064-065-066

058-059-060-061-062-063-064-065-066

058-059-060-061-062-063-064-065-066

058-059-060-061-062-063-064-065-066
Photo taken by: SM
Route: Ahmedabad AMD to London Heathrow LHR, May 2004
Flight duration: 8h28m
Aircraft type & class: Boeing 747-400, First Class
Meal type: Lunch
[058] * Green salad with watermelon seeds, cottage cheese, yellow/green peppers and Thousand Island dressing, bread roll - also Khandvi, Patra, Dahi Wada (not pictured)
[059] * Malassol Caviar with garnish, smoked salmon, jumbo prawn in lemon, Melba toast
[060] * Cream of Asparagus soup with Crostini - also Lamb Consomme (not pictured)
[061-062] * The main course service cart - featuring Lobster Benedictine, Dill Potatoes, Steamed Vegetables, Chicken Tikka Lababdar, Bhuna Gosht, Bhinda Ni Kadhi, Bharela Ringna Bateta, Sev Tamata, Turia Vatana, Fansi Dokhli, Vatana Nu Pulao, Khichdi, Doodhi Chana Ni Dal, Yoghurt, Roti, Papadum, Keri Nu Chundo, Pickles, Chutney
[063-064] * The dessert cart - featuring Fresh Fruit platter on banana leafs with Watermelon, Melon, Papaya, Mango, Strawberry, Pineapple and Grapes; Orange Gateau; Malai Kulfi with Falooda; Aamrakhand; Selection of Cheeses
[065] * Selection of Indian Mithai sweetmeats
[066] * Saunf Aftermint and Calcutta Paan Mix
Drinks: Champagne, Water, Vodka Shot, Bordeaux, Coffee, Liquers
Comments: I only took one picture of my main course, but the crew made sure my plate was topped off every few minutes with no less than three separate helpings. I was stuffed like a thanksgiving turkey by the end of the meal. Yet another fantastic feast from Air India. Now I truly know how the lavish old Maharajas used to live!
Rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10+ - there is no scale that can go high enough to accurately rate this meal.