019-020
Photo taken by: NVU
Route: Dubai (DXB) to Delhi (DEL), 19 Oct 2003
Ticket price: US$555 (r/t)
Flight duration: 3hrs10mins
Aircraft type & class: A310-304 VT-EJH "Tista", Business class
Business or leisure trip: Leisure
Meal type: Supper
Contents: Hot bread roll and Lurpak soft butter, mixed salad (no dressing). Entree was chicken biryani topped with a cashew, green chilli and fried onions, accompanied with yellow daal. For dessert there was an Indian milky sweet dish, yoghurt, and a mini toblerone.
Drink: Heineken, water.
Comments: What happened to the rose?? No menus again. This is a midnight flight, and an ideal quick supper to allow you to catch a couple of hours sleep. I find it strange that there was no papad or even a salad dressing. A crew member kept filling my glass with heineken beer and insisted that he'd chillied more. The biryani was hot and the chicken in it well cooked and mainated. Tasted fresh. Can't comment further because there was not much more to eat. Didn't try the dessert. I am glad that Air-India has started food, meal, catering again from Dubai, because in their bad days, i.e. till last year, they uploaded to the Gulf the food from India and served it on the return flight. It tasted awful and stale.
Rating 1-10 (worst-best): 7

018
Photo taken by: NVU
Route: Dubai (DXB) to Delhi (DEL), 19 Oct 2003
Ticket price: US$555 (r/t)
Flight duration: 3hrs10mins
Aircraft type & class: A310-304 VT-EJH "Tista", Business class
Business or leisure trip: Leisure
Meal type: Drinks service prior to a late supper
Contents: Heineken beer, cocktail savoury buscuits (ala cheeselings), Blue diamond smoked almonds
Comments: Three rounds of drinks before supper. Again a very primitive style of service. This was an original Air-India aircraft with 2x2x2 and it was highly comfortable for this overnight flight.
Rating 1-10 (worst-best): 6

016
Photo taken by: Kumiko Tanaka
Flying from: Tokyo NRT to Bangkok BKK, 17 Sep 2003
Aircraft type & class: economy
Meal type: Lunch - Vegetarian: Curry, Rice Pilaf, Spiced Vegetables, Apricot Bavarois.
Comments: Not good. I said "Fish",but ate "Vegetarian".
Rating 1-10 (worst-best): 1

015 Photo taken by: Noah Gelb Flying from: Paris to Newark, 13 Sep 2003 Ticket price: $415 (round trip fare) Flight duration: 7:55 Aircraft type & class: 747 - coach Meal type: non-vegetarian - Shrimp, potatoes, vegetables, chocolate, bread, water, milk, something else I have no idea Drink: I had a beer Comments: Shrimp was really good. The rest was pretty bad though. Mars bar was a pleasant surprise. Rating 1-10 (worst-best): 7

014 Photo taken by: NVU Flying from: Mumbai (BOM) to Delhi (DEL), 16 September 2003 Ticket price: US$140 Flight duration: 1hr 35mins Aircraft type & class: A310-304 (VT-EJJ "Beas"), Business Class Meal type: Tea refreshments- Fresh papaya and pineapple salad. Bread roll and amul butter. Entree was Chicken Tikka, Vegetable kebabs, deep fried curried breaded prawns. Accompanied with coconut chutney, and yoghurt/mint chutney. Desert was fresh mango mousse. Drink: Coconut water, followed by mineral water, and tea. Comments: Delightful meal. The fruit was really fresh and the papaya was ripe and sweet. Bread roll could have been fresher. The butter was refrigerated and a bit hard, but nonetheless tasted of typical amul butter. Chicken tikka overly heated, therefore got a bit dehydrated and lost a bit of its' flavour in the bargain. The vegetarian kebabs were regular, and were more potato than vegetable based. The prawns were terrific. This preparation has always been an Air-India original, and prepared/catered only from Mumbai. The accompanied chutneys were good too. The mango mousse the best I've had on board. Wasn't too sweet and tasted of real alphonso mangoes. It was sprinkled with chopped pistachios, which gave it an all the more exotic look. I have always been impressed with Air-India's on board service, and they didn't disappoint this time either. One small observation, their designer tea cups have become smaller, and now resemble a slightly oversized espresso cup. Cost cutting?? Rating: 9

013
Photo taken by: GMM
Flying from: Bombay to London, 13 May 2003
Flight duration: 8H 45m
Aircraft type & class: B747-400, Business Class.
Meal type: Lunch - Garlic bread, crackers, cheese spread, Murg Makhani
(Butter chicken), Rice Pulao, Spiced Vegetables, Yoghurt, papad,
Roomali roti, pickle, Dessert: Nougatine charlotte with grande mariner
coulis, chocolate.
Drink: Coconut water.
Comments: The butter chicken was tasty, spiced vegetable and dessert
were unedible, THey forgot to give us 3 chocolate, but the rest got it,
Again Air India is one of the few airlines to serve chocolate bars along
with food..
Rating 1-10 (worst-best): 5

012
Photo taken by: GMM
Flying from: Bombay to London, 13 May 2003
Flight duration: 8H 45m
Aircraft type & class: B747-400, Business Class.
Meal type: Appetizer (pre-lunch) - Roasted Almonds & Lays potato chips (cream and onion).
Drink: Black label (Scotch) & Coke.
Comments: Yummy but not what you except when they mention "Hors d' oeuvre".
Rating 1-10 (worst-best): 5

011
Photo taken by: GMM
Flying from: Bombay to London, 13 May 2003
Flight duration: 8H 45m
Aircraft type & class: B747-400, Business Class.
Meal type: Breakfast - Poached Egg Provencale, Chicken malai kebab, Grilled herbed garlic mushrooms, Tomato stuffed with spinach, mangoes, yogurt, croissant.
Drink: Coconut water.
Comments: Theres nothing more to say, after mentioning the dishes above. Air India is making a standard of its own in on board food, meal, catering. I think it is one of the few airlines serving mangoes and cocounut water on board. With new seats being introduced in business class by end of the year, It would be able to complete what its missing on.
Rating 1-10 (worst-best): 9

008-009-010
Photo taken by: S.Schroeder
Flying from: Tokyo to Bangkok, 15 June 2003

008-009-010
Photo taken by: S.Schroeder
Flying from: Tokyo to Bangkok, 15 June 2003

008-009-010
Photo taken by: S.Schroeder
Flying from: Tokyo to Bangkok, 15 June 2003
Flight duration: 5:45 h
Aircraft type & class: Boeing 747-300C, Economy Class
Meal type: Lunch - Pre-departure drink: Orange juice / Snack: Indian Kingfisher beer, potato snack / Lunch: Chicken Rogini with rice pulao and spiced vegetables, prawn salad, bread, yogurt, apricot bavarois.
Drink: Kingfisher beer
Comments: This meal filled me up completely. Very spicy meal with great aroma. The only week point was the strange salad. Later on that flight, Air India served great sandwiches.
Rating 1-10 (worst-best): 8

007
Photo taken by: S.Schroeder
Flying from: Bangkok to Tokyo, 7 June 2003
Flight duration: 5:45 h
Aircraft type & class: B747-300 Combi
Meal type: Breakfast - Omelet with sausages, mushrooms and potatos, croissant with jam and butter, yogurt, fruits.
Drink: Water, coffee
Comments: Just one meal service on that night flight. The omelet and the sausages were quite ok, but the pressed potatos and mushrooms tasted awful. Cold croissant.
Rating 1-10 (worst-best): 5

006
Photo taken by: NVU
Flying from: Delhi (DEL) to Dubai (DXB), 21 April 2003
Ticket price: Award Ticket
Flight duration: 3h45m
Aircraft type & class: A310-300 (Tista), Business Class
Meal type: Tea
Comments: Had to request this twice, as there was a minimal crew operating on this flight due to the SARS virus. Air-India crew deciding to "pick and choose" the flights they wish to operate.
Rating: 9 for the tea and 10 for the fact that the crew member was apologetic and honest enough to admit the lack of crew strength

005
Photo taken by: NVU
Flying from: Delhi (DEL) to Dubai (DXB), 21 April 2003
Ticket price: Award Ticket
Flight duration: 3h45m
Aircraft type & class: A310-300 (Tista), Business Class
Meal type: Dinner - Dahi (yoghurt) curry, white rice, spiced cabbage, Dahi (yoghurt in a container), mixed Indian salad (Khandvi, Patra, etc.), kheer (sweetened Indian milk desert), papad, roomali roti, bread roll, Vijaya butter, Britannia processed cheese, Britannia Cream Crackers, Cadburys Perk XXL chocolate.
Comments: Extremely poor Vegetarian offering. This was a very low budget meal. Nothing in it was of International Standard.
Rating: 3

004
Photo taken by: NVU
Flying from: Delhi (DEL) to Dubai (DXB), 21 April 2003
Ticket price: Award Ticket
Flight duration: 3h45m
Aircraft type & class: A310-300 (Tista), Business Class
Meal type: Drinks prior to dinner - Blue Diamond smoked Almonds. Lays Sour Cream & Onion crisps, Albert Bichout White Wine
Comments: A good start to what then turned out to be a rather poor meal
Rating: 7

003
Photo taken by: Jak
Flying from: London LHR to Chicago ORD, 30 March 2003
Ticket price: student fare (can't really complain)
Flight duration: 8 hrs
Aircraft type & class: 747-400 - economy class
Meal type: dinner? lunch? the meal was served 4 hours into the flight - leaving no time to sleep! - Indian chicken curry, rice, bred roll, popadum, yogurt, very wierd indian salad with sweet corn and peas, cracker and some unknown paste which probably was the dessert
Drink: water, soft drinks, alcohol - you choose
Comments: "Very filling meal, the main dish was lovely, bread roll was half frozen - only tasted a bit of the salad and dessert and gave up."
Rating 1-10 (worst-best): 8

002
Photo taken by: Jak
Flying from: London LHR to Chicago ORD, 30 March 2003
Ticket price: student fare (can't really complain)
Flight duration: 8 hrs
Aircraft type & class: 747-400 - economy class
Meal type: snack - rock hard bread roll with stale cheese topping and a very soggy muffin with raisins.
Drink: water, coffee or tea
Comments: "After taking a bite, me and my friend looked at each other in a very funny way. Needless to say, that one bite was the only one we took out of this set of refreshment"
Rating 1-10 (worst-best): 2 (the water's drinkable)

001
Photo taken by: S K
Flying from: Jeddah JED to Bombay BOM, 17 October 2002
Aircraft type &class: 744 - F Class
Meal type: Snack - Cold Lobster with Prawn Mayonaise
Drink: Apple Juice
Comments: "Very nice meal"
Rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10