A quick domestic hop between two major Indian cities onboard the Maharaja.

While looking at tickets for an upcoming holiday with friends, I had several airlines to choose from for the final leg of the return journey from Delhi to Mumbai. I opted for flag carrier Air India to see if the recent Tata acquisition had started having any significant effects on the overall experience. Even though going for AI meant we had to change terminals at DEL and kill a good few hours at the airport after our inbound flight. Here’s how it went.

After being dropped off at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) in Delhi, we made our way to the check-in desk. But before that, there was a significant line to get into the airport. For those unaware, Indian airports require you to present your flight tickets and identity proof to enter the airport’s concourse. Armed guards at the entrance will check the ticket and verify your identity before allowing you in.

For a flight scheduled to depart at 1900, we made it into the airport a little less than three hours earlier. Once inside the building, we hurried off to the nearest Air India check-in desk in sight at 1610. There was no queue, and we went straight to the nearest agent only to find it was for international flights. Nonetheless, the AI agent behind the counter was more than happy to accommodate us. Baggage drop took around 10 minutes, and none of us were anywhere near the maximum weight limit as Air India allows 25 kg (55 lbs) for the check-in baggage even on domestic flights as opposed to just 15 kg (33 lbs) in low-cost carriers like IndiGo and SpiceJet.

After dropping the bags and pushing the trolleys aside to the designated area, we started walking towards the security check for domestic departures. The queue wasn’t too long, but it didn’t move very quickly either. We were required to empty all electronic devices into a tray and our handbags in another tray, both of which would then pass through the scanner. Sounds pretty straightforward, but one scanner was fed by two adjacent lines, so there was quite a wait to place all our trays onto the roller.

On the other side of the machine, trays would come to us on one of two automated rollers. Trays coming on the outer rollers were cleared by security and free to be grabbed by the passenger, while those on the inner rollers were flagged for security concerns. At the end of the inner roller, security officials would scan that tray’s RFID tag and then scan the code on your boarding pass with a different reader, before directing your attention towards a computer monitor. The screen would have an x-ray image of your bag, and the security officer will point to objects of concern and ask for an explanation.

Thankfully, my bag made it into the outer section, but a couple of my friends weren’t so lucky. As it turned out, the security personnel mistook a couple of randomly scattered fridge magnets meant as souvenirs from the trip to be knives. Once the officials were satisfied, we were allowed to proceed toward the gate. Word to the wise, don’t clutter your hand baggage with several unnecessary items, and if asked, promptly show the officials what they ask for so you can be on your way sooner. Arguing with the official will get you nowhere.

All-in-all it took us just around 40 minutes to get past security after entering the airport. The overall experience was incredibly smooth, but the security check was a little nerve-wracking.

The security check was completed at around 1645. I briefly left from the group for a few minutes to go plane spotting from the terminal windows before returning to grab a quick pre-flight snack. Delhi airport’s Terminal 3 hosts many restaurants and fast-food chains, offering passengers several options to choose from.

At around 1745, we started walking towards the assigned gate. Flight AI 624 was at gate 34B of Terminal 3, which is located near the end on one side. The walk was long, but thankfully, we were before time as boarding was scheduled to start at 1800 (an hour before departure). There were many people waiting at the gate, giving me the impression that it would be a full flight. Boarding started about five minutes later than planned, and we were in our seats by 1820.

The boarding process continued for another half an hour, and towards the end, safety announcements were made stating that the aircraft was being refueled. With all aboard and the plane adequately fuelled for the two-hour flight, flight AI 624 was being pushed back from the gate at 1859, a minute before its scheduled departure time.

As mentioned, we traveled on Air India flight 624 on July 1st. AI 624 is a daily scheduled service from Delhi’s IGI Airport to Mumbai’s CSMIA, operated using an Airbus A320neo aircraft. The flight is scheduled to depart DEL at 1900 for a 2115 arrival in India’s financial capital.

On July 1st, flight number AI 624 was operated using an A320neo registered as VT-CIN, a reasonably new, 4.3-year-old airframe that has been with the Indian flag carrier since new, data from ch-aviation shows. Air India took the brand-new plane on May 2nd, 2018, and has been using it on domestic as well as short-haul international routes like BOM-AUH or MAA-SIN. Like all AI A320neos, VT-CIN features a two-class cabin configuration with a total of 162 seats between regular economy and business class. Of those, 12 seats are in business class, while the remaining 150 are in economy.

After having flown with IndiGo and SpiceJet within a week before my AI flight, one thing that struck me instantly was how Air India does a fine job of including Indian culture in the overall flight experience. When setting foot on the plane, I was greeted with the traditional Indian greeting “Namaste,” instead of the usual and frankly quite dull “hello” or “good evening.” The cultural connection doesn’t stop there; Air India crew refers to passengers as “Atithi,” the Hindi word for guests, another tiny yet impactful gesture.

Much to my expectations, the flight was filled to the brim. We were traveling in economy, and fortunately, I was able to block out the entire row 22 for our group of six a day before the flight while checking in through the website. I was seated in seat 22A with a pleasant view through the portside window.

While waiting for other passengers to board, I kept myself busy with taking some pictures for this review. However, I also noticed how the cabin crew was very helpful when some passengers were having trouble finding space in the overhead storage bins for their carry-on bags.

After pushing back from the gate, VT-CIN fired up its engines and began taxiing at 1906 hours. We were assigned to Runway 11 at DEL for take-off, which happened in the next eight minutes.

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The Recaro seats on VT-CIN were quite comfortable. They provide 28/29 inches of pitch and measure 18” in width. I couldn’t fully use the four-inch recline functionality as the nice lady behind me politely asked me to move forward since she was traveling with a baby.

The legroom and tray table were functional but average. However, one thing that irked me was the absence of a seat-back pocket. This meant I had no place to stow my phone away during the meal. Indeed, there was some space behind the tray table, but it was only good for storing pieces of paper like the safety instructions pamphlet.

Less than 20 minutes after take-off, cabin crew announced the beginning of the meal service, but since the plane was full, it took another 20 minutes for the crew to get to row 22. I had pre-selected the “Vegetarian Hindu Meal” through the AI website a few weeks before the flight. However, having experienced sub-par meals with other Indian airlines in the last few weeks, I wasn’t expecting much from the Maharaja. Hence, the aforementioned pre-flight snack at the airport before boarding.

As it turned out, that snack was a huge mistake as AI’s food was spot-on. The menu included traditional Indian curry and dal (cooked lentil curry) along with some hearty side dishes. For the main course, we had matar paneer, (a North Indian curry made from green peas and paneer (cottage cheese) prepared in a tomato sauce with plenty of spices), Dal Makhani (a lentil curry, also riddled with various spices), and plain rice. This combination was meant to be had with one Aloo Paratha (bread stuffed with a spiced potato filling).

There was a small cup of curd and an even smaller box of mixed veg pickle to go with the meal. For dessert, we had Ras Malai, a sweet dish from Eastern India made from clotted cream flavored with cardamom.

Since it was my usual dinner time, I enjoyed the meal fully. The curries and rice were steaming hot, and so was the bread. But the dessert dish was a personal favourite; it was soft and incredibly juicy, bursting with flavor in every bite.

A little later, the flight attendant also went around pouring coffee for anyone who wanted it, but I settled for a glass of water. One thing I found particularly note worthy was that the cutlery was all-metal, not something you often see in economy.

After covering around 1,200 km (705 miles), flight 624 arrived into BOM at 2100 hours, 15 minutes earlier than scheduled. Descending below approximately 5,000 ft., I could see that it was raining heavily in Bombay, but the flight crew managed to put the plane down without any issues. VT-CIN touched down on runway 27 at BOM.

If you would like to catch a glimpse of some of Air India’s retired Boeing 747s, make sure to grab a window seat on the left side for any flights arriving into BOM. The airport uses runway 27 most of the time, but the alternate runway will not disappoint either.

The flight was extremely smooth, and the entire experience was only improved by the caring and efficient cabin crew that went out of their way to accommodate special requests on a full flight. The journey took an hour & 45 minutes, and we caught some incredible sunset views right after departing DEL. Air India employees were enforcing and themselves following the Indian government’s mask-on-flights policy, and I did not come across any health violations onboard.

This was my first flight with Air India, and it has only left me wanting more.

Have you ever traveled with the Maharaja before? Please share your experience in the comments.

Journalist - An engineer in the making, Devansh has always had a knack for all things aviation. As an avid observer of the Indian aviation scene, he joins the Simple Flying team with nearly two years of experience as a writer.