By Arvind Padmanabhan, IANS
New York : As a gleaming new Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft of Air India touched down at 5:45 am at the John F. Kennedy Airport here Friday, India’s flag carrier had launched one more non-stop service to the US from India – this time from national capital New Delhi.
With 141 people on board, including the pilots and the crew, the aircraft named “Andhra Pradesh” landed to a rousing welcome, and the 123 passengers showed little fatigue despite a 15:30 hour non-stop journey.
“This flight, as in the case of the non-stop between Mumbai and New York last August, offers unprecedented comfort and convenience,” said Air India chairman V. Thulasidas, ahead of the launch.
“It will, in a way, redefine air travel,” the chairman said, even as he added that the carrier, which was recently merged with Indian Airlines, would continue with the daily service here via London.
“We will also continue to operate a daily flight on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Paris sector. We will thus have 28 flights per week to serve New York – including twice every day from Mumbai and New Delhi, the two main Indian gateways.”
The Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft has been configured to accommodate 238 passengers – eight in first class, 35 in executive and 195 in economy – with individual viewing monitors for in-flight entertainment in all classes.
“There is no comparison between Air India and the other airlines operating in this route,” said Souravh Sen, co-chairman of Astonfield group, that has interests in diverse areas like renewable energy and airport management.
“Air India is a class apart,” he told IANS, seated inside the first class cabin, which interestingly had a “buddy seat” to facilitate conversations between passengers.
According to the flight captain, Commmander Amitabh Singh, Air India has some 10 options for the flight path between New Delhi and New York.
“We try to use the path that cuts travel time, avoiding headwind and using tailwinds as much as possible,” Singh said, adding that the inaugural flight flew over Russia, Finland and Greenland, among other countries.
Among the various services that pleased Sen was a free limousine ride to bring him to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and a similar drop facility from the airport here.
“Members of Air India’s frequent flyer programme can also look forward to double mileage points on this sector. This is an introductory offer and available till April 30,” said a senior airline official on board the inaugural flight.
In addition to its service from JFK International Airport, Air India offers direct services to India from New Jersey, Chicago and Los Angeles.