Air India has officially announced the launch of Premium Economy Class on select international flights.
India’s second Premium Economy launched!
Air India has officially launched Premium Economy Class, becoming the second Indian airline to do so after Vistara.
The airline states that the Premium Economy passengers will offer a “superior cabin product, world-class inflight services, and added on-ground convenience”.
Premium Economy seats are now on sale for flights starting 15th May 2023. The newest travel class on Air India will be available on flights on the following routes:
- Mumbai to San Francisco
- Mumbai to New York JFK
- Bengaluru-San Francisco
Premium Economy Class is for now only available on certain ex-Delta Boeing B777-200LRs which have been leased by Air India for short-term growth.
Details of Premium Economy Class
Air India’s newly-leased B777-200LRs feature 48 Premium Economy seats. The seats are memory foamed that have 19 inches of width, 38 inches of pitch, and 5 inches of recline with adjustable leg rest and footrest, and winged headrests.
Premium Economy passengers will be able to check-in at dedicated counters and have priority tags affixed to their check-in baggage, and also be amongst the first to be invited to board the aircraft.
Passengers will receive a complimentary, elegant TUMI amenity kit (specially designed for Air India) consisting of a pair of flight socks, an eye mask, MALIN+GOETZ lip moisturizer, and a pen, in addition to carpet slippers. Passengers will also receive noise-cancelling headphones for use during flight to complement the experience of Air India’s In-flight Entertainment (IFE) system.
Passengers will be offered a welcome drink on an elegant silver tray as soon as they board the aircraft in addition to a menu card for the flight. Passengers will be able to choose from a selection of three meal choices for the main course, served on fine chinaware casserole, accompanied by an appetizer and dessert. The drinks menu includes a fine selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
The popularity of Premium Economy has grown among travellers around the world, as people are increasingly opting for upgraded, yet affordable flying experiences. We are delighted to introduce a distinctive Premium Economy experience for our customers on select flights for now, with a plan to extend it to many more routes soon, as we rapidly expand and modernise our fleet. This is another step forward in our sincere, ongoing effort to transform Air India into a modern, global carrier of world-class products and service standards.
said Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India.
Air India has now become India’s first and only airline to have four classes of service: First, Business, Premium Economy and Economy.
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Seems good!
The new Air India Premium Economy Class has been in service for a while now, although not officially. Passengers had to pay a small premium to select those seats. However, passengers will now be able to get the full experience.
I tried to look at fares for Premium Economy Class but the Air India website continuously crashes when I select “Premium Economy” as the class of travel. Perhaps it is a temporary problem as the airline may still be loading inventory but the airline has stated that the seats are now on sale so it’s still not that clear. I will update the article when the seats are bookable again.
Now, coming on to the seats, they are nothing new. The seats are same as those found on Delta, but with Air India branding. The main difference which the “new Air India” would be able to showcase will be the soft product. This will be the first time that the airline is introducing a totally new product in quite some years and it will be interesting to see what the airline comes up with and how it delivers.
Premium Economy is generally a mixed bag of experiences. Some airlines get it right and some does not. So it will remain to be seen how the Premium Economy experience onboard Air India is but one thing is for sure, this will a sort of a “trailer” of the new Air India with a movie coming up in the not-too-distant future! 😉
Meanwhile, Air India recently launched flights between Mumbai and Pune, a highly requested route.
Featured image by Air India
What do you think of Air India officially introducing Premium Economy Class? Let me know in the comments section below.
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