Air India

Air India is India's flag carrier, now back under the Tata group and part-way through a sweeping fleet-wide overhaul. It flies a hub-and-spoke network out of Delhi and Mumbai, with heavy long-haul reach into Europe, North America, the Gulf and Southeast Asia, and a dense domestic and regional map underneath it. As a Star Alliance member it feeds and receives connecting traffic across that network, so a single aircraft type often turns up in more than one cabin fit depending on the route.

That mid-refit state is the thing to keep in mind: the airline is running older inherited cabins alongside freshly refurbished ones and the ex-Vistara aircraft it absorbed, so the seat you get on a given aircraft type can differ a lot between one tail and the next. Checking the published layout for your specific flight is the surest way to know which version you are booking.

The published layouts span the single-aisle Airbus family — the A319, A320, A321, and the newer A320neo and A321neo — through to the widebodies: the Airbus A350-900, the Boeing 777-300ER, and the Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliners.

The narrowbodies carry a genuine two-by-two Business recliner cabin at the front with three-by-three economy behind, and the neo pair add a small Premium Economy section in between. The A350 is the flagship of the new fleet, with a one-two-one Business cabin, a dedicated Premium Economy, and three-three-three economy. The 777-300ER appears in more than one fit, including a three-cabin layout with a small First section up front. The Dreamliners show the refit split most clearly: older two-cabin 787-8s sit alongside refreshed three-cabin 787-8s and 787-9s that add a one-two-one Business cabin and Premium Economy.

At its best — the A350 and the refreshed Dreamliners — Air India is a modern long-haul product: a one-two-one Business cabin with direct aisle access for every seat, a separate Premium Economy with more pitch and recline, and a contemporary economy cabin with seat-back entertainment. The refurbished aircraft feel a generation ahead of the inherited ones.

The older widebody fits are more variable, which is the honest picture of a fleet mid-transition: the seat and finish depend on whether your tail has been through the refit yet. On the narrowbodies, Business is a domestic and short-haul recliner rather than a flat bed, giving you more space, priority boarding and a better meal than economy without being a bed. Economy across the fleet is a straightforward three-by-three (three-three-three on the widebodies), and the neo narrowbodies slot a Premium Economy in between for a little more room on the busier trunk routes.

On the widebodies the Business seats are broadly equal, so the choice is position: seats nearer the front board and clear first, while those toward the rear of the cabin sit further from galley traffic, and solo travellers tend to prefer the more private window-aligned seats in the one-two-one cabins. Premium Economy, where fitted, is the value pick for extra room without the Business fare.

In economy, the bulkhead rows behind a forward cabin give extra room but lose under-seat stowage, and the rows beside the over-wing exits are worth seeking out for legroom. Steer clear of the last rows ahead of the rear galleys and lavatories for noise and traffic. On the narrowbodies, the front two-by-two Business rows are the pick for space on a short hop — and because the same aircraft type can carry different cabin fits, check the published layout before you settle on a seat.