We’ve seen our share of airline delays due to weather, mechanical delays, and even wacky passengers. However, there aren’t too many delays caused by furry critters. Well, that’s exactly what passengers of an Air India flight had to deal with as they were stuck to wait things out for about 11 hours.

Apparently a flight with over 200 passengers from Amritsar, India was supposed to head out to London over the weekend. Early on Saturday morning passengers spotted a rat on the plane, and then the rest of the day was spent searching for the little stowaway. After all, it definitely didn’t go through security. ]]> kjb 2009-09-29T08:58:58-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/9/52741/69023

When we last took a peek at the first class cabin of an Air India Boeing 777, we were a little concerned about the bright Bollywood-purple lighting in the publicity shots. So we sighed with relief when we saw this "real life" shot of what business class and first class looks like on a recent flight from Delhi to London.

The scary purple-ness is gone, and now what we see is blissful gold bling. Beyond what you can see in this picture, there's even more shiny gold bits with gold trim on the windows and other parts of the seats. This is so Bollywood that we're practically awaiting dancing girls to come down the aisles; we already spot a colorful sari off to the left.

In case you're tempted to mix in with this bling, a one-way business class ticket—they call it Executive—from Delhi to London will set you back just under 72,000 Rupees ($1,500); or you could just rent a good Bollywood DVD for $3.95.

Related Stories:
· Air India's First Class Seats Have That Bollywood Glow [Jaunted]
· First Class Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: vm2827] ]]> amandak 2009-06-09T08:47:08-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/3/3/42731/92225

Is it special lighting they used for this photo shoot or is Air India actually flying UFOs instead of airplanes? Our first impression of the first class cabin of Air India's Boeing 777-200LR was that this soft purpleness would freak us out a bit.

But, we took a deep breath, looked beyond the lilac and actually were pleased with what we saw. Spacious? Check. Comfortable and private? Check, check. Even a nice satiny-looking pillow there to keep us company.

Our only question now: with all that space there, was it really necessary for Air India to ban fat stewardesses?

Related Stories:
· Air China First Class Is Great But Not Fantastic [Jaunted]
· How First Class on Singapore Airlines Spent Christmas [Jaunted]
· Air India Bans Fat Stewardesses [Jaunted]

[Photo: kapil_b] ]]> amandak 2009-03-03T11:17:36-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/30/94313/677

It may not help you get to Vegas to take advantage of awesome hotel deals, but the across-the-board fare cuts in India will make your trip there quite a bit cheaper if you plan of flying from city to city to see all the giant country has to offer.

Air India is slashing domestic fares by as much as 82 percent while competitor Jet Airways announced Monday it would cut ticket prices by 40 percent. Kingfisher Airlines says it too is planning to lower fares in 2009--two days from now--but hasn't yet released specifics.

Indian carriers are facing the same softening demand as airlines in the US, but since fuel bills are also dropping, they can afford the fare cuts--at least for now. Not long ago, we were hearing that the airline meltdown is hitting Asia hardest, so we're waiting to see just how sticky these deals will be.

Related Stories:
· Air India Announces Fare Cut [Economic Times]
· Go To Goa, But Don't Party On The Beach This Xmas [Jaunted]
· Air India Bans Fat Stewardesses [Jaunted]

[Photo: Cubbie_n_Vegas]]]> pbb 2008-12-30T10:00:40-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/6/6/92223/93612

A court has ruled that Air India is within its rights to fire overweight stewardesses. The airline ended up on trial after they instituted strict weight limits for their 1,600 flight attendants. Several of the grounded cabin crew members sued arguing that they're weight doesn't affect their ability to do their jobs, but the court ruled in favor of the airlines.

The BBC summed up the court's position:

Overweight crew present a safety and health hazard ... In the highly competitive airline industry, an air hostess's physical condition and appearance played an important role in her overall personality.

Air India, whose FAs wear traditional saris, has been facing increased competition from newer airlines with staffed with scantily clad flying hotties. According to a Scottish newspaper, one of these flashy carriers, Kingfisher Airlines, "boasts young, mini-skirted hostesses in scarlet stilettos."

Related Stories:
· India Grounds "Fat" Air Hostesses [BBC]
· You're Too Fat to Fly, Court Tells Hostesses [Scotsman]
· Flight Attendants coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of a Kingfisher FA: Tawheed Manzoor]]]> Hunter Walker 2008-06-06T09:45:01-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/