World-Class Airline. Review on Jet Airways

I've had the opportunity to fly a number of different airlines during the past year, Lufthansa, British Airways, American, Delta, etc. Of all the experiences I've had, British Air seems to provide the highest quality for the money, but right up there with the best of them is Jet Airways.

I flew Jet from Mumbai to Kochi last year in economy class, and also flew from Mumbai to Bagdogra through Kolkata in first class a couple of months ago. The Kochi flight was $300 for foreigners (a bit less for Indian residents in rupees), and the Bagdogra flight was $1000. I didn't know exactly what to expect--I had heard horror stories about Indian Airlines, so decided that I'd rather avoid them, and chose Jet instead.

The first thing I noticed on the first trip was that Jet Airways' boarding gates seemed a little nicer than Mumbai's domestic airport as a whole, and the information desk was very polite and helpful, sending me exactly where I needed to be in the last-minute flurry to the gate. The bus from the terminal to the plane was sleek (though crowded, but what else is new?).

Once on board, I noticed how new and nice the appointments were inside the aircraft--a far cry from the decrepit, frayed atmosphere on an American Airlines flight I had taken a couple of months before. The seats were just a tiny bit narrow, but not uncomfortably so. The flight attendants were very professional and friendly.

The biggest surprise was the food. Airline food has gained a well-deserved reputation for being something that tastes microwaved and bland, but not so on Jet--a choice of veg and non-veg options (I chose the veg), and the full meal consisted of samosas, dal, curry, nan, and some other appetiser that I've forgotten--all very tasty and easily as good as the supposedly five-star food I'd been getting in my hotel in Mumbai. Disembarkation was swift, and the airport in Kochi was sleek and modern--a far cry from the ancient factory-warehouse with the molding marble that is Mumbai (but I'll say more about airports elsewhere).

The flight to Bagdogra was equally smooth--everything was on time, and the change at Kolkata was effortless. First class is, of course, nicer than economy, but perhaps not enough so to justify the 40% higher tariff. The food was similar to that which I had gotten in economy, just served on nicer china. And the leather seats were, of course, wider, but again, the economy wasn't so bad, so all in all, I would probably choose to fly economy in the future. The first-class lounge in Kolkata (shared by all of the airlines) was bleak and somewhat dirty, so that wasn't any real selling point, and Kolkata airport is surprisingly small and poorly laid-out for such a large metropolis.

All in all, the experience on Jet was easily as good as any I've had on any airline in the world. I haven't flown Indian Airlines, and have no intention of ever doing so, but from what I've heard from others, it is deplorable: it's probably high time that Indian takes some lessons from the private airlines that it is competing against, especially Jet, and clean up its act.