NEVER use Air India- I have used them once & I would never recommend them. In 1997 I was told I could not board the flight to Mumbai as I had a child ticket the error was of the airline ticketing office as they quite happily took the fare for an adult but incorrectly crossed the child box. After several minutes of discussion with the counter staff at Heathrow I was told the flight was full and I was offered a flight via delhi to mumbai- as such I missed my connecting flight - but did I get a simple apology- NO!
Only yesterday Dec 2005 my mother was at heathrow to travel to Ahmedabad a direct flight she paid £560.00 for the flight dispite my advice to travel with a different carrier-she chose Air India. At the airport she was told she would not be able to go to Ahmedabad as there was technical fault with the plane All passengers were flown to Mumbai on Virgin, Jet and other flights departing for Mumbai. She had to stay in a Hotel in Mumbai until 11.00pm to get a connecting flight to Ahmedabad - all this and did she get an apology- NO! The airline is a disgrace to all things Indian
Air India tend to favour those traveling from America to India more than those travelling from London. They are by no means cheap and fully take advantage of the fact they are the only carrier that flies direct from London to certain destinations in India. They have a poor service, old planes, safety issues and above all they have no customer care skills, once you have handed your money over to them you are at their mercy. Dont make the same mistake as I did flying with them, you pay for one flight and end up on another, in my mums case with a different carrier to a different destination! Times may change but it doesnt look like the quality of Air India flights or service has moved forward in 8 years