Latest news with #AI111
Forbes
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Air India's A350 In Action: 5 Tech Upgrades That Improve Long-Haul Flying
Air India A350 aircraft Air India Air India's new A350-900 offers upgraded seat comfort and entertainment systems. It is the first new aircraft type to be introduced by an Indian airline in over a decade. As of now, the revamped experience is available on key international routes like London, New York, San Francisco, Frankfurt, and Singapore. The Airbus A350-900 aircrafts introduce new experiences, such as onboard Wi-Fi, improved screens with over 3000 hours of entertainment content, and more. Air India is changing for the better. I recently flew from Delhi to London on AI111, and here are five upgraded tech features you should be aware of before your next long-haul flight from India. Economy cabin class infotainment system Prakhar Khanna The A350-900 offers an upgraded infotainment experience, thanks to bigger and sharper screens (that actually work). You get a 21-inch display in Business Class, a 13.5-inch screen in Premium Economy, and a 12-inch display in Economy. All offer 1080p Full HD resolution for their catalog of over 3000 hours of entertainment content across formats and genres. This includes 1400 hours of movies, 850 hours of TV, and 1000 hours of audio. While the Hollywood collection includes close to 300 movies, BAFTA and Oscar-winning titles, the Indian content ranges from Bollywood to regional cinema with 120 movies in regional languages and a total of over 300 Indian movies spanning decades. The TV collection includes content from HBO, Sony Liv, Hulu, HBO+, and more. Plus, you get access to an extensive library of content from Vogue, GQ, and The New Yorker. For kids, there's an extensive selection of over 100 hours of curated audio and video content across three sections: Pre-School, Kids, and Teens. In my experience, the infotainment system was responsive and provided good colors for an in-flight system. It was more intuitive than before, thanks to the upgraded headsets with noise cancellation, available for Premium Economy and Business Class. I willingly watched movies on this instead of opting to take out my iPad. Air India onboard Wi-Fi Air India This was one of the biggest factors missing from Air India flights. Early last year, I flew from San Francisco to Delhi on a long-haul flight with no internet, which resulted in a day's worth of office hours wasted. It's a different story if you're flying over weekends, but most people don't have the luxury of taking workdays off for a flight. Thankfully, it's changing with the new A350-900 lineup. On my way to and from London, I could connect to the Wi-Fi to stay connected on Slack and file stories in the CMS (Content Management System). It's as fast as in-flight Wi-Fi can be. Apart from the A350, Air India's internet connectivity service is now available on domestic and international flights operated by Boeing 787-9 and select Airbus A321neo aircraft. Integrated AirTag support Air India Air India is claimed to be the first airline in Asia to integrate the Apple AirTag service for its passengers. While you can always add an AirTag to your bag and track it with your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, an integrated service is different because it builds upon the baggage tracking feature offered within the airline through its app and website. You need to file a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) for the baggage at Air India's Baggage Counter at the airport and then generate the 'Share Item Location' in the 'Find My' app on your Apple device. Share the location link with Air India by pasting the AirTag link within Lost and Found Check-in Baggage > Share Item Location. This feature rolled out recently, after my trip, so I wasn't able to test it. That said, it's a great-to-have feature for unfortunate times when a bag is misplaced due to logistical issues. AI111 Business cabin class Prakhar Khanna The A350-900 offers an upgraded cabin humidifier in Business Class for a cozier experience. It's especially essential for Southeast Asia and the Middle East-bound flights, as it helps tackle the dryness and humidity in those areas efficiently. The Air India Business Class cabin features a humidifier that boosts humidity to over 20% (from the usual 5%). As a result, you get a better, hydrated environment that helps reduce fatigue, jet lag, and dehydrated skin. Air India AEYE Vision Prakhar Khanna Air India is using artificial intelligence in its mobile app for a feature called AEYE Vision. The company says that it's built in-house and offers 'AI-based computer vision technology' to provide functionalities like boarding pass scanning, accessing flight details, baggage status, and more. To scan your boarding pass, open the Air India mobile app, go to the My Trips section, and tap on Add Trip > Open AEYE Vision. It will fill in the flight information automatically, and you can then check your flight and baggage status conveniently. Similarly, you can scan your baggage tag, and the app will inform you when the bags are loaded, unloaded, and ready for pickup at baggage claim. AI111 Business cabin class seat Prakhar Khanna The Business Class cabin is also upgraded to offer a more spacious experience, a step up from the 2-4-2 layout. You now get your own private space, with delicious in-flight dining options and a comfortable foldable mattress for when you want to catch up on sleep. All of these revamped features put Air India on the global map with a much-improved and better experience than before.
Khaleej Times
22-03-2025
- Khaleej Times
Air India resumes operations 'as per schedule' at London Heathrow Airport after power outage
Air India on Saturday announced that its flights to and from London Heathrow (LHR) are back on schedule after a brief disruption caused by a power outage at the airport Friday. Sharing the post on X, the airline confirmed that today's flight AI111 departed on time, and all other flights to and from London are expected to operate as scheduled. Our operations to and from London Heathrow (LHR) have recommenced after the disruption at the airport yesterday due to a power outage. Today�s flight AI111 was on schedule and other flights, to and from London, are expected to operate as per schedule. AI161 of� � Air India (@airindia) March 22, 2025 "Our operations to and from London Heathrow (LHR) have recommenced after the disruption at the airport yesterday due to a power outage. Today's flight AI111 was on schedule and other flights, to and from London, are expected to operate as per schedule," the post stated. "AI161 of March 21, which was diverted to Frankfurt, is expected to leave Frankfurt at 2.05pm local time," it added. In another incident on March 5, an Air India flight from Chicago to Delhi was forced to return to its departure airport after multiple lavatories on board became unserviceable, as reported by the crew, due to clogged toilets caused by improper waste disposal. The investigation by the concerned authorities revealed that the lavatories became unserviceable as polythene bags, rags, and clothes were flushed down and got stuck in the plumbing. "We are aware of some social media posts about the unserviceable lavatories on AI126 operating Chicago to Delhi on March 5, 2025 that caused the flight's diversion back to its origin. We would like to confirm that as part of our investigation into the incident, our teams found polythene bags, rags, and clothes that had been flushed down and stuck in the plumbing. This led the lavatories to become unserviceable," Chicago O'Hare International Airport said. The airport authorities said that the flight departed on time at 1648 Hrs (UTC), and about an hour and forty-five minutes into the flight, the crew reported some of the lavatories in Business and Economy Class to be unserviceable. Subsequently, eight of the 12 lavatories in the aircraft became unserviceable, causing discomfort to all on board. By this time, the aircraft was overflying the Atlantic, leaving points in Europe as potential cities to divert to. However, it was decided to divert back to Chicago due to restrictions on night operations at most of the European airports. According to the authorities, the decision to divert was taken entirely in the interest of passenger comfort and safety.
Gulf Today
21-03-2025
- Business
- Gulf Today
Emirates, Etihad cancel flights to Heathrow airport, Air India's London flights disrupted
Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways have cancelled flights to Heathrow and announced diversions in their flight schedule due to the Heathrow closure, according to reports. Emirates said, 'Due to the closure of London Heathrow Airport, the following flights to/from London have been cancelled. • EK001/002 21MAR DXB‑LHR‑DXB • EK029/030 21MAR DXB‑LHR‑DXB • EK031/032 21MAR DXB‑LHR‑DXB • EK008 21MAR LHR‑DXB • EK003/004 21MAR DXB‑LHR‑DXB • EK005/006 21MAR DXB‑LHR‑DXB The Airline said, 'Passengers connecting onto the flights to London Heathrow will not be accepted for travel until further notice at the point of origin. 'We're monitoring the situation closely and will update our customers as the situation develops. 'Customers are also advised to check our website for updates before their travel, and to ensure their contact details are updated by visiting Manage Your Booking to receive the latest notifications. 'Emirates is offering customers affected by the flight cancellations the option to rebook to travel to other UK airports, or to travel on a later date. 'Passengers who have booked through travel agents should contact their agent for rebooking. Customers who have booked directly with Emirates can contact us for assistance. 'We apologise for any inconvenience caused.' According to Indo-Asian News Service, India's largest carrier Air India on Friday said that its operations, to and from London Heathrow (LHR), have been disrupted following the temporary suspension of operations at the airport. Air India said in a statement that London Heathrow-bound AI129 from Mumbai was returning to Mumbai and AI161 from Delhi was diverting to Frankfurt. "All our remaining flights to and from London Heathrow, including AI111 of this morning, have been cancelled for 21 March. We will update about resumption of operations as soon as we have more information," the airline said. It further stated that flights to London Gatwick remain unaffected. Heathrow Airport was due to see over 1,330 scheduled flights today, flying up to 291,000 passengers, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. The airport was scheduled to see 665 departures today, equating to over 145,094 seats. A further 669 flights were due to arrive today, equating to 145,836 seats. British Airways has the largest share of flights from the airport (51%), followed by Virgin Atlantic and Lufthansa.
