Welcome to my 2nd part of my Vistara's tribute!
My ride home: VT-TVA
Introduction
Flying with Vistara had been in my mind for a long time and when the TATA group announced the merger between Air India and Vistara, I knew I had to do something soon and finally in July 2024, I took the chance to fly with this airline on the one-way flight including a stopover from Chennai to Singapore via New Delhi. Flying on Vistara reminds me of Jetblue, IFE screen on the A321neo on all classes, main difference, Vistara offers Premium Economy Class on this aircraft type while Jetblue has 2 different configured A321neo, the first with the high density one-class configuration while the second with a 2-class configured J and Y class cabin. For those who want to try out Vistara's A321neo (You have until 11th November 2024) on the domestic routes, you can check out DEL-BOM, DEL-PNQ, DEL-AMD, DEL-GOA, DEL-BLR and DEL-MAA. The aircraft may also fly on other routes but these are the main ones I can think of right now. From the 11th November onwards, I believe Vistara's aircraft would be fitted with Air India's branding including the crew whom would be wearing the new uniform.
For the flight back to Singapore, I decided to give myself a bonus by flying on the Business Class cabin especially with the flight from New Delhi to Singapore almost 6 hours and a lie-flat seat is what I need on this night flight. Since I had to work the following day, I could catch some sleep inflight and when my aircraft landed early in the morning on that day, I could go home and freshen myself before heading off to work.
What is happening on the 11th November 2024? (At this time of blogging)
Air India and Vistara will be merged into one airline, with Air India branding continue to exist. The TATA group also took the opportunity to introduce a new livery and all the aircraft in Vistara and Air India's old livery will be repainted into the new livery. Vistara's flight code, UK will no longer exist and so will the airline's website which would direct passengers to Air India's website for booking and redemption. For flights on Vistara, you can make booking with the airline until the 10th November so for changes to your flight schedule especially on dates after 10th November, you will rebooked onto Air India's flight which you may have a possibility of flying on the old Air India's aircraft. However, the management has promised the public that they will work on pulling up the standard of Air India to match or better Vistara's service, let's give them a chance to make things right for the national airline. Even after the offical merger happening on this date, there are still a lot of things that both airlines need to intergrate and seamlessly operate as one operator and that would take time.
My itinerary for this leg
I decided to choose seat 1A, the bulkhead row for this flight. Usually I prefer to sit at the last row of the premium class cabin but for this flight, let's experience something different.
Connection at New Delhi Airport
After arrival from my previous flight, I had about 9 hours to spare. I could have gone down to town area but I decided to stay put at the airport, instead take advantage of the lounge access to do some work and grab some rest as well.
This is outside the arrival hall. I decided to check out the landside before heading over to the airside.
As you can see how busy it was at that time.
As much as I understand why only passengers are allowed inside the terminal, I prefer the airport terminal to be accessible to all.
There was a bit of queue waiting for clearance to enter the terminal.
Once inside, there were a lot of travellers waiting around.
The departure hall of Terminal 3 (landside)
Look at the massive number of flights on the screen, it was busy throughout the day. Anyway, at that time, the IT vendor managing some of the airline's operating system was down and this led to long queues at the check-in desks, flight cancellations and other problems the airlines were facing. Fortunately, my flight was not affected.
At this point, I was ready to enter the airside.
Thanks for the memories, Air India!
Off we go (I thought!)
I had about 8 hours to spare and usually for most airports I been to, I was able to enter the airside early but to my surprise at this airport, I was turned away from the immigration officer who told me to come back later as I was only allowed in the airside 3 hours before departure time.
Nevertheless, I went to walk around before resting for a short while.
Elephant symbolises loyalty, power and wisdom to the Indian religions such as Hindu and Buddhist.
This is Vistara's check-in desks.
After one and half hour of loitering around the landside, I decided to give it another try and this time the officer had a good look at my passport for a while and asked me some questions such as what were you doing here and which cities did you visit? Seriously? (In my head - It's time for me to go home and that's it), before finally given me the clearance to leave the country. Thankfully, I had more than enough time to hang around at the lounge. Fortunately security check didn't take long and soon I was on my way to the lounge.
2023 Airport Service Quality? How many of you agree with this award?
You have to pass through the duty-free shops to get to the airside.
The airside is quite spacious, the interior reminds me of Hyderabad Airport.
I have to say being at the airside is better as it is more spacious and less crowded than being at the landside.
The Encalm lounge is located on the 3rd level, above the shops.
There are lot of high end shops in this part of the terminal.
Not a bad terminal to hang out while waiting for one's flight.
Here we are, the Encalm Prive lounge!
For my lounge review, click here.
After a good rest at the lounge, I checked out the gate area before heading over to my assigned gate.
This is how one of DEL's terminal 3 gate area looks like.
The walk from the lounge to my gate took around 15-20 minutes.
Checking my flight status, the gate was changed from 6 to 4C.
Gate 4 is a located at the lower floor that means one thing, our aircraft was parked at a remote parking lot.
This is the lower floor, there were a few other departures taking place around the same time.
Best Airport? Bengaluru Airport (BLR) is better in my opinion.
To be honest, I wasn't expecting our aircraft to be parked at a remote parking stand.
Even though Business Class passengers get priority boarding to the bus, the bus was fully packed with passengers from other cabins.
The ride from the terminal to our aircraft took about 5 minutes.
My ride: VT-TVA
Vistara's Airbus A320/A321neo fleet is powered by CFM Leap-1A engines so the airline is not affected by the A320neo grounding. Some of the airlines are having issue with this aircraft type because of the other engine that powered this model, the Pratt and Whitney PW1100 engines, just in case anyone is wondering.
Probably my last time seeing this aircraft in this livery.
Welcome on board! Vistara's first A321neo!
Another view of this beautiful A321neo-LR, VT-TVA
Photo: Jubilant Chan (Below)
Airbus A321-251NX (Leased from ALC)
Delivered in July 2020
Configuration: C12 W24 Y152
Engines: 2 X CFM Leap-1A32
MSN: 9297
Age: 4+ Years Old (July 2024 update)
Built in Hamburg (XFW)
Flight Route: DEL-SIN
Miles: 2,579
My seat: 1A (Photo: Aerolopa.com)
Date of departure: 19th July 2024
Airline: Vistara
Flight: UK115
Route: DEL-SIN
Aircraft: Airbus A321neo-LR
Registration: VT-TVA
Seat: 1A
Departure Terminal: 3
Gate: 4C
Load: 40% in J Class
Flight Time: 5 hours 20 mins
Actual Flight Time: 5 hours 37 mins
Schedule Departure: 2345
Boarding: 2300
Pushed Back: 2347
Take Off: 0002
Schedule Arrival: 0815
Actual Arrival: 0806
Departure Runway: 11L
Departure Weather: Cloudy
Arrival Runway: 20R
Arrival Weather: Cloudy
My Flight Experience
The bus ride was uncomfortable due to the full load, but luckily it was a short one. When we reached our aircraft, we were the first batch to board so that gave me a chance to explore the cabin. Unlike the A320neo, this aircraft is configured with IFE screen entertainment for every seat and lie-flat bed for the business class cabin and this product is familar to me as I had experienced it before with Copa Airlines and that flight was also a long flight for a narrow-body, about 23 minutes longer than this flight (5 hours 37 mins). Anyway, once I settled down, the cabin crew came to distribute the menu and also an amenity kit. Personally I prefer to receive amenity kit and if I don't want or need it, I could just return to the crew, just my personal opinion.
Once all the passengers settled down and the crew completed the pre-departure checklists, we were on our way. Flight time was announced to be 5 hours 20 minutes with a few bumps along the way. After take off, once we reached our assigned flight level, the cabin crew went to prepare the meal service so the faster they finish, the longer we can rest. As I was feeling still feeling full, I opted for the vegetarian option and for my beverage, Mojito (White rum, lemon and mint combination) to wash down the delicious Indian meal.
After the meal, I decided to rest. The seat wasn't the most comfortable and I struggled to find the best position for myself, mainly because I am a side sleeper, I don't really sleep well in lie-back position unless I am very tired. Fortunately I managed to grab a few hours of sleep. After waking up, I was offered a beverage and I chose the starbucks coffee. I was surprised there wasn't a light snack or something as I was feeling hungry. But it doesn't matter as by the time I was up, the flight time was less than hour to go.
For the flight itself, after take off at Delhi, we encountered quite a bit of turbulence and also more turbulence happened during the crossing through the Bay of Bengal. At least when we started our descent, the weather was much better, descending and landing in smooth condition. For the flight service, the crew were reserved but pleasant and their job was made easier with a light load in business class, only 4 passengers in fact. I am not sure about the load in both Economy and Premium Economy Classes.
Anyway, we landed at runway 20R and that means one thing, a good view of the traffic along the expressway as our aircraft taxied across the bridge (south cross) to get to Terminal 2. I was surprised that our aircraft parked at a remote parking lot. With that, my flying adventure in India came to an end and this also marked my first and last flight with Vistara.
Economy class
I didn't manage to visit the economy and premium economy class cabins during the flight so here are some of the photos credited to the respective owners.
For the photo below, you can check out VT's Aviation trip report on Vistara A321neo economy over here.
About the Economy Class product
There are 152 Collins Meridian slimline seats arranged in a 3-3 configuration with a seat pitch of 28 inches, seat width of 17.5 inches and the seats can recline up to 3 inches. Each seat comes with an adjustable headrest, 10-inch HD touchscreen display and USB-A socket while each row of seats comes with 2 3-pin AC socket that have to be shared.
(Photo: VT Aviation)
(Photo: Vistara)
Premium Economy
About the premium economy class product
In this section, there are 24 Collins Meridian slimseats arranged in a 3-3 configuration which means there are only 4 rows in this section. The seats may have the same seat width as the economy class of 17.5 inches, they offer better legroom space of 33 inches and can recline further at 4.5 inches. These seats also come with an adjustable head rest, 10-inch HD touchscreen display, USB-A socket and 3-pin AC socket.
(Photo: Vistara)
Business Class (My Focus for this trip report)
This was my second experience on this product with my first with Copa Airlines 737 MAX 9 and straight away I can feel the difference with the legroom space being slightly wider and that is because of the A320 family having a wider cabin than the 737 family. You can check out my Copa Airlines 737 MAX 9 trip report over here.
About the business class product
There are 12 Collins Aerospace Diamond Leather Upholstered seats arranged in a 2-2 configuration. These 3 rows of seats are able to convert into a 84-inch lie-flat bed and have a better seat width of 20 inches compare to the other classes. Each seat comes with an adjustable headrest, in-arm storage pocket, 16-inch HD touchscreen display, 3-pin AC and USB-A sockets.
This is my seat, 1A. Fortunately, the seat besides mine remained vacant.
For the other side of row 1, only the window seat was occupied.
Notice how blurry the photo is? That is because a mist of cold air was blowing from the top to allow the passengers to feel cooler while entering the cabin. This is due to convection. (Hot air rises, cold air sinks)
The 2-2 business class seats is a definite welcome to all narrow-body aircraft especially for a 5-hour flight like mine, the lie-flat bed function is certainly welcoming.
My seat: 1A, two windows for myself.
The bulkhead row
It was nice to be one of the first to board.
I like how private this seat is. If you are sitting at the other side or row 1, you might be able to see the cabin crew at their seats during take-off and landing.
The aisle seat is quite close to the aisle so if you rest your arm at the aisle side, you might get accidentally bumped into, so window seat is my preference.
A privacy divider (non-movable) is located between both seats.
The last row of the business class cabin.
The cabin view of the business class cabin
One more look of these seats.
These photos were taken after my short nap. At this point, we were not far away from our destination.
The view of row 1 seats. For those wondering, I opened the window briefly before closing it.
More photos of the business class product
Tray storage and the remote control
Vistara's boarding pass for business class is certainly beautiful.
Legroom space was not an issue for me, I was able to stretch my legs fully. (I am 6 foot 4, 192 cm)
Controller to adjust the seat.
The IFE system was adequate for this flight duration.
The 6-way adjustable headrest
Seat pocket - Magazine and Safety Card are stored
USB and AC power sockets are located over here (below) along with the socket for the headphone.
Reading lamplight is also available just besides seat.
The privacy divider
Each J class passenger gets a blanket and pillow.
In this corner, you can store your phone or any small items during the flight.
The remote controller
Remote controller and the IFE screen.
Foldable tray (half extended)
Foldable Tray (Fully extended)
Mood lighting was used during the flight.
We just took off from Delhi.
The reading light
Sleeping time!
After the meal was served, it was time to get ready to sleep. Before that, the crew came around and told us to close the window shades and that makes sense as we didn't want the bright light from outside to disrupt our rest.
Goodnight World!
Vistara's logo on the blanket.
Waiting for my meal! As I ate a lot at the lounge, I chose the lighter meal option.
Rise and Shine!
I slept about 2 hours but I did wake up a few times due to turbulence.
The legrest area on this ottoman.
The conventional window shade. So far none of the Airbus A320 operators have installed the electronic dimmed windows on this aircraft model.
Vistara's In-Flight Entertainment System - Not a lot of content in it especially for the selection of western movies. However, I find the system to be easy to navigate and what's most important thing for me? The moving map which was user-friendly.
What's provided for each passenger?
Safety Card
Disposal Bag
In-Flight Magazine
Pillow
Blanket
A bottle of water
A choice of pre-departure drink was offered, I chose the orange juice.
What's for supper? (Since the departure time was close to midnight)
Choices of beverages and dessert
Alcohol beverages were also offered.
Wine - it seems that I have an allergy of wine. The last time I drank a can of wine (Virgin Atlantic A350 flight), my body didn't react well after drinking it and since then I stopped taking wine.
This is Vistara's amenity kit soon to be a collector's item.
Inside the amenity kit consists of a pair of socks, lip balm and body lotion.
A pair of headsets is distributed to every J class passengers.
The quality was not bad and more importantly, it blocks out the cabin noise.
In-Flight Meal
A bowl of peanuts
I chose the Mojito for my inflight beverage.
This is my vegetarian meal - Anjeer Kofta
This meal consists of fig dumplings simmered in saffron gracy, comes with jeera pulao, subz miloni and Jaipuri Dai. It was great.
The crew came with a selection of bread and I picked this one (below).
For dessert, I chose the Apple Badam Kheer (Indian option)
This dessert contains of luscious rice pudding infused with apples and crunchy almond. It was not bad!
After waking up from my nap, I requested for a cup of Starbucks coffee.
In-Flight Entertainment System
At this point, the Indian airlines were not given the green light to allow the passengers to access inflight wifi so this was our only source of entertainment.
The interface was easy to navigate and I managed to find a movie to watch for the last 2 hours of the flight.
This is the safety video, probably my last time watching this.
I like how the airline did this video, it was interesting to see the different places of interest in India.
This is the in-flight map
It was easy to navigate and the information of my flight was clear.
The airline did turn on the airline's wifi but we could only access the details of our flight's information and nothing else.
This was my choice of movie, I can't remember what I watched.
Once we were close to Singapore, I changed the channel to the moving map.
At this point, we started our descent.
At this point, we landed in Singapore, our flight took longer than expected but we still manage to arrive on time.
Lavatory Check
This is the lavatory located at the front of the cabin.
The condition was clean.
Window view photos (Take Off to Landing)
We waited for clearance to push back.
It was time for takeoff!
Goodbye India, thanks for the hospitality!
At this time, the light started brightening up.
We were flying in good weather at this point.
It's always nice to see the sunrise from thousands of feet above the ground level.
However, we encountered some gloomy clouds during our descent.
Beautiful view, isn't it?
Once we were cleared of the dark clouds, the weather was better.
About 10 more minutes to go before arrival.
Vistara's logo on the A321neo's winglet.
We made a few turns as our aircraft was placed on a holding pattern due to heavy traffic at the airport and this was the reason why our flight took longer than expected.
Once we were released from our holding pattern, we were given instructions to prepare for arrival.
At this point, we were on final approach as landing gears were deployed and flaps were set.
On final approach onto runway 20R.
Landing smoothly onto the runway and we passed by the cargo terminal with the 747 Freighters in sight.
Reverse thrusts were deployed and our aircraft slowed down to taxi speed.
Welcome to Changi Airport!
The home of Singapore Airlines!
Our taxi to the remote parking lot took about 15 minutes.
This is the south cross. I always enjoy watching aircraft crossing the bridge.
Within minutes, we reached our parking lot.
Passing by this Scoot's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
This Air India's A320neo's tail design features Mahatma Candhi. The aircraft was being prepared for departure.
We were assigned a parking lot between Scoot 787 and Air India A320.
Scoot's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
One last look of Vistara's A321neo.
Thanks for the ride, VT-TVA!
My Flight Summary
I cannot remember when was the last time I landed in Terminal 2 and the aircraft parked at the remote parking lot, that was with Firefly when the airline operated to Changi Airport many years ago.
The ride from our aircraft to the arrival hall entrance took about 10 minutes.
From arrival to the land side, it took less than 10 minutes including the waiting time to pick up the luggage.
The arrival hall of Terminal 2
That's all for my flying adventure with Vistara, hope you enjoy this trip report as much as I do.
My ratings
Airline's website/Mobile app: 3/5
Airport Experience (DEL): 3/5
In-Flight Service: 3.5/5
Seat Comfort: 4/5
Cabin Interior: 5/5
In-Flight Entertainment: 3.5/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
In-Flight Meal: 4/5
Punctuality: 5/5
In-Flight Experience: 5/5
Overall Rating: 41/50
Percentage: 82%
Conclusion
My trip to India was a success and despite a few hiccups along the way, I manage to get to my destination and thankfully I managed to sort out some flight issues to prevent any further complication to my itinerary. I am just glad to have flown with this airline and what do I think about this airline?
Well, I enjoyed both flights with Vistara and glad to have done the domestic configured aircraft to experience myself how is it like compared to the international configured aircraft, both business class products are different and of course I prefer the lie-flat bed option which the A321neo aircraft is utilised on regional routes and on some high demand domestic routes, in which the aircraft could also reposition to operate international flights from the other airport. (For example: DEL-SIN-DEL-BOM-CMB-BOM-DEL-PNQ-SIN-PNQ-DEL). The in-flight service and meals are top notch and I can't compare with Air India as I had not flown with the airline on the domestic route but I hope Air India can take a leaf or two from Vistara in improving not just the soft product, also the hard product which would help the airline to regain its reputation of being one of the top airlines in the world.
Vistara would be sorely missed as the colours of the airline would disappear soon and this trip report would not only be a memory for me, it would also remind everyone else what this airline was like and the loss of a good airline in the Indian aviation. For now, let's give the TATA group some time to fix the issues that Air India is currently facing and hope after the merger (11th November 2024), things will only in one direction, that is upwards. All the best to the new Air India! (I am warming up to the new livery)
Here is my Flying Adventure Indian trip reports!
SIN-BOM (SQ's A350-900 J Class) trip report, click here
BOM-DEL (AI's A350-900 J Class) trip report, click here
DEL-BOM (6E's A321neo Y Class) trip report, click here
BOM-BLR (QP's 737-8 Y Class) trip report, click here
BLR-HYD (IX's 737-8 Y Class) trip report, click here
HYD-MAA (6E's A321neo Y Class) trip report, click here
MAA-DEL (UK's A320neo J Class) trip report, click here
DEL-SIN (UK's A321neo J Class) trip report, this is the report.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for my upcoming blog posts, more to come. :)
Have a good one!
Charles
