)!!! We’re going to be posting some really cool and interesting trip reports and travel content on our YouTube channel and our socials regularly, so feel free to join us on the journey!! And of course, we’ll be posting regularly here on FlyerTalk!!
Maybe were just curmudgeons but, we get so annoyed when people just upload a YouTube video instead of taking the time to write a good, old-fashioned written trip report; so these two old-fashioned guys are going to do both! Because we know that you all need something to read and scroll while wasting time at work. Having said that, if you want to get a more complete experience, check out our YouTube video detailing the entire flight. And while you’re there, be sure to keep an eye out, because we will be uploading flight report and destination videos weekly!
Now come along fellow old souls and let’s fly through some highlights (did you like my pun?)
My itinerary had me flying United Airlines from Chicago to Newark and Air India from Newark to Delhi to Hyderabad. I was planning to meet with friends and overnight in Hyderabad, before continuing the journey the next morning with Sri Lankan Airlines from Hyderabad to Colombo. I booked three separate tickets (United, Air India and Sri Lankan Airlines), so as you can imagine, I was a little bit on edge hoping that all flights would go without a hitch.
Well, we all know that travel rarely goes without a hitch and 36 hours before departure, I started getting a flurry of texts and emails from Air India progressively delaying the Newark to Delhi flight more and more. With the India-Pakistan military action, Indian carriers were not allowed within Pakistani airspace. This meant that westbound flights had to make a fuel stop in Vienna and eastbound flights took a much longer routing.
FLIGHT 1:
Routing: Chicago (ORD)- Newark (EWR).
Airline: United Airlines (UA).
Aircraft: Boeing 757-200
Tail number: N18119.
1,129th lifetime flight.
Flight time: 1 hour and 35 minutes.
My United flight from Chicago to Newark was hitch-free, which meant that I had endless hours to lounge hop at Newark while waiting for my onward Air India flight. The United flight was a pretty standard domestic affair, but I was lucky enough to get a lie-flat seat on one of the ex-Continental Boeing 757-200’s. I’ve included a few pics below.
While dated, this seat is still a comfortable way to hop domestically!
Selected OJ for my pre-departure beverage.
Bidding a found adieu to what I consider the most beautiful city in the United States, if not the world! Sweet home Chicago.
I took a quick nap after having been up all-night delivering babies but I did awaken to raid the classy, wicker snack basket. You can see all of my luxurious first-class booty. Thanks United!!
After a quick 95 minutes, we landed at Liberty International airport 18 minutes ahead of schedule. Since I was already in terminal C with an international Star Alliance business class boarding pass, I decided to make the Polaris lounge my first lounge of the day. Check out my YOUTUBE video to get a glimpse of the amenities that I took advantage of.
Impression: Can’t complain. The flight was early, I had a flatbed seat, and we landed safely. I do think that US carriers need to step the F&B game up a bit in First Class, even on shorter flights.
After a few hours, I went to terminal B and checked in with Air India.
Air India utilizes the SAS lounge, but I decided to spend the next couple of hours in the Lufthansa Senator lounge, which in my humble opinion, is a definite step above the SAS lounge. Check out my YOUTUBE video to see what it was all about.
I had to get a boarding pass for my Delhi-Hyderabad flight which had be rescheduled four times due to the continuous rescheduling of the Newark-Delhi flight. This meant venturing away from the relative calm of the Senator lounge to ask the seemingly hurried agents to kindly print my new DEL-HYD boarding pass.
My last lounge of the day was the SAS lounge and let’s just say that this was not the cherry on top of an otherwise solid day of lounge hopping. The lounge is spartan but not in a good IKEA way, it was kind of dorm-cafeteria spartan, if that helps you to conjure a visual. Check out my YOUTUBE video and see if you agree.
FLIGHT 2:
Routing: Newark (EWR)-Delhi (DEL), the long way!!
Airline: Air India.
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
Tail number: VT-JRH
1,130th lifetime flight.
Flight time: 16 hours and 4 minutes.
The beautiful chariot carrying me from Newark to Delhi.
These A350’s originally destined for Aeroflot have a simple yet classy interior.
Pre-departure beverages. I opted for apple juice.
Amenities provided included a fitted mattress cover (thank God!!), a pillow, sheet, and blanket. Later pajamas were distributed along with slippers.
Bye bye New-York!!!
Main meal service (dinner). The started was actually quite good.
The main was average at best.
The dessert….nah. Not a fan of the Opera cake. Air India provides a warm cabin service but their F&B game needs a bit of improvement.
Mid-flight snack. I won’t lie, I was quite annoyed that the cabin lights were turned on as the second meal was served mid-flight. I’m a fan of big meal followed by lights off with a light mid-flight snack with lights on and a second, full meal a couple of hours before landing. Timing complaints aside, the meal was just average at best. Definitely not good enough to wake up for!
Pre-landing light bites. Also, meh.
Proof of life…..Happy to be landing after almost 16 hours!!
Hello Delhi. Black and White noir or……
color?
I had only 90 minutes to make my connection, which in Delhi can be very hit or miss. Check out installment #2 to see if I made my flight and join me flying Air India from Delhi to Hyderabad and Sri Lankan Airlines from Hyderabad to Colombo.
Check out the YouTube video detailing my Air India business class flight from Newark-Delhi and my video detailing my explorations of Colombo. Videos detailing all of the other flights of this journey (Sri Lankan Hyderabad to Colombo, IndiGO Colombo to Hyderabad and British Airways from Hyderabad to London to Chicago) will be posted in the coming weeks! We’ll also be uploading videos for a bunch of other cool trips weekly!
June 26, 2017 
May 27, 2025 
