Akasa Air celebrated its first anniversary on 7 August 2023, and the airline now has 20 aircraft in its fleet which allows it to enter into the international market.
AviationSource writer Gaurav Ramesh Gowda flew with them and experienced their A++ product (or in other words their business class seats) and what better way than to try it out on their anniversary?
Akasa Air never planned to introduce business class (known as the A++ seat), but as they took delivery of the Boeing 737 MAX which was originally destined to join Jet Airways, the aircraft came equipped with these seats.
Due to global supply chain constraints, the airline has decided to keep this layout for now. I flew from Bengaluru to Mumbai with Akasa, and here is my detailed review on the experience.
Akasa Air: Mumbai to Delhi
Flight Details:
- Flight Number – QP 1104 (BLR-BOM)
- Departure Airport – Kempegowda International Airport (Bengaluru)
- Arrival Airport – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (Mumbai)
- Registration – VT-YAK, 4.2 Years old during the time of flight.
- Aircraft Type –Boeing 737 MAX 8
Pre-Check-in Experience
Akasa Air has a very user-friendly app – personally I like the bright orange color for a change and the application allows you to do all the basic changes and pre-book your meal without any hassle.
I had no issues while I did the check-in, and after seeing the aircraft layout, I decided to try out their A++ product.
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It cost me around Rs 3000 (approx $36.20) to upgrade to this, but one must note that this doesn’t mean the customer choosing A++ product gets priority boarding or any complimentary food.
So the question is – was the upgrade worth it? Well by end of this article we will answer that for you.
Arrival at Bengaluru Airport
Akasa Air operates from T1 at Bengaluru airport and I have always love this terminal for its simplicity and easy access to public transport
Check-in at Bengaluru Airport
Akasa has increased the number of counters at this terminal, and I am happy they did so as previously they had fewer counters which thus meant a long wait for passengers to drop their luggage.
Check-in process was quite smooth and the counters were all decked out to celebrate their anniversary.
Security Check at Bengaluru Airport
Security check at Bengaluru airport has always been well organized and with the help of DigiYatra, the process was efficient, so in roughly about 5 minutes I had cleared security check and was headed towards the gate.
Boarding Experience
As expected, it was a bus boarding and I always love it, as it means I can get a close up with the aircraft before I fly out.
The Seat
This aircraft comes in 2-2 configuration in A++ class and 3-3 configuration in economy class. There in total 3 rows of A++ seats.
The seats are exactly similar to Vistara’s A320 business seats. Considering this aircraft was destined to be with a full-service carrier, it was expected.
I could hardly tell any difference when compare to the actual business class of Vistara. Ample of leg room and headrest! That is what one needs and that is exactly what these seats delivered.
In-flight Service
Soon after take-off, the crew started meal service. I had already pre-booked fried rice which comes with a complimentary beverage, and I purchased a baked chips snack on-board.
The fried rice was definitely a letdown for me, as for some reason I did not like it and I regret the decision of not having pre-booked their bagel sandwich, as this is my favorite dish.
To my pleasant surprise, the airline had arranged for specially customized chocolates for their birthday which were distributed by the crew to everyone on-board.
Arrival at Mumbai
We arrived at Mumbai International airport 20 minutes before our scheduled arrival.
Conclusion
Akasa Air definitely has the potential to be the market leader in the industry. It ticks all the boxes – they have an amazing soft and hard product, and even their economy seats are not bad in terms of comfort.
Their food menu is vast and has best tasting food options (well we cannot blame the airline for the bad taste of ready to eat food which I took!)
Akasa’s A++ product is a steal deal if you ask me – almost at a third of price of actual business class, and one gets to travel in comfort.
You do miss out on the meals served in business class, but frankly on a 90 minutes flight I can manage, and for merely Rs 3000, I could experience the comfort.
I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes to stretch out their leg or doesn’t want to have arm rest tussle with their co-passenger .
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