Air India earns 4-star Skytrax rating as passenger experience transformation gains momentum | News
Air India, India’s largest global airline, today announced that it has been awarded the Skytrax 4-Star Airline Rating for Business Class and Economy Class, achieving a new milestone in its ongoing transformation under the Vihaan.AI program.
Air India’s elevation from three-star to four-star status follows a comprehensive transformation that includes fleet modernization, product upgrades, digital innovation, ground experience and service culture improvements, among several other aspects that together deliver a significantly improved passenger experience across all touchpoints.
The transformational changes have also translated into continuously improving customer feedback and sentiment. Air India’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) – a key metric for customer advocacy – has improved by more than 70 points, from -35 at the end of 2022 to nearly +40 today, reflecting tangible gains in areas that matter most to passengers. On Air India’s flagship A350 and B787-9 models, the NPS is consistently in the high 60s.
Skytrax is the world’s leading international air transportation rating organization, and its star ratings are widely regarded as a global benchmark for airline quality. The 4-Star Airline Rating recognizes airlines that deliver strong, consistent performance in products and services throughout the customer journey.
Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Air India, said: “This four-star rating from Skytrax is an important recognition of the progress we have made in transforming Air India into a more modern, customer-centric airline. This achievement is a testament to the dedication and hard work of more than 24,000 Air India employees who have embraced this transformation with dedication and pride. While this milestone reflects how far we have come, it also reinforces our determination to continue raising the bar, with a clear ambition to to reach a higher level.” A five-star rating over time as we build a world-class global airline with an Indian heart.”
The Skytrax audit evaluates the entire customer journey, including airport processes, lounge experience, inflight products, food and beverage, and the quality and consistency of service. The 4-star certification reflects holistic, sustained improvements across all touchpoints, rather than isolated improvements.
Fleet Upgrades: At the heart of Air India’s transformation is an ambitious fleet modernization program, including the introduction of India’s first Airbus A350 and brand new Boeing 787-9s with made-for-Air India interiors, the completed retrofit and return to service of 27 retrofit A320neos with all-new cabin interiors, and the ongoing retrofit of nearly 40 retrofit legacy Boeing 787-8s and Boeing 777 now underway. In just four years, Air India’s enhanced fleet has grown to more than 120 aircraft, 66% of its full-service fleet, significantly improving the passenger experience across the network.
On the ground: Air India has reimagined its airport and lounge experience, with new, redesigned lounges in Delhi, Bengaluru and San Francisco, with more to come in other parts of the world. At all airports, improvements such as streamlined boarding, self-check-in and digital tools have made travel smoother.
Reimagined inflight experience: The airline has also thoroughly redesigned its inflight experience. Each cabin crew member has undergone rigorous retraining as per the standards of the new Air India, besides inducting over 5,000 newly recruited cabin crew. This is complemented by a complete refresh of the soft product, including onboard meals and beverages, linens, amenities and more. Air India’s new inflight entertainment system now offers more than 3,000 hours of content on all new and upgraded widebody aircraft, while on narrowbody aircraft, more than 1,250 hours of content is available via Vista Stream, the wireless inflight entertainment service. Onboard connectivity is also being gradually introduced, providing customers with onboard internet connectivity.
Digital infrastructure and customer support: A complete overhaul of the airline’s digital and IT infrastructure and customer support system has also led to incremental improvements: the introduction of a brand new website and a mobile app that is among the top-rated airline apps in the world, a unified platform supported by a generative AI chatbot that handles more than 14 million interactions, reducing wait times at the airline’s customer contact center to approximately 10 seconds and enabling faster refunds and issue resolution.
As Air India continues its Vihaan.AI journey, it remains focused on further strengthening its products, services and global footprint, reinforcing its ambition to set new benchmarks for Indian aviation on the global stage.
