Air India

After a few seconds of load time, Air India app users are greeted with a simple home screen that displays the essentials: Book a flight, check in, timetable and flight status. If you want to check on a flight status, the only way to do so is by flight number, so make sure you have that handy. Booking a flight is also very easy to do. While you can’t choose your flight code, you can select between economy, business or first class.

“Booking flights ” has a significant delay. After about 5-10 seconds, you are met with a series of options on an aesthetically pleasing screen that showcases some photos from your desired destination. You can also search by departure time, arrival time, duration and price, much like a full-service website, but all laid out in a simpler, mobile interface. The one drawback is that prices are all displayed in Indian Rupiah and there doesn’t appear to be an easy way to change this into your local currency. Another drawback of the app is the sheer number of times it will ask you if you would like to use Location Services. Saying no doesn’t give you the option to say “and don’t ask me again,” so every time you are taken to a screen with destination information, it requests for your location again.

Also on the homepage, if you scroll down beneath the essentials, there are a few mobile optimized promotions such as an announcement for a new non-stop flight from Delhi to Madrid or more information on the Star Alliance of airlines. Once you click on any of these, though, it takes you out to their full web page which has a ton of information and way too much text for a mobile app. If you were looking for super detailed information about a destination or a program, though, this would be where to find it.

In the top left corner you are given the option to add yourself as the primary passenger, and add secondary passengers if you would like to store their travel information as well. The app makes it easy to add your contact information by doing a scan of your passport once you allow the app access to your camera. You can choose to enter the information manually instead if you would prefer.

You can keep a credit card on file and select several preferences. These preferences allow you to set a language, your preferred airport, and delineate which notifications/reminders you would like to receive (mobile check in, before flying, boarding). There’s not much information on what “Before Flying” actually means, but you can choose to keep that notification toggled on or off. The preferences section does not offer you the chance to change your currency or home country.

Another major downside of the app is that there’s no easy way to find their contact information. That would be a really helpful addition, as well as a “weather and local time at your destination” feature.

One of the best parts of the app are the cute icons they use for loading screens. They make the loading experience slightly more pleasant. Overall, an app worth using!

Olivia Poglianich