Booked Air India Premium Economy for:

• MAA → BOM (AI2828)
• BOM → FRA (AI2027)

Originally the long-haul sector was showing:

Boeing 787-9 with the new bespoke interiors

and honestly that was one of the biggest reasons I booked Air India 😅

But now the Air India site is showing:

Boeing 787-8 series instead

Current situation:

• Existing PE booking cost me around ₹55k total
• Air India is offering Business upgrade for around ₹40k extra
• Final effective trip cost becomes close to ₹1 lakh

I’m flying to Germany for masters, so trying to decide if this is:

• genuinely good value OR
• just pre-move emotional temptation 💀

Things making me consider it:

• 9+ hour overnight BOM → FRA leg
• flat bed
• lounge access
• first international move

BUT:
Now that equipment changed from:

787-9 bespoke interiors → older 787-8

I’m confused whether Air India Business is still worth paying ₹40k extra over PE.

Would love opinions from people who’ve recently flown:

• AI 787-8 Business
• AI Premium Economy on Frankfurt route
• or experienced both cabins.

Especially curious about:

• actual seat quality
• sleep comfort
• food/service consistency
• whether older AI 787-8 business still feels premium enough
• or if PE is the smarter value move her

Need some advice from frequent Europe flyers / aviation folks 😅

Flying Chennai → Frankfurt in September for my Germany MBA move and currently confused between these options:

1. Singapore Airlines Economy

• ₹41k approx
• 40kg baggage
• Chennai → Singapore → Frankfurt
• 6h25m transit at Changi
• B787 + A380 combination

1. Air India Premium Economy

• ₹57k approx
• 46kg baggage
• Chennai → Mumbai → Frankfurt
• B787-8 currently showing from September onwards (looks like the newer B787-9 VT-AWA bespoke interiors are being removed from FRA route 🥲)

1. Lufthansa Direct

• ₹51k approx
• 46kg baggage
• Direct Chennai → Frankfurt
• A340 overnight flight

Main priorities:

• lower fatigue
• decent IFE/WiFi
• comfortable long-haul experience
• good baggage allowance
• first international relocation experience

One issue:
I honestly struggle sitting for very long flights even on shorter sectors 😅

Would you prioritize:

• Premium Economy comfort?
• direct routing?
• or Singapore Airlines overall experience/A380?

Would love opinions especially from people who have flown these exact routes/products recently.

German student visa delay – Chennai VFS
Applied on May 20 for HTW Berlin.
Received financial clarification mail and submitted all requested tuition/payment documents on May 28.
Still no update/dispatch as of June 22. Portal shows “Decision Pending”.
Anyone else faced similar delay after additional document verification?
How long did it take for you after clarification reply?

Hi guys,

I applied for my German student visa from Chennai on May 20 for Masters.

I also received a clarification mail regarding tuition/living expense funding and sent the updated tuition fee receipts and financial documents.

Since then, there has been no update and the CSP portal still shows only “Submitted”.

Is this normal?
How long did your visa take after additional document submission?

Would appreciate recent experiences from Indian applicants. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I recently completed the preliminary check process for a Germany student visa through VFS Chennai for my Master’s programme.

I received a correction request for declarations, submitted the corrected documents, and am currently waiting for further updates.

I have a few questions for students who recently applied through VFS Chennai:

1. How long did it take to receive a response after submitting corrections?
2. At what stage do they ask for passport delivery/pickup preference?
3. My passport address is from Tuticorin, but I currently live in Chennai — can I choose passport delivery/pickup in Chennai without issues?

Would appreciate any recent experiences or guidance. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I recently completed the preliminary check process for a Germany student visa through VFS Chennai for my Master’s programme.

I received a correction request for declarations, submitted the corrected documents, and am currently waiting for further updates.

I have a few questions for students who recently applied through VFS Chennai:

1. How long did it take to receive a response after submitting corrections?
2. At what stage do they ask for passport delivery/pickup preference?
3. My passport address is from Tuticorin, but I currently live in Chennai — can I choose passport delivery/pickup in Chennai without issues?

Would appreciate any recent experiences or guidance. Thanks!