Australian Author Shares Post On "Worst Flight", Air India Responds

An Australian author and writer, based in Mumbai, recently shared her experience on the newly launched direct flight from Mumbai to Melbourne in Australia. Sharell Cook stated that it was the "worst flight" and many people warned her about the same. "Despite some concerns (and warnings) I foolishly decided to take the new Air India direct flight from Mumbai to Melbourne recently, thinking how bad can it be? Unfortunately, it was the worst flight I've ever been on from start to finish!" she wrote on X and shared two pictures from the baggage counter and inside the flight.

She stated that there was a long queue of two hours at the check-in counter. Further, the passengers were stuck on the runway for an hour without any updates. "Two hours of chaos in line for the check-in counter. One hour stuck on the tarmac without any announcements or updates as to when the flight might depart. Post-departure refreshments are served without alcohol. Had to ask for wine but no white wine available, only red," she added in a thread on the microblogging website.

The woman continued, "Alcohol and snacks served between breakfast and lunch. Who wants to drink alcohol then?!Non-veg meals only served to those who pre-order them. Old plane with no inflight entertainment (although plenty of leg room and quite comfortable."

Ms Cook said that the plane arrived in Melbourne half an hour later than the scheduled time and the passengers were told to sit inside the aircraft for another 20 minutes. "Arrived into Melbourne 30 mins late and then spent another 20 mins sitting on the plane while they sprayed it for insects. Staff did not hand out any arrival cards for immigration. Service was in general inefficient and disorganised. Passengers had to repeat requests," she said, adding that a co-passenger threw all wrappers of the food on the plane's floor.

Air India took note of the same and apologised for her experience. "Dear Ma'am, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you experienced during your recent flight with us. Your feedback is valuable to us, and we regret that your journey fell short of the standards we aim to uphold. We take these concerns seriously and will address them internally to improve our services. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we wish to speak with you. Could you share your contact number and a convenient time to connect?" they said.