Many users shared similar problems they faced with the airline.
A man took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticise Air India and share his horrific experience while travelling on a business class seat from New Delhi to Newark in New Jersey, United States. He said that the flight was "no less than a nightmare" and that he had spent Rs 5 lakh for a round trip. "Horror Story. After flying with Emirates for a few years, I recently moved to Air India as they offer direct flights to NY, Chicago & London which are my frequent travel destinations. Yesterday's flight was no less than a nightmare..Booked business class (office trip). The seats were not clean, worn off & of the 35 atleast 5 seats were not functional. 25 mins delayed take off," Vineeth K said on the microblogging platform.
He added that his seat could not be turned into a flatbed. Mr Vineeth then requested the crew and after a few minutes, he was moved to another seat. He continued, "Woke up after a few hours, the food was served and it was uncooked (never faced this in AI), the fruits were stale (everyone onboard returned back). TV/Screen never worked. Not that I would have watched, just tried and it showed 'Not Found' error. After all this, final nail in the coffin is THEY BROKE MY LUGGAGE," the user explained.
Mr Vineeth stated that he also had Etihad Airlines for a much cheaper price but chose to go with Air India due to its direct flight service. "BAD FOOD, WORN OUT, DIRTY SEAT COVERS, NON WORKING TV for Rs.500000 (round trip), Damaged my luggage," he said alongside a few pictures of the aircraft's seat and the food served on the flight.
Mr Vineeth also shared a screenshot of a now-deleted response he received from Air India. "Dear Sir, we're sorry for the discomfort and we never want our passengers to face such inconvenience. Please DM us your booking details, seat number and DBR/ filer reference number. We'll promptly look into it," it read. In the same X thread, the airline said, "Dear Sir, we understand your disappointment and regret the hassle you faced. Believe us, we never want our passengers to have this kind of experience. We are highlighting this internally for further review."
Since being shared, his post has amassed a lot of reactions on social media. Many users shared similar problems they faced with the airline.
"As a policy, I always avoid AI for international flights and keep it as last option for domestic. Can't spoil the trip," said a user.
Another added, "Had similar experience on AI flight from Delhi to Singapore. Worn our seats, non-working screens, flight delayed by 30 mins, got cooked for an hour as AC was non functioning properly till we tool off.. To their credit they escorted us switftly through Delhi Airport transfers on our way back."
"I had the EXACT same issue. A few years ago. Swore never to fly them. And never did. It's hit and miss. If you get a new aircraft you're ok. Otherwise it's a mess. Shocked by the food. It's usually a highlight," remarked a third person.
A user said, "Flew AI Dubai - Delhi last month in A380-900. Brand new aircraft, fantastic food, and was on time. May be I was plain lucky."
"Stopped flying @airindia last year after repeated "technical problems" leading to rerouted flights for emergency landings. Switched to @SingaporeAir and though it's not a direct flight from BLR->SF, feel safer and better taken care of," remarked a person.