LinkedIn User Alleges Mistreatment Of Elderly Mother By Air India Express, Airline Responds

A Delhi-based LinkedIn user has alleged that Air India Express gravely mistreated a senior citizen on a recent flight from Kochi to Bangalore. Aanchal Jain took to the platform to detail the experience of her 71-year-old mother travelling alone on the flight. She severely criticised the airline for handling the situation and for the responses to her now-viral LinkedIn post. Aanchal explains that the flight was first delayed by several hours and claims there was no communication. It was midnight by the time boarding started.

She goes on to detail how the airline staff behaved, alleging that they "singled out" her mother, "made her leave the wheelchair, walk to a dark place where luggage was kept, made her sit on the dirty floor and open her luggage (despite hand fracture) and made her leave her purse and walking stick unsupervised at the boarding gate." Furthermore, she claims that the staff scared her mother by stating "she will miss her flight and it will be her fault."

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Additionally, Aanchal claims that the elderly passenger was made to pay Rs 8,200 in cash, as the airline said her check-in and hand luggage were over the weight limit. The staff told her the failure to make the payment would result in her missing the flight, as per the post. The LinkedIn user said her mother had to walk back to the plane while she was "nervous and crying." After such an experience, she has pledged to never let her travel alone. She ends the post by declaring, "This is a shout-out to tell companies like Air India Express that Indians are done with companies who think they can be lazy, incompetent, arrogant; and still flourish."

Disclaimer: NDTV does not vouch for the claims in the post by the LinkedIn user.

Air India Express commented twice in reply to Aanchal's post. The airline wrote, "Hi Aanchal, we are truly sorry to hear about your mother's experience and regret the distress it caused her. We understand the importance of ensuring a smooth travel experience, especially for senior citizens. Upon review, we found that the guest was carrying two pieces of checked baggage, weighing 17 kg, and 17 kg in cabin baggage. Since the guest declined to reduce the weight, charges were applied for the excess baggage. Please note that for domestic flights, guests are allowed only one piece of checked baggage weighing 15 kg and two pieces of cabin baggage weighing 7 kg each. Any excess is chargeable. We strive to serve you better. For security reasons, kindly refrain from sharing personal information, such as your PNR, in public."

Aanchal clarified "The issue is NOT payment for excess baggage, but your inhumane treatment." The company also added, "Aanchal, we apologise for any inconvenience your mother experienced during her recent interaction with our staff. We are committed to providing excellent customer service and will address the specific issues you raised. We would also like to clarify that our cabin baggage policy allows for two pieces weighing up to 7 kg combined. We appreciate your understanding."

The viral post has sparked a range of reactions online. Several users have slammed the airline for allegedly treating an elderly woman in this way. Some have questioned why she was travelling alone in the first place. Others have pointed out that there can be no excuse for insensitivity.

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