New Delhi: Air India has again come under severe criticism after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaiveer Shergill termed it the “worst airline” following his alleged bad experience on a recent flight.
Taking to social media platform X, Shergill wrote “If there was an Oscar equivalent for WORST AIRLINES @airindia would win hands down in every category.”
Without elaborating on the incident that triggered such a sharp reaction, he said the airline has “broken seats, worse staff, pathetic on-ground support staff and give two hoots about customer service.”
He added, “Flying Air India is not a pleasant experience but today broke all records!”
In response to the BJP leader’s post, Air India apologised for the inconvenience caused. “Dear Mr. Shergill, we apologise for the inconvenience caused. Kindly share the travel details with us via DM. We'll get in touch with you,” the airlines said in a reply to Shergill’s post
Although Air India acknowledged the complaint and asked him to share more details about his travel, the exchange sparked a series of similar complaints from other passengers.
Shergill’s criticism comes after complaints from Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who shared his negative experience on the Bhopal to Delhi Air India flight in which he was allegedly assigned a broken seat on an Airbus A321.
“I went and sat on the seat, the seat was broken and sunk in. Sitting was uncomfortable,” the ex-Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said.
“When I asked the airline staff why the seat had been allotted to me if it was bad, they told me the management had been informed that this seat was not good and that a ticket should not be sold. There is not just one such seat but many more…” he wrote in a long post in Hindi.
“My co-passengers requested me to change my seat... but why should I trouble another friend for my sake? I decided that I would complete my journey by sitting on this same seat.”
Chouhan also questioned the airline’s new leadership for the allegedly “unethical” business practice of providing broken seats after customers pay full fare.
His critique of Air India caught the attention of prominent political leaders. Reposting Chouhan’s remarks, the Congress pointed to broader issues in India’s transport sector, citing complaints about both the aviation and railway industries.
Air India has been going through a major transition ever since it was acquired by the Tata Group in 2022. The airline has focussed on fleet modernisation and rebranding since the takeover but recent complaints indicate that the airline still has a long way to go in raising customer satisfaction and service quality.
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