Bad food, worn out seats, damaged luggage: Air India business class passenger recalls Rs 5 lakh 'horror flight'

Vineeth K, a frequent traveller and investor, took to social media to share his recent harrowing experience on an Air India business class flight from New Delhi to Newark, US. In a detailed post, he highlighted a series of disappointments that marred his journey, and questioning the airline that deleted the meted out apology and response to the flier.

“Horror story with AirIndia business class flight from New Delhi - Newark (AI 105),” Vineeth began his X thread, setting the tone for a litany of grievances.

After years of loyalty to Emirates, Vineeth said he switched to Air India for its direct routes to major cities like New York, Chicago, and London. However, his recent flight left him regretting this decision. The business class, which commands a premium price, fell woefully short of expectations.

First on his list of complaints was the condition of the business class seats. Vineeth described them as unclean and worn out, with at least five out of the 35 seats being non-functional. The flight, scheduled for an early morning departure, was delayed by 25 minutes, adding to the initial frustration.

Luggage handles broken.
Tags missing
Lock / Zip tie missing pic.twitter.com/dlEpRy373t

— Vineeth K (@DealsDhamaka) June 15, 2024

Things took a turn for the worse post takeoff. “After settling for 30 mins post take off, I wanted to get to sleep (3.30 AM) and realised that my seat doesn’t go to a flat bed, reason it’s not working…,” Vineeth wrote. Despite the crew's efforts to fix the issue, he had to be relocated to another seat, disrupting his attempt to rest.

When he finally managed to sleep and woke up a few hours later, the meal service added to his worries. The food was undercooked, and the fruits were stale, leading to many passengers returning their meals. “The fruits were stale (everyone onboard returned back),” he noted, highlighting a significant lapse in food quality.

The in-flight entertainment system was another letdown. Vineeth mentioned that the TV screen displayed a ‘Not Found’ error, rendering it unusable for the entire flight.

Capping off his nightmarish experience, Vineeth discovered upon arrival that his luggage had been damaged. “After all this, the final nail in the coffin is they broke my luggage,” he lamented.

For Vineeth, this experience has been a stark contrast to the service he had come to expect from airlines like Emirates. “Bad food, worn out seats, dirty seat covers, non-working TV for Rs 5,00,000 (round trip), damaged my luggage,” he summarised with pictures, pointing out that he could have flown Etihad at a lower cost but chose Air India for its direct flight option.

In the same thread, Vineeth shared a screenshot of a response from the airline – but claimed Air India had now deleted their post.

“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,” the post read.

@airindia why did you delete the post ? pic.twitter.com/iq3jqW5sv7

— Vineeth K (@DealsDhamaka) June 15, 2024

Another user, in comments, shared his experience flying Air India when he reportedly found a blade in his food.

I had a trip from Bangalore to San Francisco (AI 175) on June 9. In the bowl of fig chaat they served a blade. And I realised it was in my food after I chewed it for two or three seconds. As soon as I spat it out, I realised what the object was. The stewardess apologised for… pic.twitter.com/Wqfk2WwCxx

— Mathures Paul (@MathuresP) June 16, 2024

“I had a trip from Bangalore to San Francisco (AI 175) on June 9. In the bowl of fig chaat they served a blade. And I realised it was in my food after I chewed it for two or three seconds. As soon as I spat it out, I realised what the object was. The stewardess apologised for exactly three seconds and came back with a bowl of chickpeas. First, it is dangerous to have a blade on any flight. Second, it could have cut through my tongue. Third, what if a child was eating this food. A few days later, they mailed to say I could take a business class trip anywhere in the next year. That is a bribe and I don’t accept it,” Mathures Paul wrote.

Air India, in its response, tweeted to the passenger: "Dear Mr. Paul, we are sorry to know about this. This does not represent the level of service we aim to provide to our passengers. Please DM us your booking details along with your seat number. We'll ensure this matter is promptly reviewed and addressed."

Other users also shared their own experiences with many advising the original poster to avoid taking Air India’s international flights. Apart from the deleted tweet, Air India has not responded to the incident.