Never take air India
Horrible and senseless company
Shame to Indian nation . So many travel from abroad to India and with such a bad treatment what will they think of our country?
Never take air India
Horrible and senseless company
Shame to Indian nation . So many travel from abroad to India and with such a bad treatment what will they think of our country?
64 - 68 of 10,485 reviews
Air India - A Disastrous Experience That No Traveler Should Endure
I am beyond frustrated with the appalling service I received from Air India during my business class flight from Delhi to Toronto on November 30, 2024. This was supposed to be a luxurious, relaxing journey in business class, courtesy of my Aeroplan reward ticket. However, what I encountered was nothing short of a nightmare.
Just before boarding the 15-hour flight, I was informed that the flat-bed seat in business class wouldn’t recline. To make matters worse, 10 other business class seats were also broken. Out of 30+ business class seats, nearly a third were non-operational! How is this aircraft even allowed to fly with such issues? Isn’t someone at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation supposed to ensure safety and service standards?
Despite this, Air India refused to endorse my ticket to another carrier, and I had no choice but to endure a 15-hour flight with a business class ticket, but NO business class comfort. It was an uncomfortable, miserable journey, not what I paid for or expected. But it didn’t end there.
Upon arrival, Air India promised a firm upgrade voucher and claimed that Air Canada would refund my Aeroplan miles. Six weeks and 10 emails later, I finally received the voucher. But what good is it? When I called the call center to inquire about using it, I was told that I would have to present it at the airport to be considered for an upgrade. What if business class is full? Will I be stuck flying in economy AGAIN? And no one at the call center could even tell me whether I should carry business class baggage (2 x 32kg) or economy class baggage (2 x 23kg).
The entire experience was a disaster. Air India’s lack of professionalism, miscommunication, and sheer disregard for customer service has left me with zero trust in this airline. This is NOT how business class travelers should be treated.
Air India, you owe me a full apology, proper compensation, and a commitment to never let this happen to another passenger. If anyone is considering flying with them, BE WARNED.
#AirIndiaFail #CustomerServiceDisaster #BusinessClassNightmare #TravelNightmare #AirIndia #AirCanada #TravelProblems #ConsumerRights
Air India had a notorious reputation as a government owned enterprise. Hopes were high when it got privatized a couple of years ago. However, the service has actually deteriorated further. Regardless of the class of service -- Business, Premium Economy or Economy -- my parents (and I) have, on multiple occasions, regretted giving our patronage to this airline. Some examples of the horrors of dealing with this airline *after its privatization* are as follows:
- MAINTENANCE: Business class seating had functional issues (movie screen not working, recliner not working etc.) on 17 hour international flights, and, despite raising it with the staff, NOTHING WAS DONE during the flight - even a seat change was not possible. My parents had to continue in the defective seats, without any reprieve. Attempts at grievance resolution through customer support, after the flight, went nowhere. You can always expect to be on hold on the phone for hours at end, passed around from one agent to another, and so on, when grievance resolution is involved. If this wasn't enough, my parents faced the same issue even on the return flight! Bear in mind these were 17 hour international flights that faced this issue.
- SCHEDULING: We didn't learn our lesson the first time. We regrettably booked by Air India again due to unavailability of other options, and because the airline recently upgraded its airline fleet between DEL<-->SFO. So, keeping our fingers crossed, I went ahead with the booking. What started then was an almost non-stop sequence of schedule changes, cabin class downgrades etc, that continued for weeks, for multiple reservations. Ultimately, I decided to cancel the flights, since cabin downgrades an schedule changes (>3 hours) entitle travelers to cancel their tickets without a penalty (full refund) based on US DOT regulations. But, even for this, one has to first be able to reach the airline, which was essentially impossible. After multiple calls to the travel agent, and again being put on hold for hours, the situation went nowhere, and I ultimately had to dispute the charge on my credit card statement. Nothing seems to work with this airline other than force or legal escalation. Gone are the days when Air India felt like "our" airline, as Indians.
- CONNECTIONS/TRANSIT: I recently also faced an issue with a missed connection, with the airline trying to penny-pinch even their obligation to provide you with a comfortable transit while you wait for the next connecting flight. I had to raise hell to be allowed to even use the Air India lounge while I waited for an alternative connecting flight after a missed connection caused by Air India, when transiting in BOM during my SFO --> GOI journey.
Expect hours of frustration at some point or other, when you book with this airline. They bait you with good pricing, and the shortest travel routes between the US and India, but beware that you will "pay" for it in other intangible ways, more than what you think you might save in the short-term. I personally don't plan to ever use Air India again. Booking the ticket is just one part of an overall travel experience. There is the seating itself (which may not be functional), flight and schedule changes (during the days leading upto the flight), delayed flights (while you travel), horrendous treatment enroute (if you are stranded between connections due to those delays), protracted grievance resolution process (after the journey), and almost always an unacceptably large investment of your time dealing with the airline for any and all of the above. Literally none of my, or my parents', overall journeys on this airline since it went private have been pleasant.
I recently had a very disappointing experience with my return flight from Dubai to Delhi with Air India. During the flight, I found hair in my food, which was quite off-putting. I called for assistance from the staff member Ms. Aditi, but she dismissed me by saying she was too busy and walked away. When she returned to collect the used dishes, I informed her that I hadn’t eaten the meal due to the hair, but she didn’t apologize or acknowledge the mistake. Instead, she simply offered to bring me a replacement meal.
The lack of professionalism was extremely frustrating, especially since she didn’t even offer a basic apology for the inconvenience. To make matters worse, I noticed that the pillows provided were very dirty. This experience was far below the standard I expect from any airline, and I hope they address these issues for future passengers.
I would like to say both employee of AIR INDIA were excellent in the effort to help me out with my flight.
They made sure everything was handled correctly.