Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently took to social media to blast Air India for providing him with a broken seat during a flight from Bhopal to New Delhi, calling the experience “cheating” the passengers. His post, which detailed the uncomfortable incident, drew swift responses from both Air India and the Civil Aviation Ministry.
Chouhan, who had booked seat 8C on Air India flight AI436 to Delhi for the inauguration of the Kisan Mela in Pusa, described his shock when he found the seat “broken and sunken.” When he inquired with the flight attendants, they admitted that management had already been notified about the seat’s condition. The staff even revealed that there were multiple defective seats on the aircraft. Despite offers from fellow passengers to switch seats, Chouhan chose to endure the discomfort for the 1.5-hour flight.
The minister, who had hoped for an improvement in Air India’s service following its acquisition by the Tata Group in 2022, expressed his disillusionment. “My impression was that Air India’s service would have improved after the Tata Group took over, but it was my misconception,” he remarked. He also criticized the airline for charging full fares for defective seats, questioning whether it amounted to “cheating” passengers who paid for a proper experience.
Air India’s response was prompt, with the airline issuing an apology and promising to look into the matter. The Civil Aviation Minister, Ram Mohan Naidu, also contacted Chouhan to assure him that the issue would be addressed, asking the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to investigate and propose corrective actions.
While the Tata Group has helped expand Air India’s reach, the airline’s struggles with service quality, particularly issues like worn-out seats and delayed flights, continue to plague its reputation. This incident is just the latest in a series of service complaints that have tarnished the airline’s image. Last month, a passenger accused Air India of downgrading him and his minor son from business class to economy, and a similar complaint arose last year about unclean and deteriorated business class seats on a long-haul flight.
Air India, now under Tata Group’s ownership, must realize that merely expanding its fleet and routes is not enough. It must address fundamental service failures that have become all too common. For a national carrier, delivering a consistently high-quality customer experience is non-negotiable. The recurring complaints about faulty seats and subpar service indicate that the airline still has significant strides to make in regaining the trust of its passengers.
