Just a week after the devastating crash of Air India flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London, the national carrier is now facing intense backlash from passengers over poor service, damaged baggage, mishandled refunds, and alleged harassment, all of which are surfacing on social media platform X.
On June 12, Air India's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, claiming 275 lives that included 241 passengers and crew and 34 people on the ground, as the plane had crashed into a hostel of a medical college.
The crash, one of the worst in Indian aviation history, has put the airline under a harsh spotlight. And now, passengers are voicing their long-standing frustrations, painting a troubling picture of Air India's service standards.
A user named Qamar Saquib posted that on June 18, while travelling from Patna to Jeddah via Delhi on Air India flights AI-2634 and AI-991, he discovered that his gold (5.5 grams) was missing from his luggage upon arrival in Jeddah.
“I filed a complaint immediately at the Jeddah airport,” he wrote, tagging the airline for accountability.
Jasmeet Singh raised a separate issue, accusing Air India of not honouring a refund promise made by airport staff.
“It’s a clear case of cheating. The staff was insensitive to my mother, a senior citizen, who was travelling with my sisters," he wrote.
In another disturbing post, a user named Sakina alleged that Air India fraudulently cancelled her grandparents' tickets from Mumbai to Bengaluru, both of whom are heart patients.
“On June 9, I received an email saying the tickets for June 26 had been cancelled through the website -- something I never did,” she claimed.
The refund provided was a mere Rs 1,400 for tickets worth Rs 15,000, and customer service has reportedly gone silent.
“This is a scam,” she wrote, calling the act “a breach of security” and “fraudulent.”
Yash, another flyer, said he was mentally and physically harassed when he was forced to switch seats multiple times on flight AI-558, despite pre-booking seat 12D.
“I have back problems and was shifted from 12D to 16C, and then to 29D,” he said.
Passenger Rajneesh Khullar, tagging the Ministry of Civil Aviation and DGCA, expressed frustration over broken baggage and zero response from Air India.
“We got our bags after a week. One was broken. I have sent over two dozen emails and filed a claim (Case #23700866), but there has been no response,” he wrote.
Parul Kumar, who flew on AI-309, called out the airline for “super dirty” toilets, non-functional screens, and unresponsive attendants, despite paying AUD 1,500 for the tickets. “Very pathetic service,” she said bluntly.
Another flyer, who goes by AR, shared a video from flight AI-810 and requested Air India to change the “dirty and worn-out tapestry” on its aircraft “for the sake of Tata Group’s reputation and in memory of late Shri Ratan Tata.”
These complaints are now adding to the growing pressure on Air India, which is already under scrutiny after the deadly June 12 crash.
The national carrier, which was expected to undergo a revival under the Tata Group's ownership, is now facing renewed criticism not only for technical and safety lapses but also for widespread service failures.
Picture Courtesy: IANS
