Synopsis
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed his dissatisfaction with Air India's service after being assigned a broken seat on a flight from Bhopal to Delhi. He criticized the airline's negligence and questioned the management's commitment to passenger comfort.Key Takeaways
- Shivraj Singh Chouhan criticized Air India's service.
- He was assigned a broken seat on flight AI436.
- Chouhan highlighted the unethical nature of charging full fare for faulty seats.
- Air India has multiple defective seats on flights.
- The airline was acquired by Tata Group, aiming for improvement.
New Delhi, Feb 22 (NationPress) Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan voiced his irritation with Air India’s inadequate service after receiving a broken seat on a flight from Bhopal to Delhi.
Chouhan took to the X social media platform to criticize the airline, stating that such negligence is unjust to passengers who pay full fare for their tickets.
"I had booked a ticket on Air India flight AI436 from Bhopal to Delhi and was assigned seat number 8C. Upon sitting down, I found the seat to be broken and sunken," he mentioned.
The Union Minister sought an explanation from the airline staff regarding how a faulty seat was assigned in the first place.
In reply, they reportedly acknowledged that management had already been informed about the defective seat and it should not have been sold.
Chouhan further disclosed that there were several such broken seats on the flight.
"I thought that since Tata took over, Air India's service would improve, but I was wrong," the minister expressed.
He added that charging passengers the full fare while providing broken and uncomfortable seats is unethical.
"Isn't this cheating the passengers?" Chouhan questioned.
He mentioned that fellow passengers, noticing his discomfort, offered him a better seat, but he opted not to inconvenience anyone else and chose to continue his journey on the defective seat.
Chouhan also challenged the airline, asking, "Will Air India management take measures to prevent other passengers from suffering in the future, or will they keep taking advantage of travelers' urgency to reach their destinations?"
Air India was acquired by the Tata Group in 2022, and since then, the company has been striving to revitalize the airline.
In December 2023, Air India placed an order for 100 additional aircraft from Airbus, which includes 10 wide-body A350 and 90 narrow-body A321neo and A320 aircraft.
