Imagine shelling out a hefty fare to fly with one of India’s oldest and most iconic airlines—one that’s recently been busy curating a slick, premium image on LinkedIn, showcasing everything from revamped cabins and international partnerships to heartwarming employee stories. But behind the glossy posts and brand films lies a growing pile of customer complaints—each one poking holes in the airline’s polished narrative.
“Dear Air India Please reclaim your wheelchair,” posted comedian Vir Das on X (formerly Twitter), taking a direct jab at the airline after it allegedly failed to provide the wheelchair service he pre-booked for his injured wife.
The post went live in the early hours of April 14 and quickly caught people’s attention. Vir shared that he had booked the Pranaam Meet & Greet and wheelchair assistance because his wife is recovering from a foot fracture. Instead, he was met with broken seats, armrests, leg rests, and tray tables—on top of a seat that was “stuck reclined” for the entire journey.
But that wasn’t the worst of it. According to Das, not only was there no wheelchair waiting, but his wife had to navigate a step ladder to exit the aircraft. “We step off the plane to the top of the ladder. I ask an Air India male ground staff member to help us, he looks at me, shrugs, and ignores me. My wife with a fracture makes it down the stepladder. I tell an Air India staff member at the bottom near the buses what happened. He says ‘sir kya karein…sorry’.”
In response to the viral post, Air India said they “understand and empathise” with the situation and promised to look into it “on priority.”
Dear @airindia Please reclaim your wheelchair. I’m a lifetime loyalist. I believe you’ve got the nicest cabin crew in the sky, this post pains me to write. My wife and I book Pranaam and a wheelchair because she’s got a foot fracture that’s still healing. We’re flying to delhi.…
— Vir Das (@thevirdas) April 14, 2025
Unfortunately for Air India, this isn’t a one-off.
Just a month earlier, in March 2025, former Australian cricketer David Warner also took to X after experiencing a lengthy delay. Warner boarded his Air India flight only to find—there was no pilot. “@airindia we’ve boarded a plane with no pilots and waiting on the plane for hours. Why would you board passengers knowing that you have no pilots for the flight?” he wrote. The airline blamed weather but didn’t really explain why the cockpit was empty.
@airindia we’ve boarded a plane with no pilots and waiting on the plane for hours. Why would you board passengers knowing that you have no pilots for the flight? ??????
— David Warner (@davidwarner31) March 22, 2025
It is not just cricketers and comedians complaining about Air India’s abysmal customer service. In February 2025, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan shared his own frustrating experience. On a Delhi to Bhopal flight, he was assigned a broken and sunken seat, claiming that was it “cheating passengers” to charge full fare while providing defective seats. He also expressed disappointment that the airline’s quality hadn’t improved even under Tata Group's management.
?? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ??? ??, ???? ??? ????? ???? ?? ???????, ??????????? ??? ????????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?? ??????? ??? ????? ????? ?? ?????? ???????????? ?? ????? ???? ???
— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) February 22, 2025
????? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ??????? AI436 ??? ????? ?????? ??, ???? ??? ??????? 8C ?????? ???? ??? ????…
Adding to the long list of customers disappointed by Air India’s service is political analyst Yogendra Yadav. While checking in to his Air India flight in November 2024, Yogendra Yadav had a harrowing experience. Taking to X, he said, “I hate to put my personal travails on a public platform. But today’s experience with @airindia is worth recording, for it may be of use to others. Do others have similar recent experience with Air India? This is what my wife and I went through (flight AI 213): Change in time of flight by 4 hrs (notified four days ahead) Downgrading of our class of travel (no intimation, no offer of refund) No web checking despite repeated attempts (‘your booking is ineligible for web checking’) Airport check in: Made to run to three different counters for no fault of ours.” In his post Yadav explained that not taking into account the minor inconveniences such as mismanaged queues, unintimated boarding gate changes and more, the experience was worsened by the rude Customer Service Executives who were less than helpful and added unnecessarily to their woes.
I hate to put my personal travails on a public platform. But today’s experience with @airindia is worth recording, for it may be of use to others. Do others have similar recent experience with Air India?
— Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) November 11, 2024
This is what my wife and I went through (flight AI 213):
Change in time of…
Actor Tillotama Shome, too slammed Air India on X in October 2024. Her cause? An unintimated 8.5-hour flight delay! She was checked in for a flight to Heathrow from Mumbai and the flight was delayed for an unusually long period. The Delhi Crime actor claimed that there were no alerts, no apologies, no hotel bookings offered as compensation—just silence and stranded passengers.
AI 129. @airindia flight to Heathrow. Delayed as of now from 5.15 am to 10am. No message, no calls from the airlines to notify passengers of the delay. Upon contacting AI, all they can say is sorry. Zero accountability and no solutions offered. India's official airline
— Tillotama Shome (@TillotamaShome) October 6, 2024
Even veteran actor Anupam Kher voiced frustration after one of his students reportedly found a cockroach in the in-flight meal served to her toddler. The child had already eaten half the omelette before they noticed—and later suffered food poisoning.
Dear @airindia ! Everybody knows I love everything about India. Including #AirIndia. Ms. @suyeshasavant is an ex student of @actorprepares. And not someone who complains easily. She must have really gone through a huge trauma because of her small baby involved here. While I… https://t.co/FLCKUdklwU
— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) September 29, 2024
And if that wasn’t enough, Grammy-winning composer Ricky Kej said he’d been downgraded by Air India not once, not twice, but three times—with no explanation and no refund. His post on X slammed the airlines for lack of accountability and very poor customer service.
Wow.. 3rd time this is happening to me in one year. I booked and paid for a business class ticket on @airindia from Mumbai to Bengaluru. When I reach departure gate, the staff rudely tells me that I have been downgraded (for no reason) and they cannot give me a refund. What's up…
— Ricky Kej (@rickykej) August 3, 2024
Airlines today operate in a highly competitive environment where brand perception can make or break customer loyalty. In this context, consistently delivering a positive travel experience is crucial. For Air India, however, maintaining that consistency becomes even more crucial when such feedback appears on the internet. Sharing his insights on the matter, Ashok Lalla, an Independent Marketing & Digital Business Advisor, says, “We regularly see customer complaints about Air India's service, both from influential people and even others who share their experiences online. A steady flow of complaints and poor reviews no doubt affect any brand and its image. And might make people think twice before booking Air India for their travel. If more people do this in a short period of time, the brand's revenues too would take a hit and not just its image.”
However, Air India holds a monopoly on certain international routes and so people often go ahead and book it despite negative reviews they may have read, explains Lalla.
"For every negative review one sees about Air India, there are also positive reviews shared where people praise the new aircraft, the comfort and the inflight experience. But clearly in Air India's case, the service experience continues to be patchy, and this isn't good from the perspective of building a strong positive brand image, and making it the airline of choice for travellers. Short-term negative reviews can add up to a poor brand perception in the longer term," he adds.
While explaining what Air India could do to regain its brand equity in India, Ashok Lalla further explains, "Air India would do well if the management first steps up and publicly recognises the service failings and inconsistent brand experience, and then actually take aggressive steps to address the same. It's something that can be fixed and all great service brands are great because their service levels are consistently and predictably top-notch. Air India can also leverage the expertise of Taj Hotels within the Tata group to help refine its service and customer experience quality. No doubt Air India is working to improve its service experience, but till it translates on the ground, flyers will continue to be in two minds when it comes to choosing the airline for their next flight."
To strengthen its position in a competitive aviation market, Air India will need to ensure that its service quality aligns with the premium image it aspires to project. Air India’s brand may be cruising at 30,000 feet, but its service still hits turbulence too often. To truly take off in the eyes of passengers, it needs to align the in-flight experience with its ambitious new image—and make every journey as smooth as the promise.
