BJP leader gets ‘old, broken’ seat on Air India: ‘Most pathetic business class’

BJP leader Sudhanshu Mittal had booked business-class tickets on Air India’s Delhi to Dubai flight for himself and his wife for a comfortable journey. However, when the couple boarded the flight, they were shocked to find that the footrest of one of the seats was broken. When Mittal raised the issue with the cabin crew, he claimed that the “commercial officer was completely rude and tried to offload them”. Mittal shared his experience on X, and described Air India’s business class as the “most pathetic” he had ever encountered.
“Me and my wife boarded AI 917 Delhi to Dubai this morning at 9:30 am, firstly it is the most pathetic business class ever, old, broken, and dilapidated. At the time of booking a new plane with a cabin was shown. The footrest of 2A is broken. On the complaint, the commercial officer was completely rude and tried to offload us. The flight is already more than one hour late,” wrote Mittal while sharing a picture and a few videos on X.
Air India replied to the post, saying that they tried connecting with Mittal over a call but could not reach him. “Dear Mr Mittal, we tried calling you, however, the call wasn’t answered. Kindly DM us a convenient time, so we may connect with you again,” read a comment from the official X handle of the airline.
The airline added that they are investigating the matter and will take action to prevent such incidents in the future. “Dear Mr Mittal, we regret to hear about your experience. Our team is investigating this matter and will take appropriate actions to prevent such occurrences in the future. We value your feedback and hope for another opportunity to serve you better,” they further added.
“I got lied to and feel badly cheated by Air India, too. I flew recently on business class from Delhi to Seoul, and before boarding, I was told my biz seat was broken, so instead promised an upgrade voucher plus a 75% refund as no other biz seat was vacant. But they refused to give me that voucher,” posted an individual.
Another added, “I faced the same situation while travelling back from Pune. Seat belt had turned dark black from grey. Passengers were hesitant to even touch it. Though they served complimentary meals and everyone got honki dori [all right]. But I urge Air India to please look into this.”
“Instead of Air India business (A320) class take Indigo XL seat & better legroom. Also, you don’t get an entertainment system in Air India business class,” expressed a third.
A fourth wrote, “If this can happen to a VIP, what can you expect from a common man? The deficiency in facilities can be understood but staff being rude is unpardonable.”