After dismantling nearly every aspect of his Air India 777 First Class flight, a popular Instagrammer claims Air India refunded the price of his ticket. Noting that his experience is hardly unique, is this one path to free or discounted flights on the Indian flag carrier…?
Air India Refunds Full First Class Ticket Price After Horrible Onboard Experience
Here’s how Anip Patel, who has almost 200K Instagram followers, described his recent 15-hour flight from Chicago (ORD) to New Delhi (DEL) onboard an aging 777-300ER in first class:
I recently endured a 15-hour non-stop flight from Chicago to Delhi, and it was far from pleasant. I had heard negative things about Air India in the past, but I was hoping the recent changes under new management would improve the experience — unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. There was no Wi-Fi, and the in-flight entertainment was down for the entire flight. First class was in poor condition — unclean, with leftover food and trash still in the cabin, and everything looked worn out or broken. It was a pretty frustrating experience overall. Be aware if you’re flying with them.
He also provided detailed video evidence:
View this post on Instagram
Yesterday, a day after posting the video, he provided the following update:
I did not file any complaint with @airindia but through social media they saw this video – they called me today and refunded my entire flight they did make it right and it’s worth noting.
It is not clear if he paid in miles or dollars for the ticket, but I would guess miles if you listen to the video above…
First, kudos to Air India for making this right. Second, the cabin conditions were simply deplorable. Third, what does this say about the future of Air India? Fourth, can a first class traveler who does not have a large social media following expect similar compensation?
A Pattern For Air India, Even In The Tata Era
I’m not the only one who has this video pushed into my Instagram feed…it has gone viral and perhaps that alone explains why Air India purportedly issued a full refund. One Mile At A Time, who also wrote about this, suggests that even Air India’s new flagship Airbus A350 aircraft are aging poorly.
That’s the shocking part…I realize that Tata is in the midst of refreshing and revitalizing Air India and that will not be done overnight. I also realize that there won’t be wi-fi installed on 777s and the hardware will not be upgraded.
But it should be fixed! It should be maintained. There is no excuse for a dirty cabin or tape. Even leather that is discolored and worn away can be made to look more presentable with the right shampoo.
I’m Tempted To Fly Air India First Class…
I must admit, I’m tempted to fly Air India and see if I can get it for “free.” That’s because I don’t expect even this viral video to change anything. Those 777s are on their way out and it seems that Air India is done investing in them…
But offering no IFE on a 15-hour flight, a filthy cabin, limited food selections, and a seat that is literally falling apart seems to me like a big bait and switch…and maybe if more people complained, Air India would spend the money now to improve these cabins (or stop selling seats in them).
CONCLUSION
This review seems to be what everyone expects when flying Air India. It’s why my Indian-American clients flat-out refuse to even consider Air India and would rather make a stop in Europe or the Gulf before flying nonstop and having to endure Air India.
And while I hope that will totally change as Air India refreshes its fleets, if One Mile At A Time is correct, Air India is not even maintaining its brand-new A350 cabins…
Air India will never be trusted with big things if it cannot take care of small things.
They must be improving! No one was urinated on.
Leaving aside your interesting question around the viral video and compensation, I think that we can deduce the following:
– The ticket included lounge access, including the very decent UA business class (non-*G) lounge; though not sure whether it’s the same terminal.
– The flight was on time (otherwise he’d be moaning about the delay).
– There was food available and it was mostly edible (if unremarkable).
– There were no shenanigans with loud staff and/or Y pax invading the F cabin (again he’d have made sure to mention them).
– The passenger flew in his ticketed cabin, no funny business with aircraft swaps or pilots nabbing seats, and the seat could recline as it should.
-Decent amenity kits and pyjamas were available.
So a foreign outstation aircraft cleaning contractor didn’t do a good job and some software decided to not play ball for a few hours. That’s obviously not ideal, but I think that most people who travel with any regularity have faced much worse situations.
This isn’t a unique situation. My mother has flown F with Air India multiple times before. IFE routinely doesn’t work and the cabin is worn out and frequently dirty. The only reason she did was award availability. But she held her nose redeeming those 120K miles.
Even on the new planes with new seats?
I get it, AI isn’t the best airline out there. But, at the end of the day, it’s all public transport. If you and your stuff get there safely and on time, manage to catch a good night’s sleep, and refrain from starving and/or dehydrating during your trip, it can’t have been a complete disaster.
I don’t buy airline tickets expecting Michelin-starred tasting menus, constant proactive refills of my champagne (or even sparkling water), Amouage cosmetics or Balmain pyjamas. Sure, I do appreciate good amenities and thoughtful service, but I am not going to boycott an airline because they serve underwhelming omelettes for breakfast, because their FAs don’t speak perfect English, or because they don’t serve good coffee in the lounge. If it gives me an opportunity to travel comfortably using my miles and/or for a good price, I’m happy to consider it. A few crumbs around a cabin aren’t the end of the world, particularly when KLM are allowed to operate lounges where open buffets coexist with mice for years on end (let’s see who can get a refund for that!).
I flew Sydney to Delhi in June in biz class on air India. Then vistara on to Frankfurt. Chalk and cheese in the quality of the cabins. I knew what I was getting on air India (a lot of tape and dirt) but I enjoyed the flight. Good food and a big footwell. It was 5/10 but I guess I knew this in advance so I wasn’t shocked.
If you’re a travel blogger and plumping out those points or dollars you’d have to be aware of what’s coming? It’s like complaining about a domestic flight in Africa.
Btw you can combine vistara and air India on one award via aeroplan. Not a bad deal if you are looking for an interesting back to back comparison for a review 🙂
You might wanna hurry considering Vistara will be absorbed into Air India circa mid-November…
I’m sure that there are some dodgy carriers around, but my domestic flights in Mozambique and South Africa (admittedly not a huge number of them) have been more enjoyable than the European equivalents!
Ha yes! I’ve had some good flights in Africa and Asia domestically too now that I really think about it.
Yah was gonna say, the onboard product of Air Senegal (not delays wise), Air Cote d’Ivoire, Airlink, Ethiopian, LAM, Kenya, Rwanda air have all been pretty good. Airlink is exceptionally good with really good food in economy on their flights. Miles better than any other continent bar Asia IMO
Matthew, step up. An F review flight please of whatever the longest AI flight that offers First.
@ Matthew — Really? That would be pretty pathetic of you to do.
Patehtic to reivew Air India?
I’ve got a buiness class review coming up on this Asia trip report.
I hope you do review Air India. Would be interesting to see if it’s really as bad as portrayed. And then you can fly back on something interesting like PIA or Biman Bangladesh.
I think means pathetic to fly it hoping for a refund after a bad review
If you’re getting a ex Turkish airlines or etihad product, or hopefully one of the newer AI cabins you should be fine. If it’s a legacy cabin even god won’t be able to save you. lol
I am entitled to free flights on Air India and I still don’t use them longhaul. 🙂
Is this just because of subpar service, or do you have any concerns around safety etc?
I’ve only flown Air India business but I can confirm it is as bad as its reputation. Everything: dirty planes, surly crew, terrible website, lost luggage, punitive ticketing policies, non-existent customer service at airports. So bad, it is hard to imagine it isn’t intentional, like a coordinated, concerted effort is put into its badness.
If it was not American, air india wouldn’t have paid a dime. They are afraid that they will be sued so they reimbursed. Tata got it for free , so they don’t value the name or brand
Such a gross airline.