Honestly, I have a much greater fear of biting into a cockroach on a plane than my plane ever crashing. One airline passenger encountered a massive cockroach in his lunch…and flight attendants just ignored him when he complained.
With all due respect, of course this occurred on Air India, the airline that just never seems to have its act together. Rohit Raj Singh Chauhan was traveling on AI634 from Bhopal, in the central state of Madhya Prades, to Mumbai. After takeoff, breakfast was served…sambar, a lentil-based vegetable stew. Unfortunately for Chauhan, he found his stew wasn’t actually vegetarian…because a big, dead, cockroach was floating in it.
Cockroach In Food Served At Air India #Bhopal #Mumbai flight @airindiain @News18India @News18lokmat @CNNnews18 pic.twitter.com/Po6n6wUxo1
— Manoj Khandekar (@manojkhandekar) February 2, 2019
And here’s what gets me. He reported it to the crew, who allegedly just ignored him. He apparently pleaded with them to stop serving meals and they just shrugged and continued the meal service. As flight attendants continued to serve meals, Chauhan wrote out a complaint note and told the Times of India he forced the crew to sign it. Good luck with that in the USA…
After the flight, he took to social media to complain about the incident. Meanwhile, Air India downplays the incident, stating it never received a formal complaint. Well, yeah…
CONCLUSION
Each week my Meal of the Week post looks at an in-flight meal I have been served over the years. I hope the worst I ever have to report are the moldy grapes on United Airlines.
On a serious note, I just have no desire to fly Air India. It’s the only Star Alliance carrier I have not flown and I know it is time…but there’s something about the rat and cockroach incidents that make me so adverse to stepping onto a flight.
My mind is going to The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair…
If you fly Air India, that’s just part of the “premium” experience you’ve come to expect.
Disgusting… :/
@Matthew, wow, that’s really gross. While I think it’d be great to read a review from you on Air India, there are plenty of horror stories out there already. No need to subject yourself to them!
Btw, “averse” is probably the word you meant to use. 😉
Thanks for sharing that. In fact I wonder why it’s still in the star alliance due it substandard service as most of other airlines are well over the average except for United.
Also do you have any reviews on China southern business/first to/from Guangzhou to USA on 773/789 or 388? I have only seen China eastern reviews from you.
Thanks for keeping us posted about latest stuff!!
Why as soon as I saw the title I thought
“That’s something you’d get on Air India”
They really need to get their act together as this is likely part of the reason no one wants to purchase the airline.
You eat this kind of thing every day: everyone does. It’s in food processing and packaging, from bits of bees in honey to spiders legs and flies in many items, to the carapaces of insects and bugs in rice , grains, cereals, vegetable. Of course, it’s more rare to get the whole cockroach rather than mere pieces.
Matthew, I love your blog but a correction – it’s Madhya Pradesh not Prades. I flew AI domestic every week for 3 years and it’s not bad at all. In fact, seats have decent legroom, spectacular domestic lounge at Mumbai airport (if you are Star Gold), extra baggage even as a non-status holding passenger etc.
You couldn’t pay me to fly Air India.