5 days Ago By Online Desk
Comedian Vir Das on Tuesday criticised Air India after what he called a disappointing experience on a flight from Mumbai to Delhi. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he said he paid Rs 50,000 per seat, but still got a broken table, broken leg rests, and a seat that was stuck in a reclined position.Das also said that his wife, who has a fractured foot, did not receive a wheelchair even though they had pre-booked the service.
Air India responded, saying that the cabin crew did offer help, including an option to use the 'ambulift' - a special vehicle used to help passengers with reduced mobility to get off the plane.The airline added that there was a “delay, not denial” in giving wheelchair help due to “unusually high demand” for wheelchairs and fewer staff at that time.“We understand the guests’ frustration, especially with the mobility issue, and admit that the experience did not meet expectations,” Air India said in a statement.
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, 2025Das, who was travelling with his wife, said, “Dear Air India, please reclaim your wheelchair.
I’ve always supported your airline. Your cabin crew are the nicest in the sky, which makes it even harder for me to write this.”He added, “Broken table, broken leg rests, her seat is stuck reclined and won’t straighten.
We were told the flight is ‘newly refurbished’. Two hours late, we get off in Delhi and are told it’s a stepladder. Again, wheelchair and Encalm (the airport meet-and-greet service) were pre-booked.
”Das said he asked the air hostesses at the front of the plane to help his wife while he carried four bags, but they just looked at each other silently. When they reached the top of the stepladder, he asked an Air India ground staff member for help. “He looked at me, shrugged, and ignored me,” he said.
As a result, his wife had to walk down the stepladder on her own, despite having a fracture.Das then told another Air India staff member near the buses about what had happened. “He said ‘Sir kya karein.
.. sorry’ (Sir, what do we do.
.. sorry),” Mr Das wrote.
Once inside the terminal, the Encalm staff told the wheelchair team that the service had been pre-booked. “He was clueless. There were wheelchairs everywhere but no staff, because the flight was late,” he added.
Das ended up grabbing a wheelchair himself and pushing his wife all the way to baggage claim and then out to the parking area. “Encalm told Air India what was happening. No one showed up.
Anyway, one of your wheelchairs is on the second floor of the Delhi parking. Do collect it,” he said.The comedian also asked Air India to come and take back their wheelchair.
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