Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday condemned Air India for inadequate seat management after he received a broken seat, questioning whether the airline was deceiving its passengers.
Taking to X, the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister recounted his experience, stating, “Today I needed to travel from Bhopal to Delhi, inaugurate the Kisan Mela in Pusa, conduct a meeting of the Natural Farming Mission in Kurukshetra, and confer with the representatives of the Kisan Organisation in Chandigarh. I had reserved a ticket on Air India flight number AI436, and my assigned seat was 8C. I went and occupied the seat, but it was broken and sunken in. It was uncomfortable to sit on. ”
He also mentioned that when he asked the airline staff about the problem, they acknowledged that the management was already aware of the seat’s state and that it should not have been given to any passenger.
Although fellow passengers offered to change seats, Chouhan opted to stay in his designated seat to avoid causing inconvenience to others.
Nevertheless, he expressed his concerns regarding Air India’s service, saying, “I don’t mind sitting discomfort, but it is unethical to have passengers sit on bad and uncomfortable seats after charging them the full fare. Isn’t this deceiving the passengers? ”
Chouhan conveyed his disappointment, indicating that he had anticipated improvements in Air India’s service after the Tata Group’s acquisition but felt disillusioned.
He questioned the airline’s management, asking, “Will the Air India management take action to prevent any passenger from experiencing such inconvenience in the future, or will it keep exploiting the passengers’ need to arrive at their destination promptly? ”
Air India Responds
In response to Chouhan’s complaint, Air India released an official statement expressing regret for the incident.
“Air India sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused to Honorable Union Minister, Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan ji on his flight from Bhopal to Delhi,” said a spokesperson for the airline.
“This does not represent the standard of service we aim to provide to our guests, and we are undertaking a comprehensive investigation into the issue to guarantee that similar incidents do not occur again,” the statement added.
