Indian-American composer Ricky Kej, a three-time Grammy winner, has once more criticized Air India after allegedly enduring a nearly hour-long wait over excess baggage payment at the airport. Taking to his official X account, Kej recounted two incidents with the airline, marking the fifth issue he has faced within a year.
“I know some people will troll me for continuing to travel with such a terrible airline, but I’ll keep giving them chances and criticizing their mistakes until they improve,” he posted on X.
Kej shared that the first incident occurred on September 14 while he was flying from Delhi to Bengaluru. He mentioned arriving at the Air India check-in counter, where the attendant seemed distracted. Having not slept for two days after a concert at the ITC Maurya, he offered to pay for his overweight bag but was directed to a different counter, a considerable distance away.
“They refused to bring a wireless payment machine to the check-in counter like other airlines do,” Kej explained. After multiple attempts and being told he could either wait or go to a distant ticketing counter, he insisted on paying at the check-in desk.
After 50 minutes of back-and-forth, the counter staff eventually agreed to process his payment with a wireless machine, allowing him to board his flight just in time. Kej described this experience as indicative of a “systemic issue” at Air India, expressing frustration over the treatment of loyal customers.
Kej detailed a second incident during a flight from Mumbai to San Francisco on September 20. He noted that one of the flight attendants repeatedly turned off a passenger’s blue service light while engrossed in conversation with colleagues, displaying a lack of responsiveness to customer needs.
After the blue light was turned off multiple times, Kej confronted the flight attendant, suggesting she should check on the passenger who needed assistance. He criticized the apathy exhibited by the flight crew, labeling it as a deeper problem within the airline.
“I will continue to fly Air India, but I expect more stories like this unless improvements are made,” he remarked, adding that he genuinely hopes for the airline’s success.
In response to Kej’s complaints, Air India expressed regret over the inconvenience he experienced and stated they are thoroughly investigating the matter. They assured him that appropriate action would be taken.
Kej’s criticism follows a previous incident where he was downgraded from business class without a refund, marking a troubling trend in his experiences with the airline.
