(image-Instagram/virdas)
New Delhi: Emmy-winning comedian Vir Das on Tuesday slammed Air India following a distressing ordeal during a Mumbai-to-Delhi flight. Das claimed that despite paying Rs 50,000 for a premium seat, he got a broken table, broken leg rests, and a seat stuck in a reclined position in an allegedly “newly refurbished” flight.
Taking to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Das stated that they had booked Pranaam meet-and-greet services and a wheelchair, as his wife had a foot fracture. The comedian recounted that after landing in Delhi on the AI816 flight, they didn’t receive the wheelchair service they had booked. Instead, they were told to descend the aircraft via a stepladder.
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Calling himself a “lifetime loyalist” of Air India, which had the “nicest cabin crew in the sky”, Das expressed pain while narrating his awful experience with the airline.
When Das asked the air hostesses to assist his wife while he carried four bags, she allegedly looked at him cluelessly. When he asked a male ground personnel of Air India for help, he alleged that the employee simply shrugged and ignored him.
“My wife with a fracture makes it down the stepladder,” he said.
When Das complained about the situation to an Air India staff member near the buses, he replied, “Sir kya karein…sorry (What can we do, sir…sorry)”.
Things kept getting worse when the couple was inside the terminal. Though Encalm, an airport service provider, was responsible for the wheelchair arrangement, the staff seemed unaware of the booking.
“There’s wheelchairs everywhere. No staff because the flight is late,” he wrote. In the end, Das grabbed a chair and wheeled his wife to baggage claim and then out of the airport to the parking lot.
The comedian concluded his complaint with a message for Air India: “Anyway. One of your wheelchairs is on the second floor of the parking in Delhi. Do claim it. Cheers.”
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, 2025
Air India replied to Das with its standard message: “Dear Mr. Das, we understand and empathize with the experience. Please share us the booking details via DM for us to look into this on priority.”
After the comedian provided the details three hours later, Air India stated that it would check them on priority, requesting time for the same.
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One X user remarked, “Air India se jaane se acha hai aadmi paidal chala jaye.”
Several others recounted similar experiences with the airline. “Air India does not care about accessibility for people in need. I was made to wait for 25 minutes with my 1.5 years old daughter at the gate of the plane because the uninformed staff were not clear about the rules of carrying a foldable travel baby stroller on the plane. And this was business class. In trying to serve the masses, they ignore the special needs of people. Why? Because that leads to no marginal increase in the revenue,” said one netizen.
Yet another netizen quipped, “Oh, @airindia, truly setting the gold standard for “accessibility” here—making a woman with a foot fracture navigate a stepladder while your staff perfect their shrugging skills. Maybe next time Vir books a wheelchair, you’ll throw in a treasure map to find it? Stellar service, guys.”
