'Isn't this cheating..?': Shivraj Singh Chouhan blasts Air India for allotting broken seat; airline apologises

Chouhan, a former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, took to X to express his dissatisfaction over Air India's service.

The Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister shared that when he reached out to the airline staff complaining about the seat, he learnt that it was not the only chair in the flight which was defective. 

Chouhan wrote on X, "... It was uncomfortable to sit." "When I asked the airline staff why the seat was allotted to me if it was bad, they told me that the management had been informed earlier that this seat was not good and its ticket should not be sold. There are not just one such seat but many more."

"My co-passengers requested me to change my seat and sit on a better seat but why should I trouble another friend for my sake, I decided that I would complete my journey by sitting on this same seat."

Chouhan said his conception that Tata taking over Air India, which was re-privatized in 2022, would improve the service proved to be wrong.

He said, "My impression was that Air India's service would have improved after Tata took over the management, but it turned out to be my misconception.

"I don't care about discomfort in sitting but it is unethical to make passengers sit on bad and uncomfortable seats after charging them full amount. Isn't this cheating the passengers?"

"Will the Air India management take steps to ensure that no passenger faces such inconvenience in future or will it continue to take advantage of the passengers' compulsion to reach their destination early?"

Airline responds

Responding to Chouhan's X post, Air India commented, "Dear Sir, we apologize for the inconvenience caused. Please be rest assured that we are looking into this matter carefully to prevent any such occurrences in the future. We would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you, kindly DM us a convenient time to connect."