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Air India Makes Elderly Woman Fly Economy Despite Business Class Ticket; Netizens Say, “Not An Isolated Incident”

A X (formerly Twitter) user shared how Air India made her mother travel in Economy Class despite having a Business Class ticket.

by Tashika Tyagi
Air India Makes Elderly Woman Fly Economy Despite Business Class Ticket; Netizens Say, “Not An Isolated Incident”

Have you ever had a free upgrade while travelling on a flight? Isn’t that just an amazing feeling? However, the opposite of it isn’t that appealing! Imagine booking a business class ticket for a long flight, only to find out that you have been downgraded while boarding. Not the most ideal scenario, is it? Sadly, that’s exactly what happened to an elderly lady flying with Air India recently. In a series of posts shared on X (formerly Twitter), it was revealed that the lady’s daughter had booked her a business-class flight from Delhi to Washington DC. However, Air India downgraded the woman’s seat to the Economy Class. What’s unfortunate is that it isn’t the first time people have experienced this with Air India. Many Netizens shared their personal experiences of similar last-minute seat changes with Air India.

Despite Business Class Ticket, Air India Downgrades Elderly Woman’s Seat

X (formerly Twitter) user, @baavri, booked a Business Class flight with Air India for her mother travelling from Delhi to Washington DC recently. However, the airline shifted her to economy class after boarding. As per the tweet, when asked about the downgrade, the elderly lady was first told that her “seat doesn’t recline”. She was then told that the seat was reserved for the crew member, only for her to find out that someone else was seated on her booked seat.

The lady’s daughter took to X (formerly Twitter) to narrate the entire incident. She called out the airline’s “ridiculous behaviour” and asked them to “do better” for their customers. Air India responded to the post and reassured them that they would be “investigating the matter on priority” with the airport team.

@baavri, later updated that Air India has decided to “compensate 75% of the fare” and give an “upgrade voucher” to them. She called this compensation a “joke” and even mentioned how the ground staff in Delhi “was extremely rude and behaved in a disgusting manner” with her mother. She further mentioned that she would be filing a formal complaint against the airline for this incident.

Also Read: Doctor, Cabin Crew & Passengers Save Life Of Middle-Aged Flyer On Air India Express Flight Mid-Air

Not The First For The Airline As Netizens Share Similar Experiences

air india woman seat downgrade
Image Courtesy: Canva (representative image)

Reacting to this post, many flyers with Air India revealed that this isn’t the first time that the airline has done this. Several people commented and shared their own experiences of a similar downgrade by Air India. Here are a few that you cannot miss.

There was also a lot of outrage against Air India online because of this incident. Many people also asked @baavri to file a complaint against the airline.

The entire situation definitely raises many questions about the airline’s management and ground staff. What’s your opinion on this entire row? Let us know in the comments!

Cover Image Courtesy: X/airindia & X/@baavri

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