#1  
Old Jul 23, 2011, 7:16 PM
debair debair is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2
Default Air India - Do NOT fly with them. They do no care about passengers.

It is with deep regret that I have to inform you that the services rendered by Air India staff is heartrending.
Let me jot down the problems I had to face during my travel from US to Delhi to Kolkata on 14/15 Nov 2010

1. In the US to Delhi flight (AI102), the sound of the TV/Movie in my row of seats was not functioning. Nobody in that row could watch a movie or play a song. Imagine the dilemma and the frustration when you board a long flight home and you have to end up sitting looking at the flight ceiling. Not sure how it was went without being checked and fixed by the ground staff before the flight took off.

2. After landing in Delhi around 4:30 PM on 15th Nov, began the saga of suffering, confusion, negligence on the part of Air India staff. Firstly, the connecting flight (AI680) cancellation from Delhi to Kolkata was not informed till late into the night (3 hours - it was 8 PM when we came to know). None of the Air India staff was available to inform us of any further action to be taken in lieu of the cancellation.
Secondly, after we were able to get hold of some staff, we were made to wait and wait on every step for hours together without having any clear process or agenda in place. We were made to wait in the immigration (3 hrs - it was 11 PM when we got out of immigration) because there were no Air India staff with us and when they were they did not know what to do.
Thirdly, after we finally managed to be immigrated we went to collect luggage which due to mis-management were not to be found and finally when most of us found them, they were made to sit in the bus for hours (3 hrs - it was 2 AM on 15th Nov when the bus left for hotel). In between, we were not told of the hotel name nor about next day's flight ticket process or anything that would be needed for us to take a comfortable flight home. We were stranded in the luggage area without a SINGLE Air India staff available to help us or address our concern. It was VERY VERY FRUSTRATING! I had my mother of 64 years old who had no place to lie down for hours.
While most of the passengers got their luggage and were waiting in the bus, some of us were still looking for our luggage. When finally we found them (some registered lost baggage complains), we found out that the bus had left for hotel without taking us. We then had to book a Toyota Van and go to the hotel on our own. By the time we reached the (wrong) hotel Centaur, it was 3 AM.
Fourthly, we left for airport at 4:30 AM to catch the 6:30 AM domestic flight to Kolkata. In the airport, we found that we were not allowed to enter because we did not have any ticket/boarding pass etc. The Air India counters had no clue what we were talking about. After much much shouting and requests, we fought ourselves in. Then began another round of shouting at the Air India boarding pass counter. The Air India staff there also did not have any idea about our so called reservation. After a hell lot of cries and shouts and pleading we got our tickets few minutes before boarding. Also, I have to mention that there was lot of issues with allowing such large checked in luggage (from international flights).

SO what I get from the above is that Air India does not own responsibility and does not know how to carry them to satisfy customers. The highlight of this whole issue is that they are no where to be found when needed for all faults of their own and no faults of ours (or maybe we did make a fault by taking Air India flight). The passengers had to spend grueling hours from 4:30 PM on 14th Nov till 2 AM on 15th Nov before we were taken to a hotel.

It has made me rethink in making Air India as my future travel partner. I will never ever travel with AirIndia again.
  #2  
Old Jul 24, 2011, 8:26 AM
cortney cortney is offline
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Air India is THE WORST airline out there....even delta is better. they dont care about their passengers. last year my coworkers and i were flying them from ORD-FRA (company paid for the tickets...and since they were the cheapest tickets, this is what we were stuck with) long story short the agent told my friend and i we were not as important as their other passengers...we had full fare non refundable tickets!! i was in shock. we both wrote letters to air india and our travel department. this was not the first time we (my other coworkers and i) complained about air india to our travel dept. thankfully we are no longer allowed to fly them!! YAY!! their food is crap, service is shotty, planes smell, seats are hard as a rock, entertainment system barely works...its awful!
  #3  
Old Sep 1, 2011, 6:26 PM
sachin sachin is offline
 
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you need to travel on more international flights to discover how good Air India is. At least they have staff that listen and try to help (when they are around )
  #4  
Old Sep 2, 2011, 3:50 PM
cortney cortney is offline
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their flight crews are pretty good. i have flown internationally on delta, united, continental, air india, aer lingus, american, gulf air, etihad airlines, Kuwait Air, Lufthansa to name a few....worst has always been air india with aer lingus in a close second. now the other guy at the air india counter at the gate was nice, heard and saw what the agent said to us at the ticket counter and gave us 2 aisle seats we had asked for at check in....but still SOOOOO happy our company wont let us fly them anymore
  #5  
Old Sep 2, 2011, 5:54 PM
sachin sachin is offline
 
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Posts: 5
Cool

Well, i certainly understand how a rude airline staff can really put one off - yet I'm surprised you faced this on Air India, Cortney.

From my experience on Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Gulf Air, British Airways, Lufthansa (also flown single flights on many others but dont want to make a judgement based on 1 flight) - Air India wins hands down in terms of staff responsiveness, helpful attitude and genuine care (Lufthansa is on the other end of the specturm here).
I mean I've never ever seen staff go out their way to help on any other airline but it happens consistently on Air India - once I witnessed an Air Indian air hostess putting a baby to sleep (taking care of the baby for at least 5 minutes) while a mother managed her other 2 toddlers. (I am talking about economy class - in business/first class, all airlines are more responsive).

I agree their planes on average are not as good (you must have unfotunately been on of the really bad ones cortney). They definitely cant compete with say Emirates with their aging fleet (Yet, I've been on a couple of routes where Air India has brand planes with outstanding seats, entertainment, food quality ).

But while aircraft/equipment quality is very importamt, I am of the opinion that when you have a bad day, a fellow human beings warmth is whats most important.

Hope you have better flights ahead!
  #6  
Old Sep 2, 2011, 8:19 PM
cortney cortney is offline
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thanks. i have my good flights and bad flights on all airlines...just air india tops it off. no airline is perfect and no airline will ever be perfect.
  #7  
Old Nov 18, 2011, 6:17 AM
mote-d mote-d is offline
 
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This seems to be a problem with Indian airlines generally. i fly regularly between London and Bangkok and on my last trip had planes cancelled by both Kingfisher and Jet. Kingfisher were the worst - just simple things like making sure we were informed and there were staff on hand. Also the planes on the inter asia part of the flight are worse than a London bus, sometimes with no food or drinks or entertainment, and plastic seats. I have also had two trips with Jet, Mumbai to London, where the screesnwhere not working for the entire row - just like you had, except that on one flight they were even labelled as not working!
  #8  
Old Dec 11, 2011, 1:13 PM
Ganesh Ganesh is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 3
Default Air India Is A Dead Airline

It's been years since I stopped flying AIR INDIA...Its a dead airline ridden in debt, operated by lazy, unprofessional people and drunk pilots!
  #9  
Old Dec 14, 2011, 6:40 AM
victoria stiles victoria stiles is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Australia
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Yes, I have also herd about the bad and unsatisfactory services by Air-India.
  #10  
Old Dec 29, 2011, 6:53 AM
samson smith samson smith is offline
 
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I am not hear about drunk pilots, but many times air India flights are delayed due to the technical problems in airplanes and many other security reasons.
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