Air India

✅ Trip Verified |   The airport check in process is a nightmare. The weighing machines at the check in counters have 1.75 kg error. I trust this is a planned scam. I know this because all my bags were weighed more than the actual weight. I had an international connection from New Delhi and when my bags we’more weighed again at the Delhi International airport they weighed 1.75 kg less for each bag. If the payment for excess baggage exceeds 1000INR than the payment machine stops working and the passenger is asked to pay in cash. Then the invoice printer stops working. So at the end of the day you will be wrongly charged for excess baggage weight, you will need to pay in cash and don’t expect to get any receipts for the payment. Being elite or business class customers will not change the unprofessional and frustrated attitude of the airport check in staff.

✅ Trip Verified | The check in process was horrible. The business class counter was busy serving economy class. I was asked by the staff to check in at the premium economy counter. I had booked a flexible business class ticket and my luggage allowance was 35 kg. The check-in employee working at premium economy did not understood the luggage allowance for business class and asked me to pay extra for being over 20 kg luggage. I showed him my tickets and the 35 kg luggage allowance was clearly mentioned, but he still did not understood. He pressurised me to pay extra for the luggage. I refused to be checked in and spoke to the staff and went back to the really long queue waiting at business class counter. During check-in at the business class counter, I was informed that the premium economy check-in person has already added an overweight luggage alert to my ticket and I will have to pay extra even though I was well within the allowed luggage allowance. More than 1 hour was already wasted in this process and I was getting late for the flight. The premium economy check in-person left his desk and approached me and asked me to pay in cash and no receipt was provided. I asked to speak to a senior or a customer complaints team member, but this premium economy person informed that if I wanted to lodge a complaint I could email the customer care. I had to pay him cash to clear the overweight alert and to process my boarding pass. Overall an absolutely absolutely disgusting experience with Air India business class.

Not Verified | Worst Business Class experience ever!! Not sure how you can justify these seats as a business class and the price associated with it. Tiny seat, barely more leg room than economy seats. I understand using these small planes for short domestic flights but for a 4 and a half hour international flight completely inappropriate and a total rip off for customers paying for a business class experience, especially tall passengers. The airline has to really sort out their priorities in terms of aircraft for international flights, the worst I have experienced which is saying something considering I fly 200 days a year, will never fly this airline again!

✅ Trip Verified | Despite booking business class and clearly indicating my medical condition, Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation (NVAF), my request for a wheelchair and special assistance was blatantly ignored. Instead, I was herded into a crowded bus for transfer to the aircraft, a scenario that was suffocating and physically taxing. Upon reaching the aircraft, there was no aerobridge provided, forcing passengers to climb steep stairs. The in-flight experience was equally horrendous. My food was watery, with a foul odor, rendering it inedible. The state of hygiene onboard was alarming, with unclean seats and poorly maintained restrooms. The flight was delayed without any proper communication or updates. The sheer lack of efficiency, respect, and professionalism demonstrated by Air India at every step—from ground handling to onboard services was appalling.

Not Verified | While going from SFO - BOM the flight was new and good. Coming back from DEL - SFO, it was the old, dirty, broken seats. The crew have 2 uniforms, one in blue and the other in Red. The crew in Red give you warm feeling but the ones in blue look at you like you are making them do chores if you event ask for a glass of water. Not sure whats going on there. AI is fine for Domestic in India unless you need customer service then you are screwed. I am giving my ratings based on my return journey. I had pleasant experience when I flew to India but I have seen coming back you can get disgruntled crew, no one to assist you at the US airports.

✅ Trip Verified | I had a traumatic experience as the ground staff only told me that there was a problem with my luggage when I was already in the boarding gate. I was in the lounge 4 hours before flight and they did not tell me. When my luggage arrived the airline did not deliver the luggage and asked me to pick it up myself.

✅ Trip Verified | The plane I flew in was really old. They had tape on the seats to hold it together. The mechanism to make the seats go flat and back worked intermittently as best. Dealing with their customer service is like dealing with Indian bureaucracy. They quoted me 180 dollars for third bag online. When I went to counter, the price jumped to 313 dollars.

Not Verified | After the takeover of Air India, I made a commitment to fly only with Air India as a show of support for Tata, an organization that has contributed so much to my country. I was aware that the airline faced challenges, but I chose them nonetheless. On a recent flight, however, I was unexpectedly downgraded from business class to economy because my selected seat, along with two others, had been non-operational for several days. Shockingly, the airline still allowed me to select this faulty seat, and there was no mention of the issue during check-in. The flight experience was extremely disappointing. The seats had clearly been out of service for some time, yet no efforts were made to address the issue. With only a one-hour turnaround time, it seemed clear that maintenance was neglected. Being downgraded with no alternative options provided—such as rerouting through Mumbai or Delhi—felt completely unacceptable. The service, both on the ground and in the air, was unprofessional and disappointing, reminiscent of the old government-run days. This experience has left me deeply dissatisfied.

✅ Trip Verified | I flew from Sydney to Delhi on flight AI301 and the experience was extremely poor, unacceptable service from the onboard crew throughout the flight. Before take off a ground crew member came onboard to inform me the entertainment system at my seat was not working. I was given the following 3 options: Option #1 They would try and get me on a flight the next day. I was traveling for business with multiple meetings booked for my arrival in Delhi which could not be changed. I declined this offer. Option #2 downgrade to economy. I declined this offer. Option #3 sign a form giving me Rs 10,000 credit, approximately $180AUD. I accepted this offer however considering my flight was 12 hours with no entertainment the compensation offered was extremely disappointing, inadequate and not reflective of the situation I was faced with. The most shocking part of the flight which was completely inappropriate were the crew members that took their sleep breaks in seat E & F of row 1 business class seats. In total I counted 6 different crew taking their sleep breaks for around 45min - 1hour with some even changing into sleepwear. Absolutely appalling! I did not pay a full business class fare to be seated in a crew rest area, unexceptionable and disgraceful. At what stage of air travel did crew sleep in passenger seats let alone in business class. Throughout my flight it was exceedingly difficult to get a crew members attention, even after pressing my call button crew would walk straight pass my seat which I witnessed this among other passengers as well. I had to get up from me seat twice during my flight to go and ask a crew member in the galley for assistance. Non of the crew were helpful or polite and I was made to feel like I was an inconvenience to their journey. I contact Air India via email following my flight regarding the crew taking their rest breaks in the Business Class cabin, astonishingly I was informed that “crew are permitted to rest in vacant seats”. So unless you want to sit next to the crew taking it their rest breaks I recommend avoiding Air India.

Not Verified | My husband left his passport at home and is flying Air India 16/09/24. The staff at check in desk kept on pushing for him to board right till the doors were closing, checked his bag and all waited standby until I reached to bring his passport. Naveen Sikka, absolutely lovely man who helped my husband board as well as his colleagues who rushed him on to the plane, all incredible thank you all for your help! We won’t forget it! If it was any other airline they wouldn’t have even entertained it! Thanks again!