Passenger says he paid S$8K for ‘worst first-class cabin’ on Air India, gets refund

Man complains that Air India first-class cabin was ‘gross’ & in-flight entertainment was not working

While passengers who fork out money to fly in first class usually expect the royal treatment, an Air India passenger left feeling like a pauper instead.

Despite paying S$8,000, he said he had the “worst first-class cabin” experience ever.

Man flew for 15 hours in Air India first-class seat

Venture capitalist Anip Patel, founder of CaPatel Investments, related his negative experience in a TikTok video posted on 17 Sept that has since gained 2.7 million views.

He said he was on a non-stop flight from Chicago to Delhi — a journey of about 15 hours.

For a first-class seat, he paid US$6,300 (S$8,000) for a one-way ticket.

His seat was ‘gross’ & in poor condition

Off the bat, Mr Patel noticed that every compartment in his seat was “gross”, with unidentified items like hair and “things moving” in them.

Also, many parts were in poor condition, he said, adding:

Everything was ripped, ruined or had mildew on it.

Certainly not what one would expect in first-class surroundings.

He specifically pointed to a large smear on the seat cover, saying it could have easily been wiped off with Lysol.

Even the headphones provided to him were tangled and covered in mildew, he claimed.

He also had the impression that “everything was broken” as he saw tape on the walls seemingly holding stuff together.

He understood that things would experience wear and tear, he added, but the dereliction he encountered was “next level”.

30% of menu not available

The food provided little respite. While the menu looked “very promising”, 30% of the items were not available, he said.

They had only one of each item, he claimed, so it was “first come first served” even though there were only four passengers in the entire cabin.

He then quibbled that the nuts came before the tablecloth, which cabin crew forgot and added later.

He was also served samosas, which were “very average”.

But on the bright side, the soup was “absolutely delicious”.

In fact, it was the “only good thing on the flight”, he added.

In-flight entertainment & Wi-Fi not working

Worse was to come when the in-flight entertainment failed to work for the entire duration of the flight.

This was despite cabin crew resetting the system four or five times, he said.

This was “a nightmare” he added, considering the flight also had no Wi-Fi.

That meant he was forced to “raw-dog” for 15 hours — referring to a recent TikTok travel trend that means sitting on a flight without any entertainment, sleep, food or water.

He was hoping Air India had improved, but experience proved otherwise

In an Instagram post on the flight, Mr Patel said he had heard negative things about Air India in the past, but he was hoping it would have improved after new management took over.

Sadly, he was mistaken and the experience was “far from pleasant”.

He added that in addition to what he said in the video, he also saw leftover food and trash still in the cabin.

Describing it as a “pretty frustrating experience overall”, he warned passengers to be aware of this if they were planning to fly with the airline.

Man gets refund for entire flight

Netizens were appalled at Mr Patel’s story, with one asking him why he travelled on Air India instead of other options.

However, he replied that Air India offered the only direct flight between the two cities for him to make his event on time.

Many others advised him to ask for a refund, to which he responded on Instagram that Air India reached out to him despite him not filing a complaint with the airline.

Apparently, they had seen his video on social media and refunded his entire flight, he said.

This may have placated him somewhat, as he said that the airline “did make it right and it’s worth noting”.

However, some netizens doubted they would do that for a passenger who wasn’t a social media content creator, while others felt that the “damage was done”.

One suggested that the airline “make it right for everyone” by upgrading all their planes so other passengers wouldn’t have to endure the same experience.

Also read: Water Drips From Overhead Storage On Air India Flight, Airline Apologises For ‘Rare Occurrence’

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Featured image adapted from @mondayswithmohan on TikTok.