Air India has come under fire after a lawyer raised a complaint regarding the airline’s treatment of his partner’s elderly parents. The couple, both heart patients, were scheduled to fly together to Newark, New Jersey. However, Air India unilaterally altered their travel plans, placing them on different flights to separate destinations on different dates.
Dushyant Arora took to X (formerly Twitter) to detail the distressing experience faced by his partner’s parents. According to Arora, the couple was set to depart for Newark on Wednesday. However, when they attempted to check in the night before, they discovered that their tickets had been changed without prior notice. The husband’s flight was rerouted to New York, while the wife was still set to travel to Newark, but on a different day.
Full refund- why, did you earn a hefty differential selling those tickets at a premium price?
What about their anguish and the differential they will have to pay now if they want to fly? You should be putting them on another flight – same flight- same and correct destination-…
— Dushyant Arora (@atti_cus) June 19, 2024
Arora expressed his frustration and concern, stating that no one from Air India had contacted them about the changes. “No one even bothered to call,” he wrote. “They had to cancel their tickets—mother’s first time flying abroad—she doesn’t want to fly alone. Just imagine.”
In response to the viral post, Air India addressed the complaint publicly on X, acknowledging the issue and stating that they had processed a full refund as requested by the customer. “Dear Sir, please be assured that we never intend to disrupt our customers’ travel plans and regret that this situation occurred. We have just spoken with the primary customer booked in the PNR and have processed a full refund as per their request,” the airline posted.
However, Arora was not satisfied with this resolution. He argued that the refund did not address the inconvenience and emotional distress caused to the elderly couple. He insisted that Air India should rebook them on a single flight, departing on the same day and arriving at the same correct destination. “What about their anguish and the differential they will have to pay now if they want to fly? You should be putting them on another flight – same flight – same and correct destination – same day – since that needs to be spelled out,” he responded.
The incident has sparked a discussion on social media about the importance of customer service and the need for airlines to handle such sensitive situations with greater care and communication.