- SFODELCCU ^Open

AMIT KUMAR SAHA filed this complaint against Air India Airlines on Dec 15, 2020

My trip was SFO-DEL-CCU, starting on *.** AM on Dec. **, and scheduled landing on Dec. **. SFO-DEL: The check in process went smoothly at SFO. But then things started going south. delayed boarding, inflight consoles not working, and there were parts falling off inside the plane (literally)! I requested the air hostesses FIVE TIMES to turn off the consoles so that I don’t have to stare at the AI logo, but there was simply no response. While some part of the shortcomings in service can be attributed to the current circumstances, overall it was quite bad. But the worst part happened in my transit in Delhi! DELHI AIRPORT: Air India's carry on luggage policy suddenly changed in Delhi and they made me trash and reshuffle items, despite being cleared from SFO! Then they could not find my reservation. I had a confirmed ticket (email literally stating “CONFIRMED”), which I showed to the rep. I also did web check-in to facilitate the process, since this was an urgent trip, and I just did not have the mental bandwidth to deal with issues at the airport! I was shuffled several times between * helpdesks! They told me to come back in * hours! They held on to my checked luggages, without giving me any receipt or counter foil; the rep also printed out my boarding pass! But for some mysterious reason, she was unwilling to give it to me! When I told them I have been travelling for ~** hrs, she told me to return after *.* hours! When I got super bugged after *.* hrs, the rep told me “its because you are flying on Friday”! I was shocked at this unprofessional behavior and was livid! If that is the case, AI should put such a notice on their website! WHY THE HELL DO YOU HAVE THE WEB CHECK-IN OPTION? WHY HARASS PASSENGERS LIKE THIS? And if you are pulling a stunt like this, the passenger should also have the option to pay only when they get the boarding pass! THE HARASSMENT DID NOT END HERE! While boarding the flight (DEL-CCU), they changed my seat again! (this was the third change). As we were about to enter the flight, the personnel waiting at the gate wanted to make us pay for the carry on luggages, despite it being within the weight limit (they weighed ALL my bags TWICE). Air India website clearly states that in addition to * pc carry-on bag, certain personal items are allowed (list given on website). Not only was the attendant unwilling to accept this rule by their own airline, he was extremely rude! He said to the person in front of me that "THIS IS NOT A TRAIN". At that point, several passengers strongly protested, and noone was willing to take his nonsense any longer.
I booked my flight directly from Air India's website to avoid such issues, and booked a single itinerary, instead of individual reservations for the * segments of my journey! I WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS THE REASON FOR THIS HARASSMENT? AND THE THINGS THEY DID IN DELHI ARE PERHAPS BORDERLINE ILLEGAL!
NO WONDER THE AIRLINES IS IN SUCH DISMAL SHAPE!  THIS WAS THE FIRST AND THE LAST TIME I AM FLYING AIR INDIA VOLUNTARILY! I WOULD RECOMMEND EVERYONE TO AVOID AI IF POSSIBLE! In times of COVID, people prefer not taking any third country stop; in such a case UNITED AIRLINES is probably a better bet if flying from USA! I have not flown United recently, but it would be hard to beat the terrible service by AI! TRULY INHUMAN BEHAVIOR! THEY HAVE NO CONSIDERATION TOWARDS THEIR PASSENGERS WHO HAVE BEEN ON THE ROAD FOR ALMOST A WHOLE DAY, and literally hours to go for their journey! 
Please look into this, and ensure that we do not have to face such harassment, and unnecessary anxiety.

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