Bhopal, February 22: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has strongly criticized Air India for assigning him a "broken and sunk" seat on a flight, labeling the practice as "unethical." He expressed concern over the airline charging passengers full fare while providing defective seating.
Chouhan shared his experience on social media, which prompted Air India to apologize for the inconvenience.
The minister was traveling from Bhopal to Delhi to attend several events, including the inauguration of a farmers' fair in Pusa, a meeting on the Natural Farming Mission in Kurukshetra, and discussions with farmer representatives in Chandigarh. He was on Air India flight AI436 from Bhopal to Delhi.
Chouhan revealed that when he took his seat, number 8C, he found it to be broken and uncomfortable. "It was sunk, making it difficult to sit," he wrote. He raised the issue with the flight crew, who informed him that the seat's poor condition had already been reported to the management, and it should not have been assigned to passengers.
According to Chouhan, multiple seats on the flight were similarly damaged. "Other passengers urged me to switch to a better seat, but I didn’t want to inconvenience anyone, so I stayed in my seat," he shared.
The Union minister expressed disappointment, noting that he had hoped for better service from Air India after it was acquired by Tata. "While I am not concerned about my own discomfort, charging passengers full fare for defective seats is unethical," he remarked. "Isn’t this a form of deception?"
Chouhan also questioned whether the airline's management would take steps to prevent such issues in the future or continue to take advantage of passengers’ need to reach their destinations.
Air India responded to his complaint on social media, saying, "Dear Sir, we apologize for the inconvenience caused. Please be assured that we are looking into this matter carefully to prevent any such occurrences in the future. We would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you."
