The issue of poor seats on Air India continues to persist with the latest case reported in Canada-bound airlines. Business class passengers were allocated seats on which Air India had placed a sticker, advising passengers not to sit on them, as they were deemed out of service. When passengers objected to being booked on these seats, the crew advised them to either disembark or sit in economy class, Jagran.com reported.
There was an argument between the passengers and the crew, but in the end, the passengers reluctantly agreed to travel on the out-of-service seat.
Passengers accused the crew of not listening to their complaints properly. They said that when they raised their objections, the crew was initially unwilling to listen, but when other passengers supported them, the crew reluctantly started to pay attention.
The passengers argued that they could not complete a 14-hour journey sitting on such a seat. In response, the crew suggested they move to the economy class seats. The passengers questioned why they should travel in economy class after paying for business class tickets. The crew then told them that they could disembark from the flight if they wished, and would be refunded a portion of their fare. They emphasised that the trip was important for them because it was tied to several pre-scheduled events, hotel bookings, etc.
Another issue for passengers was the flight delay. The flight, which was scheduled to depart at 3:15 pm, eventually took off at 7:40 pm for Toronto, a delay of over four hours.
Earlier, former Punjab minister Sikandar Singh Maluka had expressed his displeasure with the condition of the seats on this very flight to Canada. He was supposed to travel to Toronto on March 25 and mentioned that many seats in business class were either broken or damaged, with some seats unable to recline. Previously, during Air India's flight AI 436 from Bhopal to New Delhi, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan also faced the issue of poor seats and expressed his frustration on social media.
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Air India's stance on this issue is that typically, poor seats are not allocated. However, when demand for seats increases significantly, sometimes such seats are allocated. An investigation is underway to understand why this occurred in this particular case. The crew members have addressed the issue, and passenger comfort is their priority. Overflight delay, the airline said an unexpected medical emergency involving a female passenger was witnessed. She was examined by a doctor, who advised her not to travel. As a result, her luggage was offloaded from the plane.