Air India Delhi-New York Flight Under Trouble: Is Flying With Cockroaches on Flight The New Normal?

A United Nations diplomat has taken over his social media platform and has criticized the Air India flight for their poor services and state of maintenance. The official was traveling from New York to New Delhi and wrote on his Twitter handle about the presence of cockroaches and the absence of call buttons, entertainment, and reading lights on the flight.

He has shared on his Twitter that he has traveled across various parts of the world as a UN diplomat, but Air India 102 JFK to Delhi was his worst flight experience. The seats were not properly maintained with no reading lights, and a lack of hygiene was seen with cockroaches loitering around the seats. The aviation services have disregarded the convenience of the customers.

On Monday, the diplomat even asked for clarification for the workers of the Air India aviation services that how can the flight have cockroaches, and have no safety equipment onboard. He has questioned how a prominent aviation industry can be infested by cockroaches on a flight from New York to Delhi and is not equipped with standard Onboard safety equipment.

Air India’s Twitter handle has replied to the customer and has apologized for any inconvenience caused.

It is not the first incident involving poor passenger experience onboard an Air India flight. In 2019, Air India was caught in a controversy as a passenger reported the presence of a dead cockroach on his meal on a flight from Bhopal to Mumbai. The passenger even stated that the cabin crew ignored him when he complained about hygiene concerns.

The passenger has written a letter sharing his concerns, but the Air India officials have refuted the allegations mentioning that they did not receive any complaint.

Air India: The worst aviation service

Air India has been rated as the worst airline service because of valid reasons. The continued problems have been heavy for the aviation industry as they have been included as the third worst-rated airline service according to a survey conducted by a Poland-headquartered firm named FlightStats. The national carrier has refused the review and has disagreed with the report published by the firm. They have stated that the report was fabricated, and Air India will conduct a thorough investigation till the end.

The Portland-based firm’s survey emphasized issues with cabins, service quality, and flight delays. Taking the wrong airline can delay travel by 55%, while taking the right one can reduce travel time by 11% – a valid reason to choose one airline over the other.

 Sanjeev Kapoor, one of the celebrated chefs of India, has called out Air India for the poor quality food served on the Nagpur-Mumbai flight. He has taken over his Twitter platform, sharing pictures of the food served by the airline, questioning if it is the kind of food Indians can consume.

Recently, Air India has been fined with a penalty of 30 lakhs INR, and the pilot’s license has been suspended for three months by the Indian Civil Aviation Regulator concerning a flyer urinating on a Delhi passenger in a New York-Delhi Flight.

According to an official statement, the DGCA imposed a financial penalty of Rs 30 lakh on Air India and the Director-in-Flight Services “for contravention of appropriate Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs),” while the Pilot-In-licence commands were suspended for three months for “neglecting to discharge his duties” by the Aircraft Rules (1937) and applicable CARs.

The reactions of aviation industry experts to the DGCA action were mixed, with some questioning if the regulator has the authority to take such actions because its primary role is to ensure safety, while others felt that the Accountable Manager escaping without punishment was unjust. They believed that more than the monetary penalty, the incident and punishment had harmed Tata’s reputation and professionalism.

Air India has been accused of not caring for its customers. A french passenger has taken over his social media platform, stating that the aviation industry cancelled the flight from Paris to New York with the airplane lacking proper maintenance conditions and a poor lavatory.

The delay and sudden cancellation of the flight caused an uncomfortable situation for the passenger as he missed his connecting flight to Bombay and had to spend time at Delhi airport.

Air India is a prominent national carrier, but without proper maintenance or any care about the convenience of the customers, it would become a company to avoid.

edited and proofread by nikita sharma