Minister Shivraj Chouhan allotted broken seat on Air India, calls service 'unethical'; Airline apologises

New Delhi [India], February 22 (ANI): Union Agriculture Minister and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday raised concerns over Air India’s services, questioning the airline’s management over faulty seating arrangements and passenger inconvenience.

आज मुझे भोपाल से दिल्ली आना था, पूसा में किसान मेले का उद्घाटन, कुरुक्षेत्र में प्राकृतिक खेती मिशन की बैठक और चंडीगढ़ में किसान संगठन के माननीय प्रतिनिधियों से चर्चा करनी है।

मैंने एयर इंडिया की फ्लाइट क्रमांक AI436 में टिकिट करवाया था, मुझे सीट क्रमांक 8C आवंटित हुई। मैं जाकर…

— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) February 22, 2025

In a post on X, Chouhan shared his experience, stating, "Today I had to come from Bhopal to Delhi, inaugurate the Kisan Mela in Pusa, hold a meeting of the Natural Farming Mission in Kurukshetra and discuss with the representatives of the Kisan Organisation in Chandigarh. I had booked a ticket on Air India flight number AI436, I was allotted seat number 8C. I went and sat on the seat, the seat was broken and sunken in. It was uncomfortable to sit."

Highlighting his conversation with the airline staff, he added, "When I asked the airline staff why the seat was allotted to me if it was bad, they told me that the management had been informed earlier that this seat was not good and its ticket should not be sold. There is not just one seat but many more. My co-passengers requested me to change my seat and sit on a better seat but why should I trouble another friend for my sake, I decided that I would complete my journey by sitting on this same seat." 

In the post, he further questioned Air India's services, writing, "My impression was that Air India's service would have improved after Tata took over the management, but it turned out to be my misconception. I don't care about sitting discomfort, but it is unethical to make passengers sit on bad and uncomfortable seats after charging them the full amount. Isn't this cheating the passengers?" 

Urging corrective action, he remarked, "Will the Air India management take steps to ensure that no passenger faces such inconvenience in future, or will it continue to take advantage of the passengers' compulsion to reach their destination early?"

In its reply to the Minister Air India posted an apology on X saying, "Dear Sir, we apologize for the inconvenience caused. Please be rest 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, kindly DM us a convenient time to connect." (ANI)