A passenger on board a flight from Bangkok to New Delhi, operated by Tata-owned Air India, allegedly engaged in misconduct by crew members after he requested a non-vegetarian meal that was pre-booked on his ticket.
Abhishek Chaudhry said he was traveling back to Delhi with his 22-year-old cousin when the incident took place on January 19. In the video, Chaudhry claimed that his cousin, who was sitting with him, was not given a pre-booked non-vegetarian meal by the time the catering service reached the back rows of the plane.
He further claimed that when he raised the issue, the flight attendants asked to see his boarding pass and spoke to him rudely. Chaudhry also said that a French passenger sitting next to him faced a similar experience that made him feel like a “dog”.
“When I asked for my non-veg meal, instead of saying, ‘Sorry sir, we don’t have any food’, they asked me for a ticket. The chief of staff spoke to me very harshly. I felt like a dog. And I am an Air India customer; I will not be able to get any more (flights) from Air India tomorrow,” he said.
Chaudhry stated that when he protested the crew’s tone and told them that such behavior was unacceptable, he was instructed to remain silent. Shortly thereafter, he again approached the staff regarding the non-vegetarian meal he had pre-booked for his cousin, but was again asked to produce the ticket.
“I said ma’am, the ticket I booked, I chose everything. I chose vegetarian food for myself and non-vegetarian food for my cousin. But when she insisted, I downloaded it from my email and showed it to her,” said Chaudhry.
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The flight attendant then ordered a junior colleague to take a screenshot of the ticket and accused him of returning the food earlier, he said. Chaudhry said he subsequently asked for the flight log to formally register a complaint, but the crew refused to engage further. He named flight attendant Meenakshi Chaturvedi and claimed that she, along with others, handled the situation “unprofessionally and rudely”.
“I am getting this treatment. Is Air India flying me for free? First they disrespected foreigners. Then they disrespected me. My 22-year-old cousin didn’t get food for the whole flight. It’s the first experience for him that someone can speak such foul language,” he said.
As the situation escalated, Chaudhry claimed that some fellow passengers accused him of supporting a foreigner. He clarified that the matter has nothing to do with racism, but is strictly about manners and respect.
“They started talking on a different level. That I support foreigners and that they don’t respect us in their country. There is no issue of racism. The issue is about behavior. The issue is that I was not spoken to with respect. Neither did the foreigner. The foreigner knew a little Hindi and said, ‘mai kutta nahi not hu’ (I.’m Chadhry),” he said.
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He further claimed that the situation culminated in pilot Tushar Singh issuing him a warning letter citing his behavior as disturbing to other passengers. After the flight landed, Chaudhry claimed that crew members threatened him, invaded his privacy and forcibly tried to check his phone.
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Air India responds
Reacting to the video, a social media user noted that issuing a code of conduct warning someone who makes a genuine complaint could set a worrying precedent and urged the authorities to take note.
In response, Air India said it was aware of the video circulating online and had launched an investigation into the incident.
“We are currently investigating the matter to ascertain the allegations contained in the video. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, necessary action will be taken. Air India deeply regrets the inconvenience caused and remains committed to the safety and comfort of all passengers and crew,” the spokesperson added.
