If Airline Charges Money, It Must Provide Proper Facilities: Chouhan On Air India's Broken Seat Row

New Delhi: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on Saturday, voiced his displeasure over the alleged shoddy condition of his seat as he travelled from Bhopal to Delhi on an Air India flight.

Speaking to media reporters, Chouhan said, “If something goes wrong, there is one way to deal with it. However, I felt it was not about me. If it affects other passengers, the management should be informed to prevent such situations from occurring. If the airline is charging money, it should also provide proper facilities."

The Union Minister, after boarding the Delhi-bound Air India flight AI436 from Bhopal, said, “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 honourable 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. 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.”

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He added, “There is not just one such 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. 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 discomfort in sitting but it is unethical to make passengers sit on bad and uncomfortable seats after charging them the full amount.”

Asking if the management of Air India would take steps to ensure no passenger faced a similar discomfort in the future, he wrote, “Isn't this cheating the passengers? 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?”

Taking note of Chouhan's complaint on X, Air India apologised and said, “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.”

The former Madhya Pradesh CM was travelling from Bhopal to Delhi to inaugurate a farmers' fair in Pusa.

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