Indian-American CEO Anip Patel's Disappointing Air India Experience

India’s erstwhile hub of luxury and pride among the country’s aviators, Air India has faced much backlash over the years. Its latest dissatisfaction came from its Indian-American CEO, Anip Patel, who claims to be disappointed with the airline’s business-class service. In a scathing review on Instagram, Patel detailed his harrowing 15-hour Delhi-Chicago flight experience, pointing out issues like lack of Wi-Fi, unhygienic cabins, and worn-out ambiance. There has been some Air India news, as many have stepped forward with similar grievances.

A Nightmare in the Sky

Anip Patel, the CEO of CaPatel Investments, recently flew from New Delhi to Chicago. Expecting a premium experience, Patel paid $6,300 for the business class ticket; he hoped for a comfortable and luxurious journey. What he received was far from ideal. In his Instagram video, he said, “Nightmare” was the only word to explain how such a thing can be created, from tangled headphones to stained seats.

According to Patel, the cabin interiors were shattered and worn when the plane was hit. “Look at how gross this is,” he said in the video shot showing his followers the damaged condition of the business class cabin. Patel quickly clarified that though he understood normal wear and tear, the cabin’s condition was beyond acceptable. “Things were moving in every compartment, everything was ripped, or had little wear on it. This was next level,” he said.

Wi-Fi Issues and In-flight Entertainment Failure

The most prominent gushing concern, as Patel pointed out, was that it did not have Wi-Fi. Most people take it for granted to stay online while on their flight, so a 15-hour flight without internet connectivity was a massive concern. Not only was there no internet, but its in-flight entertainment system failed too, so passengers sat for a long time with little to do.

On a long-haul flight like this, you expect basic amenities like Wi-Fi and working in-flight entertainment, but neither was available,” Patel explained. This further added to his frustrations, and the journey seemed more stretched than it had to be.

The cabins were not clean and the interior of the aircraft was not up to par

The other ground of debate for Patel was the cabin’s cleanliness. Patel asserted that the cabin had leftover food and waste from other passengers. He explained how the seat had stains, and the recliner seat seemed highly neglected. Patel’s video pointed out the dusty condition of the cabin; stains could be found on the seats as well as a sense of overall unhygiene.

“The cabin was dirty, and there was food that had been left and trash still in the seat pocket. It’s unacceptable for a service that markets itself as a premium offering,” he said. The dirty cabins were the final straw in the piling outrage, with many questioning whether the airline is setting standards high enough for cleanliness and proper maintenance.

Food Menu Vulnerabilities

Having asked for insult added to injury by adding an unfavorable condition was the food service. Patel said that only 30% of items were available on the business class menu while pointing out that there were limited choices for the passengers. “They only have one of each item,” said he pointing at his mouth, “and we have four passengers in this cabin. Out of those four passengers, those who ordered first got what they wanted,” added Patel.

The airline didn’t even put a tablecloth over it. Then she forgot and came back with one, Patel further added that the dining experience, in general, was nothing close to what one would have liked in business class.

Air India Under the Scanner

The post by Patel accompanied by its video went viral as users expressed their shock and disappointment. Many concurred with similar complaints, alluding to a larger issue at hand, which is degrading standards in Air India. With Air India New’s latest reports being more and more centered on passenger dissatisfaction, there have been numerous complaints about everything from flight delays to scanty service.

New management and new owner, still Air India is unable to sustain service quality. Patel’s tale is a reflection of views from many passengers who find the airline has far from lived up to its glorious past in service quality.

Conclusion: Air India Needs to Hear Complaints of Its Passengers

The saga of Anip Patel and his bad Delhi-Chicago experience sums up the larger issues in Air India. Issues such as lack of basic facilities like Wi-Fi cabins being untidy, or there being no food on board make the airline responsible for taking prompt corrective action about those issues. Having a new captain, Air India has an excellent opportunity to re-establish its passengers’ confidence. But if complaints from passengers keep increasing like that from Patel, then the brand suffers more damage.

 So, to be relevant in this age of social media, in which one bad review may reach thousands, the focus should be on hygiene, service quality, and higher operational efficiency.