Vir Das Slams Air India Over Broken Seats, No Wheelchair Help for Injured Wife
Vir Das Slams Air India Over Broken Seats, No Wheelchair Help for Injured Wife
Comedian Vir Das has called out Air India on social media after a deeply disappointing travel experience involving his wife, who has a fractured foot. Despite booking premium services and paying over ₹1 lakh for their flight from Mumbai to Delhi (AI816), Das claimed they received no assistance — neither onboard nor at the airport.
Broken Seats, No Support
In his detailed post, Das said they had paid ₹50,000 per seat for Air India’s Pranaam meet-and-greet service, expecting smooth handling and accessibility. Instead, they were given seats with broken tables, malfunctioning leg rests, and one that wouldn’t adjust from a reclined position.
Worse, upon arrival in Delhi — two hours late — the chaos only deepened. The flight used a stepladder instead of an aerobridge, and despite pre-booking wheelchair assistance, no staff came forward to help his injured wife get off the plane.
No Wheelchair, No Staff — Das Wheels Wife Out Himself
After managing to get off the plane without help, Das said the confusion continued inside the terminal. Though the Encalm staff informed airport personnel about the wheelchair booking, no one showed up.
“I ask an air India male ground staff member to help us, looks at me, shrugs, and Ignores me. My wife with a fracture makes it down the stepladder. I tell an Air India staff member at the bottom near the buses what happened. He says “sir kya Karein…sorry,” Das writes.
He ended his post with a sarcastic note: “Dear Air India, please collect the wheelchair from the parking.”
This Hurts to Write
Despite the ordeal, Das said he has long been a supporter of the airline and praised their cabin crew. But the complete lack of care this time left him stunned.
His post has gone viral, striking a chord with many passengers who’ve faced similar issues, and raising questions about how airlines in India handle accessibility and customer service — especially for premium-paying travelers.
Here’s the viral post.
“Dear @airindia
Please reclaim your wheelchair. I’m a lifetime loyalist. I believe you’ve got the nicest cabin crew in the sky, this post pains me to write. My wife and I book Pranaam and a wheelchair because she’s got a foot fracture that’s still healing. We’re flying to Delhi. 50 grand a seat. Broken table, broken leg rests, her seat is stuck reclined, won’t straighten fully. Were told the flight is ‘newly refurbished’. Two hours late, we get off in delhi and we’re told it’s a stepladder. Again wheelchair and encalm pre-booked. I ask the air hostesses at the front of the plane to assist my wife while I carry four bags. Silence and a clueless look at each other. We step off the plane to the top of the ladder. I ask an air India male ground staff member to help us, looks at me, shrugs, and Ignores me. My wife with a fracture makes it down the stepladder. I tell an Air India staff member at the bottom near the buses what happened. He says “sir kya Karein…sorry”. We get to the terminal, encalm people inform wheelchair staff that we had pre booked a chair. He’s clueless. There’s wheelchairs everywhere. No staff because the flight is late. I grab a chair and wheel her to baggage claim, then out of the airport to the parking. Encalm lets air India know this is happening. No one shows. Anyway. One of your wheelchairs is on the second floor of the parking in Delhi. Do claim it.
Cheers.”
Air India on Tuesday responded to Das’s complaint, acknowledging the delay in providing wheelchair assistance for his wife, who was travelling with a fractured leg.
“We empathize with the guests, especially given the mobility concern involved, and recognize that this experience fell short of expectations. The operating cabin crew offered to assist the guest, including deplaning by using the ‘ambulift’ assigned to the aircraft as per SOP, but the delay—not denial—in providing wheelchair assistance was due to unusually high demand for wheelchairs and staff at that time,” says the statement by Air India.
