Cheating Flyers? Shivraj Chouhan slams Air India over ‘Broken’ seat

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan criticized Air India on Saturday for assigning him a “broken” seat on a Bhopal-Delhi flight. He took to X to share his frustration, stating that airline staff admitted they had informed management about the seat’s poor condition and that the ticket should not have been sold.

Air India apologized for the inconvenience and assured an investigation into the issue.

Chouhan, a senior BJP leader, was traveling to Delhi to inaugurate the “Kisan Mela.” He planned to hold a Natural Farming Mission meeting in Kurukshetra and meet protesting farmers in Chandigarh.

“I booked a ticket on Air India flight AI436 and was allotted seat 8C. When I sat down, I realized it was broken and uncomfortable,” he wrote in Hindi. He claimed multiple seats had similar issues.

His co-passengers urged him to switch seats, but he refused to inconvenience another traveler. He chose to complete the journey on the faulty seat. The Bhopal-Delhi flight lasts about 90 minutes.

Chouhan expressed disappointment, saying he had expected better service after Tata took over Air India. “It was my misconception,” he remarked, referencing the recent Air India-Vistara merger.

He criticized Air India for charging full fare while providing faulty seating. “Isn’t this cheating passengers?” he asked. He urged the airline to ensure better service instead of exploiting travelers’ urgency.

Air India responded, stating they would address the issue to prevent similar incidents. They also requested a direct conversation with Chouhan.

Congress seized the opportunity to target the government over aviation and railway service issues. Quoting Chouhan’s post, the party’s official X handle said, “Passengers suffer in trains and planes. Complaints and videos keep coming, but no action follows. Now that Shivraj Ji is tweeting, maybe something will change.”