Air India, established as Tata Airlines in 1932 and rebranded as Air India in 1946, has long been a symbol of India’s aviation history. With a rich legacy and global connections, the airline holds a significant position in the aviation industry, known for its warm hospitality and unwavering commitment to passenger safety.
Despite its esteemed reputation, Air India has recently faced criticism as discontented passengers express their grievances on various social media platforms. Complaints range from disruptive behavior by both patrons and staff to a recurring issue of poor food quality, particularly a perceived decline in the standard of in-flight meals.
The most recent incident about Air India contributing to the mounting list of complaints involves a passenger who was served a vegetarian meal containing chicken chunks.
Veera Jain, scheduled to travel from Calicut to Mumbai on Air India Flight AI582, voiced her dissatisfaction after experiencing a one-hour delay in departure and discovering chicken in her supposedly vegetarian dinner.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Jain shared her ordeal, stating,
“On my @airindia flight AI582, I was served a veg meal with chicken pieces in it! I boarded the flight from Calicut airport. This was a flight that was supposed to take off at 18:40 pm but left the airport at 19:40 pm.”
On my @airindia flight AI582, I was served a veg meal with chicken pieces in it! I boarded the flight from Calicut airport. This was a flight that was supposed to take off at 18:40PM but left the airport at 19:40PM.
Details-
AI582
PNR- 6NZK9R
Seats- 10E, 10F#AirIndia pic.twitter.com/LlyK6ywleB— Veera Jain (@VeeraJain) January 9, 2024
Jain reported the issue to the cabin supervisor, who apologized and acknowledged similar complaints from multiple passengers. Despite this, Jain observed a lack of proactive efforts to inform fellow travelers who prefer vegetarian meals.
My friend missed her train that was at 23:00 PM from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. We booked it as the flight was supposed to land in Mumbai from Calicut at 20:40PM!
— Veera Jain (@VeeraJain) January 9, 2024
First the delay, then the non-veg in my vegetarian meal. This is highly disappointing and it has hurt my sentiments. I ask Air India to take strict action on its catering services and delays.
— Veera Jain (@VeeraJain) January 9, 2024
Beyond the in-flight incident, Jain highlighted the consequential impact on her travel plans, as her companion missed a train from Mumbai to Ahmedabad due to the delay.
She expressed her dissatisfaction and urged Air India to address delays and take stringent measures regarding culinary offerings. Jain also recommended that passengers carefully scrutinize the food they receive while flying.
And I would suggest everyone- Please check thoroughly what you consume on a flight. After two extremely delayed flights (Mum-Kozhikode on 4th Jan and return on 8th Jan) and nonveg served I have lost trust in all of the airline food now. #AirIndia
— Veera Jain (@VeeraJain) January 9, 2024
The tweet gained traction quickly, drawing various reactions from the public.
In response, Air India reached out to Jain, requesting the removal of her post and asking her to share the information directly via a private message on X to avoid privacy concerns.
Dear Ms. Jain, we request you delete the asked details from the open tweet ( to avoid misuse ) and share the same with us via DM ( https://t.co/12Zkg5wzrb ) along with your PNR.
— Air India (@airindia) January 9, 2024
