New Delhi: Comedian Vir Das on Tuesday criticised Air India for what he described as a deeply disappointing flight experience, alleging poor service, broken seats, and failure to provide a wheelchair for his injured wife — despite paying Rs 50,000 per seat and pre-booking assistance. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the actor and stand-up comic called out the airline, saying he received a broken table, damaged leg rests, and a seat stuck in a reclined position on a flight to Delhi. More troubling, he claimed, was the lack of wheelchair support for his wife, who is recovering from a foot fracture.
"Dear Air India, 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," Das said in his post, which has since gone viral. Das wrote that the couple had paid Rs 50,000 each for their seats, but were met with substandard conditions. “Broken table, broken leg rests, her seat is stuck reclined, won’t straighten fully. Were told the flight is ‘newly refurbished’,” he posted, also noting that the flight was delayed by two hours. After landing in Delhi, he said they were told they would disembark using a stepladder — a challenge for anyone, but especially for someone with mobility issues.
No staff, no support for pre-booked wheelchair
According to Das, the couple had pre-booked wheelchair and Encalm meet-and-greet services. But when the time came, there was no assistance. “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,” he wrote. They stepped off the aircraft via the ladder, and Das said a male ground staff member ignored his request for help. “I ask an Air India male ground staff member to help us, looks at me, shrugs, and ignores me,” he said, adding that his wife, despite her fractured foot, had to descend the stepladder unaided.
'One of your wheelchairs is in the parking lot'
The ordeal continued at the terminal. “Encalm people inform wheelchair staff that we had pre-booked a chair. He’s clueless. There are wheelchairs everywhere. No staff because the flight is late,” Das wrote. Eventually, the comedian said he had to wheel his wife himself — from the terminal to the baggage claim and then all the way to the parking lot. “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,” he concluded.
Air India responds
Responding to his complaint, Air India said they “understand and empathise” with the situation and were “getting it checked on priority.” Das, however, simply replied: “Go get your wheelchair.”
The post has drawn strong reactions online, with many users tagging Air India and calling for accountability over the airline’s handling of passengers with special needs.
"We have noted with concern a social media post by Mr Das about a wheelchair not being provided to his co-passenger while travelling from Mumbai to Delhi on AI816 on 14 April 2025. 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. Air India remains committed to improving the end-to-end travel experience for all its guests," the Air India Spokesperson said in a statement.