New Delhi [India], February 22 : Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Saturday raised concerns over Air India's service quality after its takeover by the Tata Group, warning that reduced competition in full-service airlines could lead to complacency. His remarks came after Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan faced discomfort due to a broken seat on an Air India flight.
In a post on X, Chandrasekhar said, "If it was anyone else other than the polite, gentleman minister @ChouhanShivraj ji, person would have created a justified angry response to this kind of incident."
He further criticized the impact of Tata's control over Air India, saying, "Tata's takeover of @airindia has created a situation of reducing competition and consumer choice in full-service airlines - which leads to complacency and 'chalta hai!'"
Chandrasekhar then urged the Tata Group to take immediate action, warning that if the company failed to act, the government and regulators might have to intervene.
"Suggest @TataCompanies address this warpspeed - else regulator/Govt will need to start looking at consumer interest as a regulatory outcome in addition to safety," he added.
Earlier today, Chouhan was allotted a broken seat that had 'sunk in', prompting him to raise concerns about Air India's services on X.
Sharing his experience, he wrote, "Today I had to come from Bhopal to Delhi, inaugurate the Kisan Mela in Pusa, hold a meeting of the Natural Farming Mission in Kurukshetra, and discuss with the representatives of the Kisan Organisation in Chandigarh. I had booked a ticket on Air India flight number AI436, I was allotted seat number 8C. I went and sat on the seat, the seat was broken and sunken in. It was uncomfortable to sit."
He also questioned Air India's management, saying, "When I asked the airline staff why the seat was allotted to me if it was bad, they told me that the management had been informed earlier that this seat was not good and its ticket should not be sold. There is not just one seat but many more."
Chouhan expressed further disappointment with Air India's service after Tata took over,and wrote, "My impression was that Air India's service would have improved after Tata took over the management, but it turned out to be my misconception. I don't care about sitting discomfort, but it is unethical to make passengers sit on bad and uncomfortable seats after charging them the full amount. Isn't this cheating the passengers?"
He urged corrective action, saying, "Will the Air India management take steps to ensure that no passenger faces such inconvenience in future, or will it continue to take advantage of the passengers' compulsion to reach their destination early?"
In response, Air India apologised on X, and said, "Dear Sir, we apologise for the inconvenience caused. Please be rest assured that we are looking into this matter carefully to prevent any such occurrences in the future. We would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you, 'kindly DM us a convenient time to connect'."
Meanwhile, the Congress party took a dig at the government over issues in the aviation and railway sectors.
In a post on X, Congress said, "Passengers are troubled in trains, passengers are distressed on planes. People keep complaining and keep making videos, but there is no hearing. Now, since Shivraj ji has a problem, he is tweeting--maybe action will be taken on this."
Targeting the Modi government, Congress added, "But the situation is not going to improve, because any system is fixed from the top. And on top of that, there is no time to beat the drum of 'sab changa si'. People suffer."