Delhi woman slams Air India Express – Delhi woman slams Air India Express for assaulting elderly mother over luggage problem in viral LinkedIn post

A Delhi woman shared a harrowing account of her 71-year-old mother’s experience with Air India Express.

In a detailed post on LinkedIn, Aanchal Jain – Head of Global Brand Experience at Lenskart – accused the airline of mishandling her mother’s trip from Kochi to Bengaluru, citing mistreatment regarding excess baggage charges and a lack of compassion for the her mother’s physical limitations.

“Horrible attack by Air India Express on senior citizens,” she said, adding, “My 71-year-old mother was traveling from Kochi to Bangalore last night. Sadly, on Air India Express.”

According to Jain, her mother, who used a wheelchair and had a broken hand, had to leave her wheelchair and walk to a dimly lit area where the luggage was stored.

“Despite the flight being several hours late (with no communication), at the time of boarding (around midnight), the staff: – selected my mother and let her get out of the wheelchair – walked to a dark place where luggage was kept, she said.

Once there, she was allegedly instructed to sit on the floor and open her bags.

“They also made her sit on the dirty floor and open her luggage (despite her broken hand),” she added.

Jain further stated that her mother was told to leave her bag and walking stick at the gate and was warned that missing the flight would be ‘her fault’.

“They forced her to leave her handbag and walking stick unattended at the gate (making her fearful that she would miss her flight, which would be her fault),” Jain said.

Ultimately, Jain’s mother was charged Rs 8,200 in cash for overweight luggage and told to return to the plane in visible distress.

“Then I made her pay 8,200 in cash (where she said her check-in and carry-on luggage were over the weight limit and if she didn’t pay she would miss the flight and it would be her fault). They made her walk back to the plane (nervous and crying),” Jain added.

In her post, Jain expressed her frustration with the airline’s service and said, “This is a call to arms to tell companies like Air India Express that Indians are done with companies that think they can be lazy, incompetent and arrogant and still prosper .”

Check out her message here:

Air India Express responded to Jain’s complaint by expressing their regret and also explained their baggage policy. They clarified that the passenger had exceeded both the checked and carry-on baggage limits.

“Hi Aanchal, we are really sorry to hear about your mother’s experience and we regret the distress it has caused her. We understand how important it is to ensure a smooth travel experience, especially for seniors.”

“Upon inspection, we discovered that the guest was carrying two pieces of checked baggage, weighing 17 kg, and 17 kg of hand luggage. As the guest refused to reduce the weight, a charge was made for the excess baggage. Please note Please note that for domestic flights, guests are allowed to pay for only one piece of checked baggage of 15 kg and two pieces of hand luggage of 7 kg each. For security reasons, we kindly request that you do not share personal information, your PNR, in public,” the airline said.

In another post, they also apologized for this issue: “Aanchal, we apologize for any inconvenience your mother may have experienced during her recent interaction with our staff. We are committed to providing excellent customer service and will continue to address specific issues you have raised.”

“We would also like to make it clear that our carry-on baggage policy allows two pieces with a total weight of up to 7 kg. We appreciate your understanding,” she added.

Social media users were divided over the issue. While some supported Jain’s call for better treatment of elderly passengers, others argued that the responsibility lay partly with Jain.

‘Isn’t it irresponsible for people to take care of her? Your mother may not be aware of the baggage restrictions, but you are,” said one user, while another added: “If she is 71 and has had a fractured hand you shouldn’t have let her travel alone.”

See the responses here:

Jain, however, underlined that the core problem was not the excess baggage but the lack of sensitivity of the airline staff.

“They didn’t take the excess baggage charge when they should have,” she said, adding that her mother unnecessarily had to leave her wheelchair, open her luggage and quickly pay in cash.

‘They didn’t take the deductible. Before boarding they made her get out of her wheelchair, go to their filthy hanger, sit on a dirty floor, open her luggage and show her broken arm, they kept threatening that if she missed her flight, it her debt, and then pay cash there and then, and then let her return in that condition to catch her miserable flight,” she said.

The incident has since sparked a debate among social media users about airline policies and treatment of elderly passengers.

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