An Air India flight.
| Photo Credit: Photo for representation only
A passenger on board Air India flight from Bengaluru to San Francisco (U.S.A.) recently had an unpleasant experience after finding a metal blade in a bowl of chaat in the inflight meal that was served to him.
Mathures Paul, a journalist who was on board AI 175 from Bengaluru to San Francisco on June 9, shared his experience with The Hindu on June 17.
The meal served to the passenger in Air India who complained of finding a blade-like piece of metal in the food while travelling from Bengaluru to San Francisco on board AI 175 on June 9, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
“I took the 1.50 p.m. Air India flight (AI 175) on June 9 from Bengaluru to San Francisco (seat number 7C). The first half of the flight was uneventful. For lunch (main course), I was served quite a few items on a tray. I decided to begin with the fig chaat, which I was having while watching the film Priscilla (on board entertainment). After a few spoons of the chaat, I felt something hard, something metallic, inside my mouth. I spat it out into the bowl. It was a blade,” said Mr. Paul.
“Obviously, I complained to the stewardess who spoke for four-five seconds. The conversation went something like: Sorry about this and we will inform the catering team. She returned with a bowl of chickpea salad,” he added.
The meal served to the passenger in Air India who complained of finding a blade-like piece of metal in the food while travelling from Bengaluru to San Francisco on board AI 175 on June 9, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Upon landing in San Francisco, Mr Paul posted on X (formerly Twitter) about the incident. There was no response from Air India (except from the Air India bot on X).
Two or three days later, somebody from the customer service/social media team of the airline called to say that the matter will be looked into.
“On June 15 (8.30 p.m,), I received a mail from Air India Care. It read: “We value our relationship and would request you to accept our goodwill offer of a one-way business class ticket across any Al flight, redeemable within one year of issuance. We look forward to your response and would request you to look at this incident in isolation, giving us the opportunity to serve you to a better experience the next time you travel with us.”
Mr. Paul replied: “This is a bribe, and it doesn’t address the issue. I don’t accept such freebies, and I will not accept the ticket.”
Air India confirmed the experience of Mr. Paul.
Rajesh Dogra, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Air India, said, “Air India confirms that a foreign object was found in the meal of a guest aboard one of our flights. After investigation, it has been identified as coming from the vegetable processing machine used at the facilities of our catering partner. We have worked with our catering partner to strengthen measures to prevent any recurrence, including more frequent checking of the processor, especially after chopping of any hard vegetable. Air India has engaged with the affected customer and deeply apologises for this experience.”
