Air India overbooking (Air India)

Member Name: HS

Product:	Air India
Date:	26/03/08 (237 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap

Disadvantages: Old planes, poor attitude, regular overbooking

Air India - quite simply never again! I had a bad experience with Air India 12 years ago. Our flight from LHR to BOM had been delayed by 4 hours and as a result we missed our train to Auragabad - and Air India staff were generally no where to be seen despite promises that they would help from the staff at LHR.

Anyway, 12 years later, in February 2008, I needed a flight to Amritsar and Air India were coming in nearly £200 cheaper than Jet. In hindsight, I can understand why.

A week before flying, I received a call from the travel agent saying that flight would be leaving a day later due to mechanical problems. You woud think they could repair a plane in a week - but the advanced notice was appreciated.

Got to check in nice and early - around 3 hours before the flight - and started queueing. Eventually got to a desk - where we waited for over 1.5 hours. They eventually explained that they could get us to Delhi but were struggling with the connecting flight to Amritsar. They eventually said that they had found seats for us on our connecting flight - but would not issue the boarding passes for that flight in London (I was starting to get a bad feeling about this). They then said that as we had been at the check in desk so long, they had lost our places in the London flight as well - and that they would have to split up the 3 of us all over the flight. Two of our party were in their 70s - and one was clearly disabled - so this was not acceptable, especially after having followed all the rules and got to check in at a very good time.

The flight eventually took off an hours late - which was fine for us - as we were still at check in 10 minutes before the orginal departure time!

The girl at check-in also suggested that this overbooking on flights connecting rthough Delhi happened daily and it made her life a misery with passengers complaining. She said she was grateful that at least we had styed well mannered. She also suggested, that in future if we were to go to Amritsar, we should use Jet Airways! A recommendation for Jet Airways from an Air India staff member says enough really!

The plane looked very old and surely needed a refit - there are only so many ripped seats and falling trays that you can put up with. The food was reasonable and the staff reasonably polite. I have had worse from BA staff previously.

Anyway, eventually got to Delhi and guess what, our onward flight to Amristar was overbooked and Air India were offering taxis instead - a 12 hour taxi journey. What is the purpose of booking a flight to Amristar if you are going to have to take a cab from Delhi. If I wanted to fly to Delhi, I would have saved my self £150 and gone with a relatively decent airline such as Virgin or BA. Maybe next time Air India will just offer taxis from London!

The guy issuing taxis had clearly been doing this regularly - so I suspect Air India are making money on this by charging for connecting flights which they are clearly unable to provide.

Anyway, finally agreed to take a 12 hour tax to Amritsar.

The journey back was relatively ok - had to reconfirm - which I have never understood - but called the London Air India office to do this and got through within a couple of minutes. 12 years ago they asked that we visit am Air India office in India, waste half a day queueing their, get shouted at and eventually get a flight reconfirmed. So they are getting better.

Would I recommend Air India? NEVER. This is one airline that needs to be allowed to go bankrupt or privatised immediately. They are a disgrace to India and should not be allowed to fly their flag. Despite India's progress over the past decade, Air India truly remains a third world carrier.

If I need to fly to Amritsar, it has to be Jet - as recommeded by Air India staff - and quite frankly, I would prefer the two Soviet airlines that fly there in future (Turkmen and Uzbek) than going with Air India again. If I am flying to Delhi, then please see sense and use any of the many airlines that fly there.

Air India is cheap for a reason - and I will be making sure that neither I nor anyone I know will ever go near them again. And I was one of the people that used to stand up to people criticising Air India - but they truly are a shambles - and the worst of it is that they really don't care.

You have been warned!

Summary: If you can avoid Air India, please do so!