Indian-American composer Ricky Kej, a three-time Grammy winner, took to social media on Sunday (Sep 29)to blast Air India for their unprofessional and rude staff at Delhi airport. Taking to X, he shared his ordeal and revealed how the ground staff "bullied" him and he was even about to miss his flight.
"I am certain a few people will troll me, asking me why I keep doing this to myself.. travel through such a terrible airline, but I will continuously give them chances and criticize them for errors, till they improve," he posted on X.
"I reached the Air India check-in line at the Delhi Airport. Was flying business class. As always, the lady at the counter was distracted, had to get her attention," he added.
"I had not slept for 2 days and was travelling directly after performing a concert at the ITC Maurya. My bag was overweight by 6 kgs, I immediately offered to pay, as I always do. They told me I needed to go to a counter which was quite a walk away just to pay. I requested them to bring the wireless payment machine to the check-in counter like all the other airlines do (I routinely pay for excess baggage due to the nature of my profession)," the 43-year-old continued.
"They refused (Devika, Ravi Kumar, Mukeeta and Neha). So I walked to the counter they directed me to. The person at that counter (Sunil) refused to even look in my direction and rudely said he was busy - either I could wait there for a while or he directed me to their ticketing counter which is at the other end of the terminal. I refused both options and went back to the check-in counter," he alleged.
"They told me there is nothing they could do and made a call to Sunil and told him to accept my payment. I made the walk back to Sunil (for a second time). I offered to pay by UPI. I did not have any credit cards or cash. He flatly refused UPI (Shocking for an Indian brand). He said UPI is usless and Air India does not accept it. I protested.. told him that i have UPI attached with multiple banks and can ensure the payment goes through, he refused to talk to me further. I went back to the checkin counter. They told me there is nothing they could do and offered to cancel my ticket instead!! They refused to give me any details on a refund and gave me back my suitcase. Then I argued with them - told them I am sleep deprived, I need to be on the flight, and they are treating me like shit," revealed Kej.
"Finally after 50 min of this ordeal, and almost missing my flight, on my insistence, Devika called Sunil.. he finally agreed to come to the checkin counter (where i was) with the wireless machine, and accepted the UPI payment which went through effortlessly in a few seconds. I left for security check and boarded the flight."
He shared another incident on X and revealed how he was taken aback by Air India air hostesses who didn't tend to a passenger even after 3 calls.
Air India has reacted to the post. "Dear Sir, we sincerely regret the inconvenience experienced during your travel. We are thoroughly investigating the issue and will take appropriate action. Thank you for bringing this to our attention," the X post by the airline read.