Travelling Hazards? Post them here!!!!

Hi friends,

As I was Browsing I found this interesting thread in our own IF and here it is for you......

Well I myself have faced some poor service like this about which I will write later.....

If any of you have had such bad experience...please share with others....and that will be helpful to all of us ......

  taken from the following link:

  http://www.india-forums.com/post_message_form.asp?FID=254

" The picture alongside, sent to us by angry Mumbai Mirror reader Dr Vichin Puri, shows the state of India's national carrier, Air-India. Dr Puri, 27, a Worli resident now working in the US as resident doctor, was on the Air-India flight AI 102 from New York to Mumbai on April 27 when, soon after take-off, he saw a sight he'd never before seen on an international flight: water had leaked from the galley (kitchen apparatus of a plane) at the far end of the aircraft and spread on to a considerable portion of the carpet in front, making it completely wet and smelly and forcing passengers to awkwardly shift in their seats all through the 16-hour journey to Mumbai. Dr Puri's seat was in the last few rows and close to the kitchen area.

As shocking as the leak, whose origin was unknown and unexplained, Dr Puri says, was A-I's response: the crew spread out newspapers so that they could soak in the water, and after one set of papers turned soggy and were torn, they were carelessly pushed in a corner by the crew and replaced by another.

An A-I spokesperson confirmed the leak. "There was a minor water leakage from the galley towards e-zone (the tail of the aircraft), due to which a small area of the carpet got wet. The water was soaked by placing newspapers," the spokesperson said. He, however, denied the water had entered the passenger area and said there was no foul smell either.

Inside picture of the flight

"I was appalled at the sight. This is by no means close to even the basic international standards of flying," a harried Dr Puri, who had booked the A-I ticket for $1200 (approx. Rs 48,000) and who was flying to the city for his wedding this week, said.

According to him, an aged couple who had kept their bag below the seat in the front were furious when they realised the bag was almost fully wet.

(from top to bottom) a clogged wash basin,  wet carpet next to a seat, a soiled toilet seat and a peeling instruction label aboard the A-I flight from NY to Mumbai  on April 27

"They were very angry and complained bitterly about the conditions inside the flight. One of the air-hostesses then apologised profusely and requested them to stay calm," Dr Puri said. Even after this incident, no announcement was made in the plane regretting the inconvenience caused to flyers, Dr Puri said. But according to him, the worst part came later. The passengers had thought some clean-up would happen when the 16-hour-long flight took its scheduled three-hour stop-over at London. "Shockingly, nothing was done during the stop-over," he said.

Dr Puri alleged some of the seat-belts too were torn, some overhead cabins did not shut at all, the seats in the toilet were soiled and the wash-basin clogged. "It was all so bad that I was forced to take pictures," he noted.

The A-I spokesperson said: "As far as toilets are concerned, they are cleaned at regular intervals and we also run a safety film on the usage of the washrooms. But more often than not, some passengers fail to observe them."

As if to top it all, the aircraft had not even stuck to schedule, Dr Puri said. Supposed to leave New York at 7.30 pm, it left only close to midnight and reached Mumbai five hours late, at 3.30 am on April 29, he stressed.

Puri said he did not want to file a formal complaint with A-I for reimbursement of fare but merely wanted to highlight the poor standards the airline had."

Edited by atina - 16 years ago

Interesting thread, Atina. A-I crew did a bad job, could have handled this matter on a other way.

agreed meli they shouldnt have done the take off on the first place.

This is horrifying!! After paying $1200, this definitely is not the service one would expect in an International carrier. I mean how can they have such poor service and not even attempt to clean-up at the London stop over. This is appalling!

Thanks for sharing this Atina.

Once my Dad had to take an Air India flight after the major terrorist threat with British Airways and subsequent BA flight cancellations. He says after flying AI, he would never think of flying with them ever again. He had a horrible delay starting with Madras and had to miss the connecting flight at Bombay and they weren't even cooperative at the Bombay airport with alternate arrangements.

The contents of his checked in baggage were all mysteriously wet, when he got to the US. And it wasn't even monsoon season in Bombay. The tickets may be a little cheaper than Lufthansa but very poor service indeed.

Almost every one who has flown AI would have a negative comment about their restrooms. Who do we blame - the uncaring airline services or the uncaring passengers who make such unsightly mess and not clean up? 😡

Yup....I agree with you Jenim...anyone who travelled by this carrier would have something bad to talk about.

I have had many bad experience....with AI. My daughter will simply refuse to fly by AI. She would rather take some other airlines which is only about 100 dollars more......than just for saving this money ...ending up with some non sense.....

About the toilet matter...I would blamme both sides. The AI and the passengers.....I have seen Passengers travelling in rubber slippers....???!!!!

I don't know what is it with Indians from India. They will only wear slippers even if they are going to overseas. Malaysians will have a good laugh at them. Sorry guys...... but there alot of immigrants here in Malaysia working esp from Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka etc. You will see that all the immigrants except Indians wear shoes.

Oh, another thing - those Indians who are working as expats, quite a number of them wear jogging shoes to work. I am in a MNC company, we have lots of Indian expats and a number of them wear sport shoes to work.   😆 😆 😆

Just to let you guys know, the steward and stewardess in Malaysian Airlines who serves Indian route, will consider this route as 'punishment' for them because the passengers esp Indians are so misbehaved. Alcohol is free and they drink and drink until they throw up. Poor employees are harassed to bring this and that. In that 3 hours flight, the things they do inspeakable.

My dad personally have witnessed their misbehaviour many times on the trip. Even few minutes before landing, the passenger will ring for the stewardess and ask for alcohol. If not provided, coz of the kitchen is closed, they are scolded by the passengers. They leap all over the place, would not sit down, if stewardess are too busy to attend them, they will personally go to the galley to take the drinks.

One guy who was sitting next to my dad in middle, will lean over my dad to ask for drinks. When he did not get the drink, he scolded the steward with foul words, until my dad got angry and told him off and said, behave or I will report you to the airlines and you will be banned from travelling in Malaysian Airlines forever. The stewardess was so thankful to my dad.

Agreed Atina, in 3 hours the toilet is in a mess!!! 🤢 🤢 and this is nothing to do with MAS

I guess the attitude of most of our people also sucks. They behave so well in the first sector (US - Frankfurt/london) but all changes in the second one (frankfurt/london- chennai)..they start throwing paper down...messing up restrooms. Why cant our people respect public property!!!

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Edited by Caryn - 16 years ago