I would like to relate three instances & its comparison with US Airline professionalism.
My son a student of First year IIT Bombay(1992) was to represent India at Science Conclave in London on the basis of his first position in CBSE in 1992. He was only 17 at this time having no experience travelling alone to international destination. His flight was confirmed on Air India from Bombay. He was the first passenger to check in & got the boarding pass issued. Before second passenger could register, Air India staff went on cat call strike. I ran here and there for almost an hour to get the boy on board on some alternate flight based upon his check in status in Air India. None was responsive. Finally I got him on Board with British airways based upon this boarding pass.
During the same itinerary on return flight Air India cancelled the flight ex London to Bombay once again due to strike and the young lad still in his teens was left to manage himself without any help from Air India. It was our good luck that one of my cousin who was there to see him off tried his best to put him once again on alternate British Airways flight. Air India was not able to provide any information till he landed at Bombay. We were all under tension till we were able to pick him up at Bombay on arrival
19th Dec. 2017 - I as a part of group of four persons, was travelling from Delhi To Bangalore. Air India mis - coordinated & messed with our request for wheel chair for myself & my wife. My Daughter & Son - in - law, tried their best to find the alternate services. Air India flight crew was issuing threats to offload our checked in luggage every five minutes. Some how we were able to reach the gates partly virtually running and partly availing’free cart service’ against a bribe of Rs. 200/- per person. Finally as the plane was ready to take off, we were dumped into our seats. I was not able to get time or chance to release my urinary pressure. This pressure kept on increasing and became unbearable. In spite of our requests & requests from co passengers, although the plane was waiting for its turn to take off on the runway, I was not allowed to ease pressure. It was really a miracle that my kidney / bladder did not burst or I did not run into another medical problem. My co passengers & my children all pleaded with staff but failed for almost 45 minutes or so. Strangely the crew offered me vomiting bag to release my pressure while sitting on the seat. Finally I was rushed to toilet to release the pressure after the plane became just airborne, crew asking me to keep the washroom door unlocked as a precaution during this release of pressure. I complained about the episode & wrote a review over mouth shut, but till today I failed to get the reply.
On the other hand see United Airlines of USA. Myself & my wife traveled from Seattle to Houston on 11th Sept. by United airlines with a request for wheel chair assistance facility. There was very minor snag in the service where the wheel chair person left my bag away from my place of waiting for boarding. I mentioned in feed back report that wheel chair facility was not up to the mark. The airline immediately went into action, apologized & issued two separate vouchers to me & my wife for 100 US$ each & assured better service in future.
Will Gov’t of India & the air India management step in to give justice to us, penalise the erring Air India staff for nixing up our wheel chair request, charging of bribery charges of Rs. 800/- for four persons for free cart service & assure professional conduct of the staff. I still feel traumatised by remembering the episode as what would have happened had some medical emergencies would have happened like heart attack, kidney failure / bursting or I would have shamed my self by wetting their seats.