Originally Posted by aniruddh77

I had to fly to CCU on AI last week due to an emergency and that was the only convenient flight (you think I'd have flown them any other way?). This has got to be my worst ever flight on AI, and not just because of the "service" that I was subjected to, but the entire experience was truly horrible. Here goes...

First, the one (and only) thing they got right - timing - flight left and reached on schedule.

Horrors:

1. Terrible crew. The crew was predominantly male, and did not exude one bit of professionalism...in fact, they looked so dopey eyed, I think they had a soporific effect of people ! The only 2 women FAs on board were scary. I'm not expecting supermodels on AI (or any airline for that matter), but medusas are completely out in my book.

2. Captain (Bengali chap) couldn't speak for nuts. I don't want flight updates at all, rather than have to listen to the kind of trash he dished out.

3. I don't think any row of three seats could EVER come to the same position - either they wouldn't recline fully, or wouldn't come up fully, or could not be held in position in partial recline.

4. Chaotic noise from outside when the ground staff tried to close the cargo door. Would have roused Rip Van Winkle...

5. Ridiculous service: The crew was going down the aisle distributing small bottles of lemon juice. My colleague who was with me, had a terrible headache and had me ask the crew for a bottle of water. Classic AI response: We can't serve you water now because we need to serve LJ to all. Fine in principle, but not when you've got a cardboard crate of 24 bottles on the trolley...

6. Flagrant safety violation / stupid crew: [detailed explanation follows]
Family of 5 (including 3 kids) were sitting in two rows - 10 and the emergency exit row. Kids were in the exit row. Crew told the father to get the kids out of exit row for safety reasons. Good so far. Father asks if kids can move back to exit row after takeoff, FA happily agrees. I mean...where's the safety issue? I'd rather not have kids in the exit row in case there's an emergency in flight !

7. And finally - not to blame the crew for this - pathetic bunch of co-passengers (as usual, so what's new). The kids (see item 6 above) kept moving all over the place (and they were sitting in window and middle seats, with aisle occupied by a solo traveller not linked to that family - he wasn't amused one bit). And I think somehow, the fact that one's flying AI seems to induce different behaviour. Two of my co-passengers are regular 9W fliers (have seen them before enough times), and they were acting like boors...

I only wish 9W brought back their early morning service on MAA-CCU...sigh