Air India Business Class Passenger Disgusted By Smelly Onboard Experience on Flight

Passengers choose to take flights in business class for several reasons. Although the average business class flight is three to four times more expensive than economy, the higher costs often equate to an enhanced passenger experience. The benefits include lie-flat seats, premium meals and drinks, lounge access at the airport, priority check-in and boarding, and complimentary amenity kits. Business class is widely regarded as offering a superior onboard experience to economy.

This was not the case on an Air India flight from Mumbai (BOM) to Singapore (SIN) that operated on January 7. The airline offers this route twice daily using an Airbus A320neo, with flights normally departing Mumbai at 1:25 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. local time. A man documented his experience in business class onboard one of the two flights, and it turned out opposite than expected. According to a post the man later made on Reddit, he was forced to deal with a disruptive passenger seated directly behind him. 

A female passenger removed her shoes and placed her bare feet on the man's armrest. The man, who was asleep until the incident occurred, was woken up by the woman's toenails touching his arm and a foul smell. He took a picture of her feet on his armrest, with another photo showing the woman placing her feet next to the aircraft window. It is unclear why the woman had to reach into someone else's personal space if business class seats on Air India's A320neos can recline. Although these seats do not recline far, they still offer ample legroom and footrests for passengers needing more space. 

The man's Reddit post stated the following, with the title being "How my Air India business class flight went":

"Asked nicely multiple times to remove their feet, but without success. I was woken up by [this] lady's toenails stabbing my arm. And the odour was horrible. 'Air India: After I Return, I Never Do It Again'"

His post went viral on Reddit, receiving over 54,000 upvotes and 5,300 comments as of January 9. Many users commented to show their disgust or suggest potential solutions in the future. Some users even encouraged the passenger himself to engage in unruly behavior as "revenge". The post is on the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit, which is devoted to sharing incidents involving annoying behavior by regular people.

The following comments received the most upvotes as of January 9:

• "Okay that's when I "accidentally" crush some toes"
• "I would crush that foot so hard with my elbow"
• "Oh, my god. That's so disgusting"
• "Make a loud sneezing sound as you flick water on them"

The man later explained his response to the situation in the comment section of his Reddit post. He contacted a cabin crew member after multiple unsuccessful requests for the woman to remove her feet, leading to her doing so after being asked by the crew member. However, the woman quickly placed her feet near his personal space again once the crew member left. The man then resorted to extreme measures to prevent the woman from disturbing him again.

This was the man's final response to the situation, according to another comment on his post:

"I ended up stuffing those areas with pillows and blankets and my backpack pushed against it. Air staff didn't want to intervene so I did 3 times and then I had enough. I traveled 160.000kms last year on 69 (hehe) flights and this was the most disgusting one"

This incident adds to passengers' other complaints about Air India's onboard experience. These criticisms come as the airline tries to reinvent itself under new ownership. The Tata Group has invested heavily in Air India through massive aircraft orders, a revamped logo and design, and the introduction of new routes. However, many Air India planes still face issues, including malfunctioning in-flight entertainment systems and overhead cabin lights. The man involved in this incident also voiced concerns about the in-flight entertainment system and seat recline being broken on that specific aircraft through another Reddit comment. 

Air India must deal with the challenge of a poor image among certain people as it revamps its entire operations. Such an incident is expected to be more likely to occur in economy class, which can offer little legroom on short-haul flights. The man who booked business class for an enhanced onboard experience is now unlikely to view Air India's business class as a luxurious experience.