What rot! Flight food stale, claim AI passengers

Several Air India passengers have been left with a bad taste in the mouth.

Several Air India passengers have been left with a bad taste in the mouth.

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Passengers on a Mumbai-bound flight from London on July 29 complained about insufficient and stale food, the result of an alleged lack of co-ordination between the airline management and its caterers.

The issue came to light when HT accessed an email written by the cabin crew staff that operated the flight. According to the email, an inadequate amount of food was loaded in the aircraft. While some regular items were missing, others were of poor quality, the email claimed.

For instance, the portions of the main course were so small that it left most passengers hungry. “Many passengers asked for the alternative main course item because the portions were not enough for an adult,” said a member of the cabin crew, requesting anonymity.

The crew’s feedback report also stated that flight attendants had to apologise frequently to passengers as basic items such as chocolates, yogurt and pickles were not available.

Worse, the fruit platter which is a popular item was “stale and smelly” stated the crew’s email. The suji ka halwa, a special dessert, was in a “disgraceful state” the email report added.

Toilet rolls and hand tissues were also missing from the first class cabin. The pantry was also short of items such as cutlery, serving spoons and bowls.

According to sources in the airline, shortage of food and other items has been a common occurrence on most long distance international flights over the past month.

An AI spokesperson did not respond to HTs calls or email.