‘Please Reclaim Your Wheelchair’: Vir Das Criticizes Air India for Flight Mismanagement

Comedian-actor Vir Das described his unpleasant experience travelling with his wife on Air India on Tuesday. The comedian-actor requested that the airline return its wheelchair in his article. According to Vir Das, he had reserved a wheelchair in advance for his wife, who has an injury to her leg. But the comic said the crew didn't know what to do and didn't give them a wheelchair. Vir Das claimed that his wife had to limp when getting off the plane due to a broken foot. In addition, Vir Das stated that despite paying Rs 50,000 for his tickets and being informed that the aircraft was "newly refurbished," the leg rests and tables were broken and not in a usable state. He shared his experience on X. On his X post Air India replied and stated that they will look into this matter on priority basis.

He posted, “Dear @airindia Please reclaim your wheelchair. I’m a lifetime loyalist. I believe you’ve got the nicest cabin crew in the sky, this post pains me to write. My wife and I book Pranaam and a wheelchair because she’s got a foot fracture that’s still healing. We’re flying to delhi. 50grand a seat. Broken table, broken leg rests, her seat is stuck reclined, won’t straighten fully. Were told the flight is ‘newly refurbished’. Two hours late, we get off in delhi and we’re told it’s a stepladder. Again wheelchair and encalm pre-booked. I ask the air hostesses at the front of the plane to assist my wife while I carry four bags. Silence and a clueless look at each other. We step off the plane to the top of the ladder. I ask an air India male ground staff member to help us, looks at me, shrugs, and Ignore’s me. My wife with a fracture makes it down the stepladder.”

Dear @airindia Please reclaim your wheelchair. I’m a lifetime loyalist. I believe you’ve got the nicest cabin crew in the sky, this post pains me to write. My wife and I book Pranaam and a wheelchair because she’s got a foot fracture that’s still healing. We’re flying to delhi.…

— Vir Das (@thevirdas) April 14, 2025

Also Read: Drunk Man Urinates On Co-Passenger On Delhi-Bangkok Flight

Further, he mentioned that they tried to complain about this to staff and the staff replied ‘what can we do? Sorry.’ He posted, “I tell an Air India staff member at the bottom near the buses what happened. He says “sir kya Karein…sorry”. We get to the terminal, encalm people inform wheelchair staff that we had pre booked a chair. He’s clueless. There’s wheelchairs everywhere. No staff because the flight is late. I grab a chair and wheel her to baggage claim, then out of the airport to the parking. Encalm lets air India know this is happening. No one shows. Anyway. One of your wheelchairs is on the second floor of the parking in Delhi. Do claim it. Cheers.”