My sister and I flew with Air India from Copenhagen to Bangkok. Apart from a schedule change that caused us an unexpected delay and some additional expenses, we had a good experience, so when Steve booked Air India for his trip to Asia, neither of us expected any problems.
Steve’s experience was very different. What started as a flight from Newark to Bangkok turned into a customer service nightmare involving repeated schedule changes, unexpected costs, and a computer system that apparently couldn’t process a perfectly valid itinerary. I’m sharing his story because I think other travelers should be aware of the risks. Watching all of this unfold from the sidelines was genuinely shocking. Based on what happened, I would never fly with Air India again.
Before publishing this post, we contacted Air India to let them know about the article and asked for a media contact so they could review it. The response we received was a copy-and-paste of the same customer service correspondence Steve had already received.
Steve: I recently booked a trip to travel around Asia for 2+ months with my fiancée Sanne. I live outside Philadelphia PA – an airport that doesn’t provide much international connectivity. Newark provides much better options.
Given recent turmoil in the Middle East, I looked for routes that avoided the area. Air India seemed a perfect solution – decent price, good connections, seemingly a good reputation.
I booked a round trip ticket on Air India Newark to Bangkok as my gateway to Asia, and looked forward excitedly. It wasn’t exactly cheap at ~$1,100, but with all going on in the world I understood. I even paid to upgrade my seats for some extra comfort. What has happened since, however, provides lessons that anyone planning a long-term trip to Asia should consider when booking their travel.
An important point – Newark is 3-5 hours away from home (depending on travel method), so logistics getting to / from Newark are important. I had originally booked a 11:30 am departure time, so I considered traveling up the night before and paying for a hotel to ensure I was on time to EWR for check in. Fortunately, I didn’t book it given what has transpired since. I also had a tight turn around in Mumbai – just 1 hour 15 minutes. It was a risk, but I assumed if Air India was willing to book it, things would be fine.
First Change:
Two weeks after booking, Air India notified me that my connecting flight from Mumbai to Bangkok had been moved. Instead of taking off at 13:30, I would take off the next morning at 7:30. So an 18 hour addition to my layover time. No explanation. No offer of assistance with a hotel for the night. Not even a meal voucher.
I found out there was an “airside” hotel in the Mumbai airport I could arrange for the night. Lovely stay as it turned out, and a pleasure to have a proper bed and shower. I also enjoyed a delicious meal in the terminal. However, my travel bill just went up $160.
Second Change:
A week after that I received notification that my departure time from Newark had changed from 15:00 to 15:45. Note that my departure time was originally 11:30, not 15:00. Apparently, Air India changed the original departure time without notifying me. This also explained the strange delay of my Mumbai to Bangkok flight.
Again no explanation, no offer for any compensation for changing my travel. Fortunately, I hadn’t yet booked travel and hotel in Newark, so I was able to adjust relatively easily.
Day of Departure (aka Nightmare Begins):
I left home around dawn to ensure I would get to Newark in plenty of time. All the terrestrial transport worked fine, and I was at the check in counter by 11:30 for my 15:45 departure.
When it was my turn, the counter staff politely, but firmly, refused to check me in. According to their computer, I would be staying 62 days in Thailand (the difference between my arrival date on Air India and my return date on Air India). Anything above 60 days requires a visa for US citizens.
One issue Air India’s computer system couldn’t understand – international travel on OTHER airlines. I was scheduled to arrive in Bangkok on April 24. I was also scheduled to depart to Cambodia on May 9. So I would be in Thailand for 15 days, not 62.
I had documentation. I offered it to the Air India staff. They were very kind but indicated there was no way to override the Air India computer logic, even if it was flawed.
They told me that the only way I could fly was to change my return flight date. They gave me the Air India support telephone line. However, they told me that there “might” be a change fee, and the Air India support people “might not” waive it.
One thing was clear – they had me over a barrel. Sanne was waiting for me in Bangkok, having arrived from Denmark a few days earlier (on Air India, ironically). If I wanted to fly, I had to do whatever Air India demanded. I was on the phone with Air India support, standing near the very nice, and increasingly concerned, check in team. Over an hour crawled by. As the departure time approached and the check in window was coming to a close, they kept asking me what was going on.
I wound up in support hell. The support person was very nice, but their computer system was extremely slow, and unable to override the original computer error. It took almost an hour for them to process the idea of moving my departure date forward by 4 days (to be safe). Then they delivered the verdict – the change would cost over $900.
I was stunned. I had done nothing wrong. I was not staying in Thailand for more than 60 days. I could prove it. I had valid international travel out of Thailand. I did NOT need a visa. None of it mattered.
I gave them my credit card. “Voluntarily”. I paid it so I could actually get to Bangkok. My first trip to Asia this millennium. Even after giving them my credit card, it took 15 minutes for the Air India computer system to “see” the payment and issue the revised ticket. The check in staff worked swiftly to get my luggage on its way right before closing the check in, and we all (staff and me) hauled to get to security. They breezed through – I was stuck behind a planeful of passengers on a different flight, and barely made it on board.
I assumed that there would be someone, somewhere in the Air India system that would eventually see the error and rectify the situation after this nightmare. Boy was I wrong.
Subsequent Changes:
Since the flight, Air India has continued to change my revised return ticket. As usual, without explanation or offer to address the inconveniences caused. In the subsequent weeks, Air India:
- Changed return date from Bangkok from June 22 to June 23
- THEN – changed my return destination from Newark to New York JFK
JFK is a game changer for me. Instead of a 3-5 hour return trip home from EWR, it’s a full day. More expense, and more travel – after a 24+ hour return trip to get from Bangkok to JFK. Assuming, of course, that next week Air India doesn’t decide to fly me to Cleveland on June 15 – or July 27.
Again, no explanations. No discussion of alternatives. No offer of compensation. No offer to refund my money given the unwanted changes.
One aside – over my business career, I’ve flown probably 2 million miles, covering the world from Kazakstan to Australia to Brazil, and everywhere in between. I have NEVER encountered anything like the treatment Air India provides. Never. I can assert that even Aeroflot provides much better customer service.
Battle Royale:
I have filed a grievance with American Express. They have stopped payment on the $900+ until I resolve the issue with Air India.
I have informed Air India support of my travails. The multitude of unwanted and expensive changes. The unnecessary, unfair and involuntary shortening of my travels. I’ve requested they refund me the unfair charge and change my ticket back to the original date. I’ve filed this complaint to probably 4-5 different people / departments in Air India for the last month.
Instead, Air India has now informed me that my flight home (which they ironically claim is still to Newark on June 22) will be blocked unless I release my claim, allowing the $900+ charge back on my statement.
At this point, it’s cheaper for me to fly home one way on another airline then to give Air India its demanded tribute. Even if they would fly me back to Newark.
I’m very lucky. I have the means to cover unexpected expenses. I have an Amex card, which protects me from unfair or fraudulent charges. But many people don’t. For younger travelers on a budget, throwing on extra expenses for unplanned hotel nights may not work. Much less practically doubling the flight costs for the “honor” of shortening your intended travels to appease an inflexible, incorrect computer system.
