Indian-American CEO Receives Full Refund From Air India After Sharing ‘Nightmare’

Air India has provided a full refund to an Indian-American CEO following his recent social media post about a “nightmare” experience with their business-class service. Anip Patel, CEO of CaPatel Investments, took to Instagram to share his dissatisfaction with a 15-hour Air India flight from Chicago to New Delhi, for which he had spent Rs 5.27 lakh on a one-way first-class ticket. Despite not lodging a formal complaint, Patel mentioned that the airline reached out after seeing his viral video.

“I did not file any complaint with Air India but through social media they saw this video – they called me today and refunded my entire flight. They did make it right and it’s worth noting,” he commented on his video which depicted numerous issues he faced during his journey.

In the video shared two days ago, Patel began introducing what he called the “worst first-class cabin” he had ever experienced. As he panned the camera around the cabin, he pointed out how “broken” and “dirty” everything appeared. “There was hair in there, things moving in every compartment, everything was ripped, or ruined or had little do on it. I understand regular wear and tear but this was next level guys,” he said in the video.

He then showed a face towel, which was meant to be warm, but instead served cold. He later complained that the headphones provided were a mess and seemingly in poor condition. Continuing to document his experience, Patel criticised the food service, pointing out that 30% of the items were unavailable and others were on a first come, first served basis.

Adding to his frustrations, the in-flight entertainment system was completely inoperative for the entire 15-hour journey. He remarked, “Everything was broken. They literally put tape on the walls.”

“I had heard negative things about Air India in the past, but I was hoping the recent changes under new management would improve the experience—unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. There was no Wi-Fi, and the in-flight entertainment was down for the entire flight. First class was in poor condition—unclean, with leftover food and trash still in the cabin, and everything looked worn out or broken. It was a pretty frustrating experience overall. Be aware if you’re flying with them,” he wrote in the caption.

Patel’s post, which accumulated over 7 million views, ignited a range of reactions in the comment section.

One user sharing their own experience, recounted, “Honestly, the worst plane ever. NASTYYYY!! My last flight, I was coming from Delhi to Toronto and I got food poisoning on the plane. I probably threw up like 10 times in an 18 hour direct flight and they had to have doctors sit next to me. It was the most terrible and uncomfortable experience of my life. Never flying in AirIndia ever again.”

Another frustrated user stated, “Flying with Air India? It’s better to walk to your destination , it’s one of the dirtiest and worst airlines ever.”

Someone else remarked on Patel’s video, calling it “an actual nightmare.”