Lenskart executive alleges Air India Express mistreated her 71-year-old mother; airline responds

A Lenskart executive has accused Air India Express of mistreating her 71-year-old mother, who was travelling alone from Kochi to Bengaluru. Aanchal Jain, identified on her LinkedIn profile as the head of Global Brand Experience at Lenskart, shared her mother’s experience in a LinkedIn post.

According to Jain's LinkedIn post, the Kochi-Bangalore flight was delayed by several hours without explanation, with boarding beginning only at midnight. She alleged that the airline staff “singled out” her mother, asked her to leave her wheelchair, and made her walk to a dimly lit area where her luggage was kept.

“Horrible assault by Air India Express on senior citizens!

My 71 year old mother was traveling from Kochi to Bangalore last night. Unfortunately by Air India Express.

Despite the flight being late by several hours (with no communication), at the time of boarding (around midnight), the staff:

- singled out my mother

- made her leave the wheel chair

- walk to a dark place where luggage was kept [sic],” Aanchal wrote on LinkedIn.

The Delhi-based executive's mother, who reportedly has a hand fracture, was made to sit on a dirty floor and open her suitcase, leaving her purse and walking stick unsupervised at the boarding gate. The staff allegedly asked her old mother to pay ₹8,200 in cash for for excess luggage, warning she would miss her flight if she did not comply.

She wrote in her post: “- made her sit on the dirty floor and open her luggage (despite hand fracture)

- made her leave her purse and walking stick unsupervised at the boarding gate

(frightening her with the consequences that she will miss her flight and it will be her fault)

- then made her pay 8,200 in cash (saying that her checkin and hand luggage is over weight limit and if she doesn’t pay, she will miss the flight and it will be her fault)

- made her walk back (nervous and crying) to the aircraft [sic].”

Lastly, Jain called out Air India Express for the pathetic service and promised that she would not let her mother travel alone again.

She wrote: “Obviously, I will never let her travel alone after this.

This is a shout out to tell companies like Air India Express that Indians are done with companies who think they can be lazy, incompetent, arrogant; and still flourish {sic].” 

Air India Express responds

Responding to Aanchal's complaint, Air India Express clarified that her mother had exceeded the airline's baggage limit and was asked to pay accordingly.

“Hi Aanchal, we are truly sorry to hear about your mother's experience and regret the distress it caused her. We understand the importance of ensuring a smooth travel experience, especially for senior citizens. Upon review, we found that the guest was carrying two pieces of checked baggage, weighing 17 kg, and 17 kg in cabin baggage,” Air India Express commented.

“Since the guest declined to reduce the weight, charges were applied for the excess baggage. Please note that for domestic flights, guests are allowed only one piece of checked baggage weighing 15 kg and two pieces of cabin baggage weighing 7 kg each. Any excess is chargeable,” they said.

However, Aanchal responded to the airline, reiterating that her complaint focused on the alleged mistreatment, not the payment requirement. 

“The issue is NOT payment for excess baggage, but your inhumane treatment,” she wrote.

Air India Express airline apologised, saying, “Aanchal, we apologise for any inconvenience your mother experienced during her recent interaction with our staff. We are committed to providing excellent customer service and will address the specific issues you raised.”

The airline also clarified that they do not allow excess baggage.

“We would also like to clarify that our cabin baggage policy allows for two pieces weighing up to 7 kg combined. We appreciate your understanding,” it added.