Woman slams Air India Express for ‘mistreatment’ of elderly mother over baggage issue

A Delhi-based woman shared a distressing account of her 71-year-old mother’s experience with Air India Express.
In a detailed post on LinkedIn, Aanchal Jain – Head of Global Brand Experience at Lenskart – accused the airline of mishandling her mother’s journey from Kochi to Bengaluru, citing mistreatment regarding excess baggage charges and a lack of compassion for her mother’s physical limitations.
“Horrible assault by Air India Express on senior citizens,” she said, adding, “My 71-year-old mother was traveling from Kochi to Bangalore last night. Unfortunately, by Air India Express.”
According to Jain, her mother, who was using a wheelchair and had a fractured hand, was made to leave her wheelchair and walk to a dimly lit area where the luggage was stored.
“Despite the flight being late by several hours (with no communication), at the time of boarding (around midnight), the staff: – singled out my mother and made her leave the wheelchair – walk to a dark place where luggage was kept,” she said.
Once there, she was allegedly instructed to sit on the floor and open her bags.
“They also made her sit on the dirty floor and open her luggage (despite her hand fracture),” she added.
Jain further stated that her mother was told to leave her purse and walking stick at the gate and was warned that missing the flight would be “her fault.”
“They made her leave her purse and walking stick unsupervised at the boarding gate (frightening her with the consequence that she would miss her flight, and it would be her fault),” Jain said.
Ultimately, Jain’s mother was charged Rs 8,200 in cash for overweight baggage and instructed to return to the aircraft in visible distress.
“Then made her pay 8,200 in cash (saying that her check-in and hand luggage were over the weight limit and if she didn’t pay, she would miss the flight and it would be her fault). They made her walk back (nervous and crying) to the aircraft,” Jain added.
In her post, Jain voiced frustration over the airline’s service, saying, “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.”
Take a look at her post here:
Air India Express reacted to Jain’s complaint as they expressed regret and also explained their baggage policy. They clarified that the passenger had exceeded both the checked and cabin baggage limit.
“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. 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. We strive to serve you better. For security reasons, kindly refrain from sharing personal information, such as your PNR, in public,” the airline said.
In another post, they also extended their apologies on the matter, “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.”
“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,” they added.
Social media users were divided over the issue. While several supported Jain’s call for better treatment of elderly passengers, others argued the responsibility was partially on Jain.
“Isn’t it irresponsible at the end of people taking care of her? Your mother might not be aware of baggage limitations, but you would be,” a user said, while another added, “If she is 71 and had a hand fracture, you should not have let her travel alone.”
See the comments here:
Jain, however, underscored that the core issue wasn’t the excess baggage but the lack of sensitivity shown by the airline’s staff.
“They didn’t take the excess baggage fee when they should have,” she said, adding that her mother was unnecessarily made to leave her wheelchair, open her luggage, and pay cash in a rush.
“They didn’t take the excess. Then before boarding, they made her leave her wheelchair, go to their dingy hanger, sit on a dirty floor, open and show her luggage with her fractured arm, kept threatening that if she missed her flight it would be her fault, then pay cash there and then, and then made her rush back in that condition to catch her miserable flight,” she said.
The incident has since triggered a discussion among social media users about airline policies and the handling of elderly passengers.