Air India was privatized several years ago, and we know that under new management, the company is trying to turn itself around and actually offer a competitive product. Understandably, that’s not an overnight process, especially with the current reality of new aircraft deliveries and issues with aircraft seats.
I think what’s most disappointing in Air India’s “transformation” is how poor of a job the company is doing with maintaining its old aircraft. Here’s the latest example of that (thanks to Rahul for flagging this).
Air India demands no objections to broken seats
On September 12, 2025, a Reddit user flew AI187, the 19-hour Air India flight from Delhi (DEL) to Toronto (YYZ), which has a refueling stop in Vienna (VIE). Prior to the flight, Air India reportedly asked some passengers to sign a declaration confirming that tray tables are broken in business class, and that passengers have no objections to that.
As the traveler concludes, “pretty frustrating to pay business class fares and then be expected to eat with the food plate on your lap.” Here is the memo, which is quite something:
Dear Sir/Ma’am,
Greetings from Air India!
We sincerely regret that owing to an unforeseen operational issue you are being accommodated on a seat which is not up to the standards of comfort we wish to provide. We sincerely regret that your seat has a minor issue (Description of issue): Tray Table, which we have not been able to rectify prior to the departure of the flight. [Flight Number] from [Departure City] to [Destination City].
Please be assured that this does not compromise your safety in any respect during the journey. All materials used in our aircraft, including the seats, conform to approved design specifications. They meet the intended design and airworthiness requirements as mandated by regulatory authorities, ensuring your safety.
Please reach out to us directly by logging your request at our portal www.airindia.com under the section Support–Contact Us–Need Help–Feedback or scan the QR code provided below.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that may be caused and appreciate your understanding. Your trust in Air India is invaluable to us, and we remain committed to providing you with a safe and pleasant travel experience.
Passenger Acknowledgement
I (Pax Name) hereby confirm that I have been informed about the seat issue and have no objection to the assignment of the seat.
This waiver letter isn’t a good look for Air India
Occasionally parts of airplane seats break. The issue is that for Air India’s Boeing 777 fleet, this seems to be the norm rather than the exception. For example, just recently I covered how a first class passenger on this exact route was on a flight where the cabin was falling apart, there were bugs in the bedding, and more.
The whole premise of this broken seat waiver form is so ridiculous, from the tone, to the actual content. “Greetings from Air India!” That sounds like a very positive tone for a message that’s about to tell you that you’re going to be eating food on your lap in business class. It’s also so unprofessional how they don’t even write it out correctly, just leaving the form as saying “[Flight Number] from [Departure City] to [Destination City].”
But the most ridiculous part is what passengers are told to sign — passengers have to sign that they “have no objection to the assignment of the seat.” Like, who wouldn’t object to being assigned a broken seat? As you can see, the passenger didn’t sign this letter, but instead wrote the following:
I have objection. This is a 19hr flight with no proper tray table. It’s frustrating.
If Air India’s goal is to get people to acknowledge that they were made aware in advance of a broken seat, then the form should simply ask passengers to confirm that they were made aware of the situation, rather than forcing them to not object to having a broken seat.
For me, the greatest mystery is why Air India can’t do a better job with maintaining its tired 777 cabins. I do genuinely believe that Air India management wants to turn the airline around and make it world class. And I also believe management knows the horrible state these planes are in.
When you have cabins in such consistently poor condition, that’s not something that’s beyond a carrier’s control. I know Air India is working on refreshing the interiors a bit before the planes actually get all-new cabins. But why can’t the airline just perform basic maintenance so that there aren’t consistent problems?
Is it a budget issue? Does Air India just have so many tasks that it can’t bring itself to prioritize this in any way? Or what other explanation is there?
Bottom line
Air India seems to have such consistent issues with cabin maintenance that the airline has a generic broken seat waiver that it asks passengers to sign. In theory there’s nothing wrong with asking passengers to confirm that they were made aware of a broken seat. But what’s ridiculous is that the letter asks passengers to state they “have no objection to the assignment of the seat.” Who wouldn’t object to a broken seat?!?
What do you make of this Air India broken seat waiver letter?