NEW DELHI: An Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, Ashwini Bhide on Sunday slammed British Airways and alleged that they downgraded her seat from premium economy on the pretext of overbooking.
Bhide took to the social media platform X to share her recent experience with the airline, accusing them of racist policies. She claimed that not only was she downgraded, but she was also not compensated for the fare difference.
“Are you cheating or following discriminatory/racist policies @British_Airways? How come u downgrade a premium economy passenger at check-in counter on false pretext of overbooking without even paying price difference forget about compensation? I’m told this is a common practice by BA @CSMIA Mumbai,” IAS officer Ashwini Bhide said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Bhide, a 1995 batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, is known for her work on the Aqua Line of the Mumbai Metro.
In her post on X, she questioned British Airways’ practices and accused them of cheating and implementing discriminatory policies. She also tagged the aviation regulator DGCA and Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in her post.
Responding to Bhide’s post, British Airways apologised for the inconvenience caused and stated that if a passenger is downgraded due to overbooking, they are entitled to the fare difference. The airline assured Bhide that their Customer Relations team would investigate the matter and provide any compensation that may be due.
“Hi there, if you’ve been downgraded due to overbooking, you’re entitled to any difference in the fare paid. Our Customer Relations team will look into this and advise of any compensation due,” the airline said in the post.
Many other users on the social media platform shared similar experiences and expressed their dissatisfaction with the airline’s treatment.
Bhide took to the social media platform X to share her recent experience with the airline, accusing them of racist policies. She claimed that not only was she downgraded, but she was also not compensated for the fare difference.
“Are you cheating or following discriminatory/racist policies @British_Airways? How come u downgrade a premium economy passenger at check-in counter on false pretext of overbooking without even paying price difference forget about compensation? I’m told this is a common practice by BA @CSMIA Mumbai,” IAS officer Ashwini Bhide said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Bhide, a 1995 batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, is known for her work on the Aqua Line of the Mumbai Metro.
In her post on X, she questioned British Airways’ practices and accused them of cheating and implementing discriminatory policies. She also tagged the aviation regulator DGCA and Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in her post.
Responding to Bhide’s post, British Airways apologised for the inconvenience caused and stated that if a passenger is downgraded due to overbooking, they are entitled to the fare difference. The airline assured Bhide that their Customer Relations team would investigate the matter and provide any compensation that may be due.
“Hi there, if you’ve been downgraded due to overbooking, you’re entitled to any difference in the fare paid. Our Customer Relations team will look into this and advise of any compensation due,” the airline said in the post.
Many other users on the social media platform shared similar experiences and expressed their dissatisfaction with the airline’s treatment.
