Air India discriminates against disabled persons and service animals. Air India does not provide wheelchair assistance in a timely manner and in fact, failed to provide wheelchair assistence upon arrival at my destination (it was actually Lufthansa Airlines who went out of their way to assist me). Air India does not make the required 'Complaints Resolution Officer (CRO)' available either in person or by phone, in violation of the Air Carriers Access Act (ACAA). I had to receive approval to board the plane at LAX with my service animal, which is a violation of my civil rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
On the return leg of my flight, I had to wait over an hour for a wheelchair. I actually became ill and went to the floor right in front of the Air India Sevice counter. Do you think they would help? No. My caregiver asked for medical assistence three times and no one was ever called. Finally, a wheelchair did arrive, but without any assistance through the terminal. My caregiver had to push me and our luggage all the way to the gate. By ACAA law, airlines are to make wheelchairs with an attendant available to disabled persons, to and from the aircraft. Air India failed to follow the law at each leg of my journey.
To further discriminate against me, the pilot on the return flight would not push-back from the gate until I would either caged my service animal, or leave the aircraft. The pilot stated that he did not want the service animal 'to offend other passengers'. A woman in the same row had taken four seats in front of her actual assigned seat, to lay down and sleep WITH HER SHOES OFF. Her dirty nasty feet were all over the seat facing me nearly the entire flight (yuk!). The pilot or the crew never asked her not 'to offend other passengers'. I have a photo of this 'offensive' event. The pilot demanded I put my service animal in a box (I have photos of this, as well as the actual box). This was cruel. It was the Gate Agent that found a box that was the same size as my service animal. This box was not vented causing her to over-heat and in fact, he cut a hole just big enough to put her in. She couldn't even turn around inside this box. Having my service animal in a box also removed her from her service duties to me. Can someone say ADA ABUSE!
Air India failed on two occassions to provide a CRO as requested, while at each airport. At LAX, I had to make my complaint to an assitant manager, who didn't even want to hear it and he gave me the address for Air India so that I could write to them (another ACAA violation).
I made a formal complaint to Air India after my return. Air India's response placed the blame on everbody but themselves. Travellers Beware!
