Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma is not a fan of Air India’s older cabins, says ‘there should be a way to identify…’

Online payments platform Paytm's Chief Executive Officer Vijay Shekhar Sharma, in a post on social media platform X on Tuesday, March 11, said airline travellers should be able to identify the aircraft they will be boarding to select their preferred seats before booking. 

Tagging the official social media X handle of Tata-owned Air India in the post, Vijay Shekhar Sharma said that he booked his Air India “long flight”, assuming that it would have the new aircraft (Airbus 350) with new seats.

However, the photo shared on the social media platform showed that it was an aircraft from the full-service carrier's older fleet.

“Hello @airindia, There should be a way to identify this aircraft type at the time of booking. Had assumed of those new aircraft/ seats and now in this one, for a super long flight,” said Vijay Shekhar Sharma in his post on platform X. 

Air India's response

Responding to Paytm CEO's concerns, the Tata-owned carrier highlighted that travellers can see the details of a particular aircraft while booking their journey, which helps them decide whether or not it's the particular aircraft they desire to travel in.

“Dear Mr. Sharma, we understand how important it is to have a comfortable journey, especially on long flights. While booking, you can see the aircraft type listed in the flight details section. Please feel free to reach out if you need further assistance,” said Air India, responding to Sharma's post on X. 

Netizens React

Several X users asked Vijay Shekhar Sharma whether or not he checked the details of the flight before booking the airline ahead of his travel, while others highlighted the need for Air India to upgrade its older cabins to newer ones.

“But did you try to find out while booking? No You just assumed Sir and now complaining. Not fair,” said a social media user named Ace Maker responding to Sharma's post. 

A few people also highlighted a hack that they have found useful. A user named Nishchay said, “If the selected flight has premium economy, then it’s a new else old..”

A few people also pointed out that apart from the official website booking, travel booking portals like MakeMyTrip also provide airline details to travellers before they confirm their tickets.

“It’s easy. Only A350 have lie flat seats. They show both the aircraft configuration and whether it’s standard recliner or lie flat during booking exp. I book through @makemytrip. it’s another thing if they change aircraft last minute. Has happened to me (sic),” said a social media user named Tim responding to Sharma's post.