Actor Sonakshi Sinha recently expressed her strong displeasure with India’s national carrier, Air India, after her early morning flight from Mumbai was delayed for several hours without any clear explanation. Taking to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, the actor revealed that she had been waiting at the airport since the early hours of the morning, only to face repeated delays that stretched her travel ordeal to nearly half a day.
According to Sonakshi, she arrived at the airport at 4 am to catch a scheduled 5 am flight. However, instead of boarding on time, she found herself stuck at the terminal as the departure was postponed hour by hour. Sharing a photo taken from her flight window, Sonakshi wrote a sharply worded note expressing her frustration. “Absolutely hate you @airindia,” she wrote. “Been at the airport since 4 am to catch a 5 am flight, which has been pushed to 11 am hour by hour for NO DAMN REASON. National carrier, it seems. Do better.”
The post quickly caught attention online, with many users resonating with her experience and sharing similar stories of flight delays and poor communication. Sonakshi later deleted the post, but screenshots of her remarks continued to circulate on social media, sparking renewed discussion around passenger inconvenience and airline accountability.
This incident adds Sonakshi Sinha to a growing list of celebrities who have publicly criticised Air India over service-related issues. In recent weeks, the airline has faced backlash from several prominent personalities across different industries, each highlighting concerns ranging from damaged belongings to inadequate passenger care.
One such instance involved acclaimed musician and composer Anoushka Shankar, who voiced her disappointment after her sitar was damaged during a recent Air India flight. Despite paying a handling fee to ensure safe transport of her instrument, Anoushka claimed that the sitar suffered significant damage. Sharing a video of the broken instrument on social media, she expressed her shock and heartbreak. “Devastated and truly disturbed by @airindia’s treatment of my sitar,” she wrote, questioning how such damage could occur without negligence. She also noted that she had flown thousands of times with other airlines without even a minor issue, making the incident particularly upsetting.
Actor Raveena Tandon has also previously called out Air India, specifically over its policies regarding passengers travelling with pets. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Raveena shared an article reporting that private airline Akasa Air would allow passengers to fly with two pets in the cabin. Reacting to the news, she urged Air India to learn from such policies. “Take a cue @airindia,” she wrote, adding that pet parents are often put through unnecessary inconvenience. She further remarked that pets are often better behaved than some human passengers onboard.
Together, these incidents have intensified scrutiny on the airline’s customer service standards, especially as expectations rise in a post-pandemic travel landscape. Frequent delays, damaged belongings, and restrictive policies have led to increasing frustration among travellers, and public criticism from well-known figures has amplified these concerns.
Meanwhile, Sonakshi Sinha continues to remain active on the professional front. The actor was last seen in the supernatural thriller Jatadhara, which marked a notable addition to her filmography. Directed by Abhishek Jaiswal and Venkat Kalyan, the film featured an ensemble cast including Sudheer Babu, Shilpa Shirodkar, Divya Khossla, Indira Krishna, Ravi Prakash, Naveen Neni, Rohit Pathak, Jhansi, Rajeev Kanakala, and Subhalekha Sudhakar.
Jatadhara was released theatrically in both Telugu and Hindi on November 7 and explored eerie themes and mythological elements, earning attention for its atmospheric storytelling and performances. Sonakshi’s role in the film was particularly noted as she continues to experiment with diverse genres beyond mainstream commercial cinema.
While Sonakshi chose not to further comment after deleting her Instagram story, her post has once again highlighted the growing dissatisfaction among passengers regarding airline delays and lack of transparency. For many travellers, especially those with early morning flights, such prolonged delays can disrupt schedules and cause significant inconvenience.
As more celebrities and passengers speak out, calls for improved accountability and better customer communication continue to grow. Whether Air India addresses these recurring complaints with tangible improvements remains to be seen, but incidents like Sonakshi Sinha’s ensure that the conversation around service standards stays firmly in the public eye.
