IndiGo passenger turns chaiwala, distributes tea to co-flyers: 'Ye kya chal rha hai…’

In a bizarre incident that has sparked debate online, a video surfaced on Instagram showing two men casually serving tea in disposable cups while walking down the aisle of an IndiGo airplane. Mimicking the service style seen on Indian trains, the men were seen pouring tea from a bottle, with one man serving a seated woman.

The video, which has since gone viral, garnered more than 400k views within just 24 hours of being shared. Social media users flooded the comments section with mixed reactions, ranging from humour to sharp criticism of the incident.

One user joked, “Soon there will be mung phali wala chaat masala,” comparing the scene to traditional vendors on Indian trains. Another, however, expressed disappointment, stating, “This is why foreigners are speaking bad about India… please behave.”

The criticisms didn’t end there, as a third comment highlighted concerns over security and professionalism onboard, sarcastically questioning, “Cabin crew, security wale konsa nasha karke baithe hai (What are the cabin crew and security staff even doing)?”

Take a look at the video:

Airlines making headlines for the strange reasons

Recent months have seen instances ranging from unruly passenger behaviour to lapses in security protocols, prompting public and regulatory scrutiny.

In a previous incident involving the same airline, Trisha Shetty, founder of SheSays, accused IndiGo of being uncooperative. She claimed that the airline staff were unwilling to help her mother, who was allegedly "robbed" during a flight. In response to the post, the airline asked Shetty to share her contact details so they could "assist her at the earliest."

“Dear IndiGo my mom got robbed on your flight 6E 17. Flight crew kept her handbag in the overhead. When she fell asleep, a passenger took her bag. Luckily she woke up when he was replacing her bag. Your crew refused to help her file a complaint. They made excuses for thief,” Shetty wrote.

In another incident, actor Shamita Shetty made allegations against IndiGo Airlines, claiming that they offloaded her luggage due to weight limitations. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Shamita posted a video from the airport stating that she was travelling from Jaipur to Chandigarh for an event.

In the video, Shamita said, "I am stuck at the Chandigarh airport. I have travelled from Jaipur to Chandigarh on an Indigo airline and my bags were just offloaded without informing me. I have come here for an event. My hairdresser's bag and my bag were just offloaded because of some weight issues. Am I not supposed to be informed before something like this is done?"

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