"Like Coming Home": Shashi Tharoor Praises Air India Cabin Crew After Back-To-Back Flights

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has recently praised Air India for its service and "stellar" crew. The politician recently shared his appreciation for two Air India cabin crew members in particular, noting a pleasant coincidence during his travels. During two consecutive flights, Tharoor found himself attended by the same Air India crew members, Sunita and Leepakshi. The repeated encounter left him pleasantly surprised, thanks to their excellent service. 

Sharing a selfie with the two crew members on his official X handle, Tharoor expressed his delight and gratitude, writing, "Had the unusual experience of encountering the same wonderful @airindia cabin crew in two successive flights! Seeing Sunita and Leepakshi again was like coming home. Thanks, ladies, & congratulations, @airIndia, on recruiting such stellar talents!"

Had the unusual experience of encountering the same wonderful ⁦@airindia⁩ cabin crew in two successive flights! Seeing Sunita and Leepakshi again was like coming home. Thanks, ladies, & congratulations, @airIndia, on recruiting such stellar talents! pic.twitter.com/vmeRkMo2pg

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) November 1, 2025

Shashi Tharoor's Past Criticism Of Air India

Tharoor's recent appreciation is a notable shift from his earlier criticism of the airline. In September, he had voiced concern over Air India's decision to cancel several flights from Kerala's airports for the upcoming winter schedule.

In a detailed post on X, Tharoor had expressed disappointment at what he described as a "large-scale curtailment" of services from Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, and Kannur between late October and March. He warned that the move could cause "severe hardship" to migrant workers, students, and tourists - groups heavily reliant on air travel from the state.

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"Kerala is one of the busiest aviation hubs in the country, with exceptionally high international passenger traffic, particularly to the Gulf region. Any curtailment of services at this stage will inevitably cause severe hardship to migrant workers, students, tourists and families, while also hampering trade and tourism," Tharoor had written.

I have written to @airindia MD Campbell Wilson to express my deep concern over reports of large-scale
cancellations of @airindiaexpress services from Kerala's airports in the
forthcoming winter schedule. According to widely-circulated media
accounts, a significant number of…

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 29, 2025

He had further urged the airline to stop treating Kerala as "an afterthought" and warned that passengers could shift their loyalty to other carriers if the situation persisted.

While Tharoor's earlier remarks reflected frustration over connectivity issues, his latest post suggests a more optimistic outlook towards Air India's customer service. Tharoor's renewed endorsement underscores how small gestures of professionalism and familiarity can go a long way in rebuilding goodwill among passengers.