Biotechnology pioneer Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to express her strong displeasure with the “gourmet cuisine” served on an IndiGo flight, deeming it “tasteless.” Her candid feedback has ignited a public discussion about the quality of in-flight dining, particularly for premium passengers.
“This is what @IndiGo6E calls gourmet cuisine for the Stretch passengers! I prefer their regular items! Oberoi should introspect on this uninviting and tasteless menu – please do a customer survey and I bet you there will be a 100%,” the Bengaluru-based billionaire tweeted.
IndiGo’s ‘Stretch’ service is its premium business class offering. The tweet included a photo of the menu provided during the flight. The first listed item was “German lentil and feta salad with beetroot aalouti.” Other dishes featured on the menu included “Lavash with cream cheese yogurt deep,” “Theedoi tres leches cake,” and “Mined nuts pink salt and pepper,” alongside a selection of beverages.
Social media users engaged with the entrepreneur’s post, with one asking about her preferred in-flight meal options. Mazumdar-Shaw responded that she would rather have IndiGo’s “magic upma or noodles or even sandwiches!”
Many users agreed with her sentiment, with one commenting, “The ‘gourmet’ label often raises expectations, but the reality on board sometimes falls short. A good lounge meal before departure really sets the bar high, and yes, domestic in-flight menus often struggle to compete. Maybe airlines should run proper customer surveys before calling it gourmet.” Another user echoed this, stating, “Agreed. The food has really gone downhill. Feels like sterilised food served in an ICU.” Others found the menu descriptions themselves unappealing, with one person noting, “Not appetising at all, just fancy words!”
Hindustan Times has reached out to IndiGo for a response. This report will be updated once the airline provides a statement.