Know why Rishi Kapoor and Arjun Erigaisi called British Airways racist and why they stopped flying
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When Rishi Kapoor took a stand
Bollywood legend Rishi Kapoor’s 2019 criticism of British Airways has come back into the limelight after chess wizard Arjun Erigaisi recently shared his bad experience with the airline.
Original allegations
Kapoor had then minced no words and said: “Racist. Don’t fly British Airways. We can’t be treated like that.”
He revealed that the cabin crew behaved rudely with him twice despite being in first class! Instead, he recommended Jet Airways or Emirates and said, “There’s respect there.”
Worst experience flying with the British Airways. Involuntarily downgrade, rude employees, no communication, bags delayed for over 48 hours. This is frustrating. Messages, emails, forms everything done & submitted. It’s been over 2 days and still no word. I don’t know how an…
— Arjun Erigaisi (@ArjunErigaisi) July 14, 2025
What was the reason behind Kapoor’s tweet?
His comments came after a disturbing incident in 2019 where an Indian family was allegedly deboarded from a London-Berlin flight.
The passenger involved, AP Pathak (a government official), called it racial discrimination, following which the then aviation minister Suresh Prabhu sought answers.
Erigaisi’s latest nightmare
Now top-seeded chess grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi has reignited the conversation after his own bad experience:
“Worst experience flying with British Airways,” he vented his frustration online. “Forced downgrades, rude staff, no communication, bag delays for over 48 hours.”
The frustrated player added: “Messages, emails, forms—submitted everything. Two days have passed and no response.
How can an airline treat its customers like this? Worse still, I have to fly back with them!”
Pattern of problems?
These incidents raise questions about customer service standards. While individual experiences may vary, these high-profile complaints highlight potential issues that travelers may want to consider before booking.
Both Kapoor and Erigaisi’s stories show how even celebrities are not immune to travel troubles, and they’re not afraid to let it be known publicly.
As more travelers share their experiences online, airlines are under increasing pressure to address service concerns, or else they could damage their reputation with potential customers.
