A Nightmare in the Skies: My Harrowing Experience with Alliance Air Flight 91755

Traveling by air is supposed to be a seamless blend of convenience and adventure, whisking you from one corner of the country to another with minimal fuss. But when you’re flying with Alliance Air, India’s regional carrier tasked with connecting the unconnected under the UDAN scheme, that dream can quickly turn into a waking nightmare. On September 26, 2025, I boarded what was supposed to be a routine evening flight from Kolkata to Guwahati—Alliance Air Flight No. 91755, scheduled for 21:50. What followed was a cascade of incompetence, discomfort, and outright safety concerns that left me questioning why anyone would choose this airline unless absolutely desperate.

Let me take you through the ordeal, step by unprofessional step.

The Seat Swap Debacle: From Front Row to the Back of Beyond

I arrived at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport early, excited for a quick hop to Guwahati. Check-in was smooth enough—I was allotted seat 1B, a prime spot in the front row of the ATR-72 aircraft, offering a bit more legroom and easy access. Little did I know this small mercy would be yanked away faster than a delayed departure announcement.

As I boarded, a ground staff member—stone-faced and utterly unapologetic—waved me off with a curt, “Your seat’s changed to 18B.” No explanation. No “sorry for the inconvenience.” Seat 18B? That’s the last row on the plane, right next to the galley and lavatory, where every bump and passenger shuffle feels amplified. I protested, citing my allotment. The response? A mumbled “technical reasons” and a pointed finger toward the rear. It felt like a demotion from business class to economy purgatory, all orchestrated by staff who seemed more interested in clearing the jet bridge than serving customers.

This wasn’t just petty— it highlighted a deeper rot in Alliance Air’s operations. Ground staff, meant to be the welcoming face of the airline, come across as indifferent at best, hostile at worst. In an industry where service can make or break loyalty, this is a glaring red flag.

Delays, AC Woes, and a Cracked Window: A Symphony of Dysfunction

If the seat swap was the appetizer, the main course was a flight plagued by delays and mechanical gripes. Our 21:50 departure? Pushed back by over an hour with zero real-time updates—classic Alliance Air tardiness. We’re talking an airline that’s notorious for running late, with on-time performance hovering in the dismal single digits on many regional routes. By the time we taxied, frustration levels were at an all-time high.

Then came the heat. The air conditioning? Non-functional for the first 20 minutes of the flight, turning the cabin into a sweatbox. Passengers fanned themselves with boarding passes, while the crew offered tepid assurances of “it’s being fixed.” Alliance Air’s fleet—mostly aging ATR-72s and ATR-42s, some pushing 20 years old—can’t handle the load, much like trying to blast your car’s AC during a traffic jam in a sub-1000cc engine. The compressors strain, the cool air sputters, and you’re left dripping while hurtling through the skies. It’s not just uncomfortable; in a tropical country like India, it’s a health hazard waiting to happen.

But the real kicker? As I settled into my unwanted rear throne, I noticed the window glass near seat 17A—right across the aisle—was cracked. A jagged fissure snaking across the pane, like it had been hit by a rogue pebble mid-flight. I flagged it to the cabin crew, who inspected it with the enthusiasm of a sloth and dismissed it as “pre-existing.” Pre-existing? On a safety-critical component? In an era where aviation regulators like the DGCA are cracking down on lapses, this is unacceptable. Alliance Air topped the DGCA’s recent audit with 57 findings—more than any other major operator—pointing to systemic issues in maintenance and oversight.

The flight limped into Guwahati around midnight, over an hour late, with tempers frayed and trust shattered. One more case in Alliance Air’s growing dossier of passenger horror stories.

Why Alliance Air Keeps Dropping the Ball: The Deeper Problems

Alliance Air isn’t just plagued by one-off mishaps; it’s symptomatic of broader failures. Here’s a no-holds-barred breakdown:

1. Staff That Couldn’t Care Less: From ground handlers to flight attendants, the vibe is one of apathy. No empathy, no initiative—just rote responses. It’s as if customer service training skipped this airline entirely.
2. Chronically Late: Punctuality? A myth. Delays are the norm, thanks to understaffing, poor scheduling, and a fleet that’s always one step away from the hangar. If time is money, flying Alliance Air is bankruptcy.
3. Aging Fleet with AC Nightmares: Their planes are a mixed bag of old and barely updated. The ATRs guzzle fuel inefficiently and falter under load—AC fails, engines strain, and safety margins thin. Recent incidents, such as the cancellation of the Hyderabad-Tirupati service due to “repeated glitches,” underscore this.
4. Cramped Quarters: Legroom? What’s that? Seats are squeezed tighter than a budget backpack, making even a 1-hour flight feel eternal. At 5’10”, my knees kissed the seat in front the whole way.
5. Safety Oversights Galore: Cracked windows, technical snags—you name it. While no major crashes in recent years, the pattern of minor (but mounting) issues screams neglect.

And the root causes? Let’s not sugarcoat it.

I. Government-Owned and Government-Ignored: Once a subsidiary of Air India, Alliance Air was left behind when Tata Group scooped up the parent in 2022. Now wholly owned by the Government of India via a special purpose vehicle, it’s adrift in bureaucratic limbo. Who listens to the government? No one—except during election nautanki (drama). BJP or Congress, it’s the same script: promises fly higher than the planes, but maintenance budgets gather dust.

II. Fleet That’s Laughably Outmatched: Stack Alliance Air’s turboprops against IndiGo’s shiny A320neos or even Air India’s wide-bodies, and it’s no contest. Their birds lack the robustness, reliability, and frills of competitors. IndiGo’s on-time rate? Over 80%. Alliance? Try 40% on a good day.

III. AC and Engine Strains: As I said earlier, it’s the aviation equivalent of a low-cc car choking in traffic. Old engines can’t bear the AC load without drama, leading to those mid-air sweats and emergency returns—like the August 2025 Guwahati-Kolkata scare.

Conclusion

Despite high-profile air incidents in the past—the government and agencies like the DGCA seem allergic to real learning curves on safety.

My advice? Avoid Alliance Air like the plague. Opt for IndiGo, Vistara, or even a train if you can. Book it only in emergencies or when all other options have been exhausted. Your comfort, sanity, and safety deserve better than this taxpayer-funded fiasco. Until the government wakes up or privatization magic happens, the skies with Alliance Air remain turbulent territory.

Have you had a run-in with Alliance Air? Share your stories in the comments—let’s crowdsource some real change.