When IndiGo described Poha as ‘salad’, it didn’t fly

Social media can be a brutal place for air-lying, er…airlines at a time when air safety violations not excluding “by-mistake” opening of emergency doors have all but become aviation news mainstays.

Amid the ongoing chaos, budgeted carrier IndiGo put its foot in its mouth when a promotional tweet about an inflight snack service seemingly called a bowl of Indian breakfast Poha “fresh salads”.

The Twitter post, which included an image of Poha with a squirt of a slice of lemon, carried the painful description: “Salads that are prepared and served on the same day, do try them. You’ll toss everything else away.”

Of course, the gastronomic blasphemy didn’t fly, with people online showing no mercy to Indigo for what was, at best, an outgoing employee’s notice-period sabotage.

“This is NOT a salad IndiGo. It’s Poha. A puffed rice preparation. Kisko tiya bana rahe ho?,” read a correction.

More scatching criticism came from a passenger who pointed out the reality of plane food: “If you are talking to Indians, by no measure this is a salad- it's "poha". You used to sell "upma"/ "poha" ready to eat versions by mixing boiling water so far; perhaps this version is freshly prepared poha with lime juice. It's not salad, IndiGo. Please get your facts correct."

However, aside from trolling, the apparent mix-up also brought out the funny side of Desi netizens.

In a tongue-in-cheek reply, a Twitter user asked: "So, Indore (which is famous for its Poha) will now be called 'The Salad Capital of India?'"

IndiGo prides itself as the first Indian airline with a 300-aircraft-strong fleet but servicing new routes, of late, has proved more trouble than its worth with recent incidents putting the operator under direct scrutiny from regulators.