'Money Doesn’t Buy Manners': X Post On How Indians Treat Air Hostesses Goes Viral, Sparks Heated Online Debate

A tweet by entrepreneur and traveller Priyesh Sharma has sparked a fiery conversation on class divide and empathy in India, after he reacted to a Instagram reel by an air hostess discussing how some passengers treat cabin crew members during flights.

'You are a servant in the aircraft'

Sharing his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter), Sharma wrote, “Saw a reel on Insta, where an airhost was sharing her experience on how some people treat them/call on flights and what's the right way. Her comment section was wild but the very first one itself showed the main issue with India — humility and empathy don't exist, it's weighted by money. Just because you paid, it doesn't mean you own anything. Being courteous and respectful is a bare minimum."

Check out the tweet below:

The tweet quickly went viral after Sharma attached a screenshot of one shocking comment from the reel, which read, "You are a servant in the aircraft. So you need to obey the passenger’s demand. You are not providing food for free. The airline is paying your salary. Also the passenger is paying for the food. So there’s nothing wrong in obeying passenger’s demand. Get that right in your narrow-minded head."

Internet divided

This statement ignited a fierce debate on social media about entitlement, classism, and respect in India’s service industry.

One user reacted, “Indians have a Durbar mentality. If they are richer than you, do nanga shahtang. If they are poorer than you, treat them as servants or untouchables! There is no in-between!” Another echoed, “Money doesn’t buy manners. That’s what most people fail to understand.”

One more wrote, "The years of ghulami has made our character like that. Tit for tat js a common trait among fellow Indians. When we work with Indian client it is horrible. The westerners have very high EQ, they are much better in putting up a human angle to everything."

However, not everyone agreed. Some users defended the comment, arguing that serving passengers is part of the job. One wrote, "What is the issue with comment? Is the problem with word servent? It is great when PM calls himself servant if the country but if airhostess is called servant is that something bad? In IT too we are serving clients and they too get angry when things get delayed.”

Another added, “The problem itself is job. Job is to serve the passengers isn't it? If their demand seems odd to you then its you that is the problem that don't know its your job to serve. And also respect is two way street."