Influencer Fakes Injury To Get Business Class Upgrade On Air India, Internet Says ‘This Is Why Genuine People Suffer’
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Inspired by international creator Airrack, Sarthak Sachdev pulls a controversial “social experiment” at the airport counter, leaving netizens completely divided.
Influencer Fakes Injury To Get Business Class Upgrade On Air India, Internet Says ‘This Is Why Genuine People Suffer’
How far would you go to skip the cramped seats of economy and stretch your legs in business class? For modern travel influencers, the answer seems to be: buy a fake medical brace and put on a show.
An Instagram creator named Sarthak Sachdeva has found himself at the center of a social media storm after filming himself pulling off a highly controversial stunt at an Indian airport. In a video that is rapidly spreading across X and Instagram, the influencer successfully managed to talk his way into luxury seating by pretending to be injured. Sachdeva wore a fake neck brace and a sling on his hand, walked up to an Air India counter, and openly asked the staff for a first-class seat. While the ground agent informed him that first class wasn’t available, she took pity on his apparent physical condition and upgraded him to business class instead.
‘Just A Fun Social Experiment’
Knowing the video would likely cause a huge stir, Sachdev added a caption to his reel explaining that he didn’t mean any real harm, pointing out that he got the idea from a famous global YouTuber:
“wait for end! saw @airrack do this video so tried an Indian version! W @airindia for the hospitality- the kindest staff I have seen & damn the food was yummy 🙂 this was just a fun social experiment not meant for any wrong message or demeaning anyone!”
Despite his disclaimer, the video instantly divided the internet. While some users found the loophole hilarious, others—including airline staff and frequent flyers—accused him of taking advantage of workers’ basic empathy and making life harder for people who are actually hurt.
Social Media Reacts: ‘The Genuine People Suffer’
The comment section quickly turned into a heated argument about internet morality. Many users were deeply upset by the prank, noting that this kind of behavior makes airline workers suspicious of people who genuinely need medical help:
“The genuine people suffer because of treachery of such types of people.”
“@airindia should get this influencer pay for the fraud in guise of social experiment. Genuine passengers facing an issue will become a suspect and no one at the counter will help them. That’s how the trust is broken. He has done great disservice.”
The anger got to the point where viewers started tagging government authorities, demanding strict legal action against content creators who film themselves tricking businesses for views: “Influencers who show off and promote illegal/unethical activities should get prison time with deletion of their all social media accounts. Govt. should take it seriously before it’s too late.”
Meet Instagram Influencer Sarthak 👏– Bro pretended to have a hand injury at the airport, and at the ticket counter he used his fake injury to upgrade his normal ticket to business class. 😭 pic.twitter.com/WSovK0jskn
— Sumit (@beingsumit01) May 24, 2026
Support For Air India’s Kindness
On the positive side, many viewers pointed out that the video actually served as a great advertisement for the airline’s customer care team, proving that their workers have genuine hearts:
“Working in customer experience for Air India, I’ve seen people abuse the whole airline over one rude interaction. One staff member doesn’t define the airline. This incident shows the staff’s kindness, they helped believing the passenger was injured. Big heart for airport staff.”
Another user shared a real-life story confirming that airlines regularly give upgrades to injured flyers out of pure compassion: “It is true. One of my friend during an overseas travel met with an accident and suffered a leg fracture. Upon return he was upgraded to business class. No questions asked, he was given assistance for washroom access as well.”
Is The Whole Video Staged?
Of course, because it’s the internet, a few eagle-eyed viewers started looking closely at the background details, claiming that the entire video might be fake and that the influencer likely paid for the premium ticket before he even arrived: “Fake, he has clearly entered Gate 1 of CSMIA which is reserved for First & Business passengers. He could have only entered if he already had a business class ticket. And the counter lady clearly rejected upgrade to first class. He had a valid business ticket and he got the same”
Regardless of whether the ticket was paid for or truly tricked out of the staff, many users saw the comedy surrounding the stunt. Joking about how easily Indian passengers will copy this trend on their next family holiday, users left a few final, hilarious warnings for the airline: “Ab Airindia wale yeh video dekh ke tickets ke paise mangege😂😂”
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