IndiGo Airlines: My flight to hell
On December 20, 2014, my wife and I were to board an IndiGo Airlines flight from Delhi to Cochin. A round trip from Delhi to Cochin was costing us Rs 47,000. However, as it was only one of the few flights we could get tickets of, we had booked it.
On arrival at the airport at 5.15am, we were greeted by a large number of people at the IndiGo Airlines counters. We had web checked-in earlier and had our boarding passes on our phones as well. However, as we had to check-in one bag, we went to the counter. We spoke to one of the IndiGo Airlines staff who directed us to the web check-in queue. Having a doubt due to the fast approaching departure time, after spending around 15-20 minutes in the line, we again spoke to the IndiGo Airlines officials about our flight. He immediately ushered us to the counter. The people at the counter flatly refused us entry, despite the fact that we had checked-in by the web, citing that it was beyond their 45 minutes time frame.
They also stated that they were making announcements which we had not heard. On asking why they can't announce through a PA system, we were told that it was a silent airport. And when we asked why they couldn’t display it on the numerous LCD screens around the Delhi airport, we were told, they did not have the technology to do so, that and the screens were only to show other random information.
We were then directed to another counter and were told to book our seats on the next flight. As all flights were full, they put us on a flight on December 23, 2014, a loss of three days for us. We were also asked to pay Rs 19,000 approximately to book the next set of tickets which were cited as the difference in charges. Please note that now our overall cost for this round trip escalated to Rs 67,000 approximately.
At the counter, we noticed other people who had taken their boarding passes and had got stuck in the security queue and were refused to board the flight when they had reached their boarding gates. There were 20 people hovering about that counter like us, paying at an average of Rs 15,000 per person. IndiGo Airlines must have made at around Rs 3,00,000 in just an hour's time, according to my rough estimate.
On contacting IndiGo Airlines through their social media, I was told that the matter would be looked into. Their social media cell got in touch with me but were unable to answer my queries and called only to tell me that the company policy was to not give refunds. The social media cell, it seems, has been outsourced to just contact those who create a ruckus and to placate them. They neither know much about the company policies nor are they equipped to deal with consumer complaints.
After days of pursuing the matter, I got an email from IndiGo Airlines which stated that no refund would be given. I wrote back a strong email stating that I would take the matter to the DGCA. IndiGo Airlines immediately sent me an email back to give them two days to look into the matter and find a resolution. This proved that IndiGo Airlines had not actually looked into the matter and had just got whatever facts they wanted and written an auto generated email back to me.
We were fortunate enough to get another flight on December 21, 2014 on Air India which enabled us to get home. Before we booked that flight, we called up IndiGo Airlines customer care and confirmed that the tickets could be cancelled and the amount refunded. A cancellation request was placed as well. However, when we called today to confirm the cancellation request, we were told that a reallocated ticket cannot be cancelled. Then what was the extra payment taken under the guise of paying the difference for?
The questions to be asked are as under:
1) IndiGo Airlines had around seven to ten flights around that time and later in an hour to two hour time frame at the airport on that morning. Why could they not allot separate counters for web check-in passengers? This would have ensured that a person who had an 8.30am flight was not on the same queue as those checking in later.
2) What does web check-in mean? If the boarding pass has been issued, shouldn’t the passengers be allowed to board directly?
3) Is Rs 47,000 or Rs 67,000 a justified price for two tickets on this sector especially, as the price of jet fuel has come down in the last two months? An international flight to certain countries would cost less. To cite an example, we could go to Bali and back in that cost
4) Does IndiGo Airlines have the right to overcharge on the next flight along the same route?
5) Why aren’t announcements being made over a PA system or on the LCD screens? Does the excuse of a silent airport justify this? Random announcements made for random flights in various corners of an airport as large as the Delhi airport is not an effective or efficient manner of notifying passengers.
6) Why isn’t the DGCA stepping in and looking the other way on the issue of spike in ticket rates? IndiGo Airlines seems to be “making hay while the sun shines” especially in light of the problems faced by Spice Jet. Is monopoly of the skies good for Indian consumers?
7) Why keep a social media cell if they can't answer even one query?
8) IndiGo Airlines refuses to cancel and refund money for reallocated tickets. This would be understandable if the consumer had not paid extra for it. However, as we have paid approximately around Rs 19,000, I don’t think that is a justifiable excuse. Why can't a passenger cancel his tickets and get a refund? IndiGo Airlines has not booked those tickets for free or reallocated us freely. We have paid for it.
The Indian aviation sector has been in trouble for a while now. IndiGo Airlines seems to be making the most of the situation and fleecing the customer. The DGCA and the media needs to step in to highlight these facts. Apart from me, there were many elderly people who were at the counter helpless as to what to do. The high ticket fee being asked was perhaps beyond their financial limit. It is high time such a ham-handed treatment is put an end to.
Mine is only one of such incidents to have taken place.
(PS: IndiGo Airlines has finally reimbursed the passenger.)