Startup owner claims ‘extortion’ in Bengaluru-Indore flight. IndiGo responds

A plane journey from Bengaluru to Indore left a harrowing experience for a startup co-founder Sundeep Saxena as he claimed that he was ‘extorted’ by IndiGo airlines. He was travelling with IndiGo Airlines and he shared his bitter experience on LinkedIn.

Sundeep, the co-founder of fintech platform Coin Gabbar, alleged that IndiGo made him pay for a seat inside the aircraft, even after paying the full amount for the flight ticket.

Also Read - IndiGo clarifies web check-in policy amid spike in passenger complaints

He wrote, “Indian Aviation sector must be going through a tough time, specially IndiGo. This happened while I was travelling from Bengaluru to Indore via Ahmedabad. A strange thing happened while I was doing the routine web check-in. The web-check-in system was not allowing me to complete the process without selection of seats for the flight from Ahmedabad to Indore. And the system did not allot any random seat to me.”

He further alleged that he had no option left other than paying for a selected seat and raised doubts about the airline’s finances.

“Also, CO-INCIDENTALLY, all the seats that were available were up for payment only. No seat was available for free, whatever the preference. I thought of going for a desk check-in but then I remembered that that also would be chargeable. That clicked me. IndiGo must have been struggling so much with their finances that they have now resorted to extortion. Yes Extortion,” he added further.

He also tagged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and requested the regulator to act against the airlines. The incident is said to have happened on October 22.

In the comments, IndiGo responded and acknowledged the issue. “We regret such an experience with us. Your feedback has been duly noted and we truly look forward to serving you well in future travels with us,” said airlines.

After many such complaints of airlines forcing passengers to opt for a paid seat, IndiGo on Saturday clarified that web check-in is not a mandatory requirement but is recommended to the customers for a ‘hassle-free experience’.

After several such complaints, the union government has reportedly raised its concern with all airlines and online travel aggregators on making every seat a paid seat inside the aircraft, even after buying a ticket. Few reports said that the government even called it an ‘unfair trade practice.’