In an incident that caught the attention of travelers, Harsha Bhogle, a renowned Indian cricket commentator, shared a troubling experience involving an elderly couple on an IndiGo flight.
In a social media post, he highlighted the unexpected inconvenience the couple faced when their pre-booked seats were abruptly changed from the fourth row to the nineteenth row.
The elderly couple had specifically chosen seats closer to the front of the aircraft to minimize the discomfort of walking down the narrow aisle, which can be particularly challenging for older passengers.
Yet, without any clear explanation, they found themselves reassigned to seats much farther back. Bhogle, who was traveling on the same flight, observed the distress of the couple, especially the elderly lady, who quietly expressed how such incidents have become a recurring issue for people of their age. She mentioned that situations like these add unnecessary stress to their travel experience.
Another example of #IndigoFirstPassengerLast. An elderly couple on my flight had paid for seats in row 4 so they wouldn’t have to walk much. Without an explanation, #Indigo changed it to seat 19. The gentleman was going to struggle to walk till row 19 in a narrow passage. But who cares. A few people had to make a noise, point out the immorality and only then, thanks to the pleasant cabin crew were the original seats restored. But, and this is the point, they had to make a noise otherwise Indigo was going to get them to walk till 19, and check after boarding was complete, if they could be assigned 4, which meant they would have to walk back. The elderly lady was meekly complaining about how this is a common occurrence and how it is stressful for people their age to travel #Indigo. “I wish they didn’t have a monopoly” she said. Such a pity. I am sure @IndiGo6E , you can sensitise your ground staff to put the passenger first occasionally. It was so disappointing to see how casually they were moving elderly passengers. With success comes responsibility. As someone who is proud of a successful Indian enterprise, I hope you can be more sensitive and not institutionalise this uncaring attitude.
Although initially upset by the seat change, the situation saw a turnaround when the IndiGo cabin crew, after hearing some passengers speak up, managed to restore the couple’s original seats. Bhogle praised the cabin crew for their effort in making this adjustment but called out the airline’s general lack of empathy for its passengers. His post resonated with many, bringing attention to the challenges that older passengers face when flying.
IndiGo responds to Harsha Bhogle
In response to the incident, an IndiGo representative acknowledged the issue and offered an apology for the inconvenience caused. This situation serves as a reminder of the importance of compassionate customer service, especially for older travelers who rely on these services for a comfortable journey.
Mr Bhogle, thank you for bringing this to our attention and taking the time to speak with us. We sincerely regret the confusion that caused inconvenience to the customers. Our crew quickly intervened, ensuring they travelled comfortably in their originally assigned seats. We’ve also reached out to the customers to address this personally. We truly appreciate your understanding and look forward to serving you again soon. 2/2 ~Satyendra