Renowned cricket analyst Harsha Bhogle recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his dissatisfaction with IndiGo Airlines after witnessing an elderly couple’s discomforting experience. Bhogle shared how the couple, who had paid for front-row seats to minimize walking distance, were unexpectedly moved to row 19 without any explanation, highlighting his concerns about the airline’s treatment of its customers, especially the elderly.
In his tweet, Bhogle described the elderly gentleman’s struggle to navigate his way to the back of the aircraft through the narrow aisle. He wrote, “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.”
He further explained that only after several passengers raised their voices and pointed out the injustice were the couple’s original seats restored, thanks to the cooperation of the cabin crew. However, Bhogle emphasized that had there been no outcry, the airline would have likely forced the elderly couple to walk to row 19 and back again once boarding was complete, just to reassign their original seats.
Bhogle also shared a poignant moment when the elderly woman mentioned that such incidents were common and that traveling was stressful for older people. “I wish they didn’t have a monopoly,” she remarked, expressing her frustration over the lack of options for air travel.
Bhogle’s post concluded with an appeal to IndiGo to be more sensitive and considerate towards its passengers. He wrote, “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.”
“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.”
IndiGo added, “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.~Satyendra”