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IndiGo airline has come under criticism after a passenger accused the airline of applying different rules for passengers and its own flights. The passenger claimed that they were stopped from boarding a Delhi-Rajkot flight over an alleged one-minute delay, even though the aircraft reportedly took off 13 minutes before its scheduled departure time. The incident has sparked a debate on social media over airline punctuality rules as the family said they were travelling with a sick child.
Family Misses Flight Despite Reaching Boarding Gate
Sharing the experience in an Instagram post on Saturday, the passenger said the family had booked an emergency flight after facing several problems with SpiceJet. According to the passenger, their earlier flight was delayed before being cancelled after hours of waiting. The family then booked IndiGo tickets from Delhi to Rajkot for Rs 16,600. The flight (6E 6047) was scheduled to leave at 5:30 am. The passenger added that they reached the boarding gate at 5:06 am, but airline staff refused to allow them on board, citing a one-minute delay.
The family said they requested the staff several times to let them board, but their requests were not accepted. The passenger questioned why the airline followed strict timing rules for travellers but did not follow the same schedule for its own departure. "Dear IndiGo6E, is your punctuality policy applicable only to passengers?" the passenger wrote.
Rs 28,600 Spent, Passenger Demands Refund
The passenger said the family had to spend another Rs 12,000 to book fresh tickets, taking their total expenses to Rs 28,600. "Rs 28,600 Spent, A Sick Toddler Distressed, And Absolutely No Accountability," the passenger added. They also questioned the airline's different timelines for boarding and departure. The passenger has demanded an investigation into the staff's behaviour, an explanation for the alleged early departure and a refund of the additional Rs 12,000.
Netizens React
The post soon attracted attention online, with several users sharing similar travel experiences. Many expressed support for the passengers and criticised the airline over the alleged treatment of the family. "Genius of Indigo is, for a 3 hr delayed flight, they will start boarding 2 hrs before and then delay it with various reasons, bad weather-air traffic overload and so on. Cheap tricks to skip the 2hrs delay rules," a user wrote.
"100% agree. They call you for final boarding and when you reach 1 min later the gates are closed while the last person is still walking towards the aircraft," another user wrote. The airline has not commented on the matter and the claims are also not independently verified.