IndiGo airlines has off late been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
IndiGo airlines has off late been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The recent incident of the carrier comes as a big shock. falling into trouble.
Reportedly, an elderly couple were made to spend 24 hours at Istanbul Airport on chairs as the IndiGo “forgot” to put them on their connecting flight to India.
The couple, with the husband being wheelchair-bound, were on their return journey to Mumbai from London and had booked ticket from the airline with the London-Istanbul sector operated by Turkish Airlines and the leg to Mumbai by IndiGo.
They then got the next day’s flight to Mumbai after spending 24 hours on chairs at Istanbul terminal.
According to the couple’s Bengaluru-based daughter Richa Shah, her father, Rajesh Shah (64), and mother, Rashmi Shah (59), had a single PNR ticket for the journey on August 17, 2023. Dad is wheelchair-bound as he had (earlier) suffered multiple strokes and has undergone surgeries. Her mother also cannot walk that long as is required at big airports and wheelchairs were booked for both of them for use at airports. They landed in Istanbul as per schedule.
After landing, they were assisted by the ground staff for taking the connecting flight to Mumbai and they were made to sit at a boarding gate with their boarding passes.
When a few hours passed, her mother went to check at the counter regarding the flight status. The staff took the boarding passes from her and asked them to sit till further instructions.
This kept happening repeatedly and they were only told ‘their supervisor is on the way, and they have to talk to him’.
Finally, the Shahs were told that the Mumbai flight had departed. This caused panic and they reached out to her frantically.
She also panicked and somehow tried to telephonically reach out to IndiGo to assist them. The local staff at the airport only spoke Turkish and her parents could not communicate with them.
Ultimately, when Richa managed to speak to someone on the IndiGo helpline from India, the airline issued them a boarding card for a Mumbai flight the next day. Her parents are vegetarians and need constant medication and medical support. They were stranded in this condition for
24 hours at Istanbul. They spent 24 hours on chairs at a secluded place in the airport with a loaf of bread and coke.
They were told that they will be picked up from the same place for the next day flight.
As per IndiGo statement,.they were aware of the incident of a mis-connection that happened at Istanbul airport with a senior couple travelling from London to Mumbai via Istanbul on August 17, 2023.
This was a regrettable case of a human error with theirTurkish Ground Handling Services due to which the passengers missed their connecting flight to Mumbai.
Meanwhile, the IndiGo team at Istanbul extended assistance and provided them with the next available direct flight option.
We have already taken up this incident to our partner airline and extend our sincere apologies to the impacted passengers.
34 seconds ago
Indigo should refund the entire airfare of the couple for their unpardonable lapse. Verbal apology has no meaning and is no compensation for the torture.
News Edit K.V.Raman
