Up In The Air With Down-To-Earth Expectations: How Indigo, Air India Is Harassing The Indian Customers?

Gone is the golden age of air travel when airlines treated their passengers like royalty? Fast forward to today! Welcome to the new world of Indian aviation, where the customer is no longer king but more like that distant cousin nobody wants to invite to family gatherings.

Let’s Start With VIP: The “Very Insignificant Person” Attitude of Serving of Indian Airlines.

Just yesterday, an IndiGo flight with 150 passengers nearly narrowly escaped collision with another aircraft at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. The situation was that, after one of the flight gets landing clearance, the pilot activated landing gear, and then, suddenly, the Air Traffic Control remembers there’s another plane taking off on the same runway. 

Thanks to the pilots who apparently averted a major disaster. Passengers were grateful to these alert aviators who prevented them from becoming headline news. But honestly, shouldn’t we be asking why the ATC thought it was totally fine to land one plane while another was taking off? This raises serious issues about how casual is passenger safety for aviation?

Then Comes The Tail Tales: When Aircraft Get Frisky with Runways

Speaking of IndiGo, one of the most unsafe airlines, let’s talk about their planes that seem to have a peculiar fascination with touching their tails to runways. Their Airbus A321 recently touched the Chennai airport runway with its tail during landing.

This isn’t even IndiGo’s first tail-striking case. In June 2023, another aircraft pulled the same stunt in Ahmedabad, resulting in the pilot and co-pilot getting their licenses suspended. The DGCA, in a shocking display of regulatory oversight, actually noticed this pattern and slapped IndiGo with a Rs 30 lakh penalty after four tail strikes in six months. Four! In six months! Experts suggest “poor piloting” may be behind these incidents. Again, a display of lax attitude in handling passengers safety.

Pathetic Elderly Care by Indigo, Air India.

An 82-year-old widow of a Lieutenant General recently suffered serious injuries after both Air India and IndiGo apparently decided wheelchair assistance was an optional luxury at Delhi airport. Her granddaughter’s viral post highlights the neglect faced by elderly passengers, igniting widespread criticism and calls for better service.

Then Comes The Phantom Cancellation For Harassing Customers.

A few days ago, a LinkedIn user’s post criticizing IndiGo Airlines and Cleartrip for allegedly canceling a ticket without alerting the customers went viral. Raagini Gupta took to the networking site to criticize both businesses for her experience after booking a flight from Lucknow to New Delhi. She immediately contacted Cleartrip because the booking had been made through them. They said that IndiGo cancelled the booking. 

It was alleged that no cancellation notification had been received, no phone call had been made to her registered number, and no email had been sent to her registered address. It was also stated that another set of five travelers had a similar problem, as two of their tickets were allegedly revoked without their permission.

Even the food you ordered becomes the Case of the Delayed Sandwich.

In February 2025, Dr. Suvrankar Datta, a Delhi-based doctor, complained about the airline maestroo, Indigo for poor on-flight service, citing a 30-minute delay in obtaining a pre-booked lunch, which worsened his hypoglycemia. Datta accused the crew of his Bengaluru to Delhi aircraft of deplorable arrogance and carelessness, claiming that their actions might endanger passengers’ lives. 

He said that as a pre-diabetic guy prone to hypoglycemia, he had pre-booked a sandwich for his Indigo trip to Delhi. Despite this, and despite numerous requests, the crew did not give him his pre-booked dinner until the last minute, when the plane had already commenced its descent into Delhi. And then, as if to add insult to hypoglycemia, they got his meal wrong!

Another Case Of Time-Traveling Flight

In the cold winter of January this year, an X user posted a lengthy post outlining his horrible encounter at the airport. He has made numerous claims against IndiGo. The man said he missed his early morning flight when IndiGo preponed it for 15 minutes. The X user also complained about the airline staff, claiming they were unpleasant to him and his fellow passenger. He also mentioned additional instances of suspected “unprofessional” and “suspicious” actions by IndiGo employees.

Even After Paying Hefty, The Passengers Have To Enjoy The Not-So-Luxurious Business Class Experience

In June 2024, an Air India passenger turned to the microblogging site X to describe his experience on the airline’s business class aircraft to Newark as nothing short of a nightmare. Vineeth K, who identified himself as a small-time investor, claimed that his aircraft from New Delhi to Newark (AI 105) was not only delayed by 25 minutes, but also had worn-off and dirty seats. Despite spending ₹5 lakh for a round-trip, the passenger reported poor food, worn-out chairs, soiled coverings, and malfunctioning TVs.

Not just the common man, but also our politicians are not immune to the airline’s claws. In February 2025, BJP politician Shivraj Singh Chouhan voiced worry over Air India’s services after encountering broken seats and customer frustration on a journey from Bhopal to Delhi. Chouhan accused the airline of selling tickets for damaged seats despite being aware of their condition. Just one day later, Punjab BJP head Sunil Jakhar raised safety concerns after experiencing a damaged seat on a Chandigarh-Delhi IndiGo aircraft in January.

Why The Airlines Getting The Courage To Harass The Customers- Probably Because Of The Duopoly Power!

Why has customer service plummeted faster than an airplane with engine failure? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that nearly 90% of India’s aviation market is controlled by just two entities. IndiGo commands a royal 63% market share, while the Tata Group’s airlines (Air India, Air India Express, Air India Vistara, and AirAsia) control about 25%.

And as any consumer knows, when competition decreases, so does the incentive to provide quality service.

A survey by LocalCircles found that 9 out of 10 respondents believe India’s airlines have been compromising on comfort and cutting corners. 

Flying the Unfriendly Skies

What happened to the days when aviation was synonymous with premium hospitality? When did the industry perform a complete 180-degree turn, transforming customers from kings into something closer to unwelcome stowaways?

Consumer confidence in airlines is shattering faster than those plastic cups they serve drinks in. Passenger dissatisfaction isn’t new, but it seems to be following a linear progression upward with each passing year—unlike the quality of service, which is in free fall. Despite the post-pandemic resurgence in air travel demand, customer satisfaction hasn’t just failed to improve—it’s actively getting worse. 

How We Shifted From ‘The Customer Is The King’ To ‘The Forgotten Passengers’!

At the end of the day, don’t we deserve better? Shouldn’t the billions we collectively pour into airline coffers buy us more than just the bare minimum of “we got you there alive”?

It seems airlines, like political candidates, remember us only during the money transaction—they’re attentive when selling tickets, just as politicians are when collecting votes. Once the deal is done, we become as forgettable as campaign promises after election day.

This emerging duopoly reflects a broader trend in consumer-facing sectors, where consolidation leads to complacency. We’ve seen it in telecom, where operators have already announced price hikes for certain services, with more to follow. It’s a larger game that most people won’t notice until it affects them everywhere, every day.

So next time you’re squeezing into a seat with negative legroom, or being served a lukewarm meal an hour late, remember: you’re not experiencing poor service—you’re witnessing the natural evolution of a market with insufficient competition.

The customer may no longer be king in Indian aviation, but perhaps we can aspire to at least be treated like distant royalty rather than peasants who should be grateful for the privilege of flying at all.