A lawyer from Nagpur has accused IndiGo of seating his three-year-old baby individually from the dad and mom throughout a flight from Bagdogra to Kolkata, sparking criticism on social media.
In a put up shared on LinkedIn, Gaurav Mishra alleged that the airline allotted “random jumbled seats” to his household though all three passengers had been travelling below the identical reserving and PNR.
“Indigo pressured my 3-year-old child to journey alone in seat as a result of their dad and mom didn’t pay additional for seat choice,” Mishra wrote.
Lawyer claims airline violated DGCA guidelines
Mishra additional alleged that the seating association breached Rule 3.15 of the DGCA’s Air Transport Round 01 of 2024.
“In my case, they pressured my 3-year-old child to take a seat unaccompanied with none Mum or dad within the subsequent seat regardless of having a extremely turbulent route of Bagdogra to Kolkata,” he mentioned.
The lawyer said that he had paid ₹43,900 for 3 tickets, however claimed the household was nonetheless assigned separate seats.
“Regardless of paying ₹43,900 for 3 tickets, we had been selectively granted random jumbled seats, which is a violation of DGCA guidelines in addition to extreme unfair commerce apply,” he added.
He additionally claimed that the kid felt “unattended and emotionally disturbed” through the journey.
Together with the criticism, Mishra posted a screenshot of the related DGCA guideline. The highlighted part said that airways should guarantee kids as much as the age of 12 are seated with not less than one dad or mum or guardian travelling below the identical reserving and PNR.
The put up rapidly gained consideration on-line, with a number of customers questioning airline seat allocation practices.
IndiGo responds to criticism
Responding to the allegations within the feedback part, IndiGo mentioned it had tried to contact Mishra concerning the matter.
“Hello, we tried calling you in your registered contact quantity; nonetheless, we had been unable to ascertain a connection. Please share an alternate contact quantity together with a handy time to talk with you,” the airline wrote.
In one other response, the airline added: “Mr Mishra, we tried connecting with you on the decision however couldn’t set up contact. We request you to share a handy time or an alternate contact quantity by way of DMs so we could join with you for additional communication.”
Social media customers criticise airline seating practices
The incident triggered a broader dialogue on-line, with many customers criticising airways for separating households throughout seat allocation.
“Pathetic and insensitive..Passenger security and baby welfare ought to come earlier than seat administration or industrial issues. Airways can’t deal with households with toddlers like random passengers. Deeply disappointing and a critical lapse in buyer care,” one person commented.
“That is deeply regarding. Forcing a 3-year-old to take a seat unattended is not only a violation of DGCA tips, however a big security and emotional threat,” one other person wrote.
One other person commented: “That is now a characteristic with all airways. Pay in your seats in any other case, households shall be separated and senior residents shall be allotted center seats on objective. I counsel that seating charges ought to be added upfront and seat choice ought to be allowed on the time of ticket buy.”
