E-Paper
IndiGo fined ₹1.5 lakh after Delhi woman complains of ‘unhygienic, dirty’ seat
Pinki flew from Baku to Delhi this January and complained of being provided "unhygienic, dirty and stained" seat.
A Delhi consumer forum has found IndiGo Airlines guilty of deficiency in service for providing an “unhygienic and stained” seat to a woman and ordered the carrier to pay her ₹1.5 lakh in compensation for the discomfort, pain, and mental agony.
Pinki, a resident of Chanakyapuri, had booked tickets for herself, her husband, and two other family members through a travel agency on December 27, 2024, for ₹48,739, PTI reported.
She, along with her family, travelled from Baku to New Delhi on January 2, when she was given an "unhygienic, dirty and stained" seat. She further claimed that her complaint about the matter was handled in a "dismissive and insensitive manner."
New Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, comprising president Poonam Chaudhry and members Bariq Ahmed and Shekhar Chandra, heard the complaint and ordered that she must be compensated for the discomfort, pain and mental agony during the journey.
What did IndiGo say?
IndiGo, while countering the allegations, said it had addressed the issue faced by Pinki by assigning her an alternative seat, on which she willingly travelled and completed her journey to New Delhi.
In its order dated July 9, made public recently, the forum noted, "We hold that the opposite party (IndiGo) was guilty of deficiency in service."
“As regards the discomfort and pain, mental agony suffered by her, we are of the view that she must be compensated. We accordingly direct the opposite party to pay ₹1.5 lakh as compensation for mental agony, physical pain and harassment to her,” the forum added. It also awarded ₹25,000 as litigation costs.
The forum observed that the airline had failed to produce the Situation Data Display (SDD) report, an essential part of its internal operational records under standard aviation protocols.
“There is no reference to this report in the written statement or in the evidence filed by the opposite party. The SDD is a crucial document used for flight operation monitoring and to record passenger-related incidents. The absence of this document significantly weakens the opposite party's defence,” the order said.
When the matter was first reported to a member of the cabin crew, she expressed her inability to provide a clean seat. Instead, she offered Pinki an isolated seat in the 14th row and extended a sincere apology. On January 13, Pinki sent a legal notice to the airline, according to The Times of India report.
With no satisfactory response, she approached the district commission, seeking appropriate compensation, citing harassment and emotional distress during the flight that caused her significant mental anguish.
She further alleged that the poor quality of service on the international sector amounted to misconduct and reflected a substandard approach to customer care.
The bench remarked that dirty seating arrangements represented a direct breach of consumer expectations and the airline’s contractual obligations. It also reminded that, under civil aviation requirements, all airlines registered in India must maintain a responsive grievance redressal mechanism and a dedicated helpline number, in compliance with the Consumer Protection Act 2019.
