Vistara Airlines slammed after it asks passenger for 'cremation centre receipt' for rescheduling flight
Vistara swiftly responded, expressing regret to the user and vowed to investigate the matter.
Outrage has erupted across social media after a Twitter user claimed that Vistara Airlines asked him to show a "cremation centre receipt" when he requested for his booking to be rescheduled. “Hey @airvistara, asking for cremation centre receipt from a frequent traveler who asked for a booking to be rescheduled on family emergency basis is by far the coldest thing I have heard from a B2C brand, ever. I literally have no words,” Nagarajan said in his tweet.
The tweet triggered a flurry of reactions from other users, many of whom not only referred to the airline's actions as appalling, but also narrated their own experiences.
"I'm sorry that you had to experience this, Karthik, in the midst of your loss. Love to you and your family," commented one user.
"Shocking! Indian aviation needs to learn a lot, there is large scope for improvement. U just can't simply say fly the new feeling!" tweeted another.
Vistara swiftly responded, expressing regret to the user and vowed to investigate the matter.
"Dear Mr. Nagarajan, thank you for your patience. Please accept our heartfelt condolences. With great concern we thoroughly investigated, listened to the recorded call and discovered that our team understood your situation and offered one-month extension of the voucher validity.
However, when you asked for the sector change, which is not permitted globally, our team requested you to share the supporting documents for the bereavement in your family as required for compliance purposes.
Our team while asking for supporting documents mentioned multiple options and that would have inadvertently hurt your sentiments. We sincerely apologize for that. We value you as our esteemed customer and your continued patronage. Kindly DM us the requested documents at your convenience for us to process your request. Look forward to your kind understanding," the airline tweeted.
In January, Go First Airline left around 55 passengers behind at the Bengaluru airport. The low-cost carrier’s flight G8-116 took off for Delhi from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport, leaving passengers stranded in the shuttle bus.
Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had imposed a ₹10 lakh fine on the airline.