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Ex-AirAsia CFO Vijay Gopalan claims IndiGo flight left without him despite 'delayed' status, airline reacts
Gopalan alleged that he was asked to pay a “minimal charge” of ₹3,000 to be rescheduled, which was later reduced to ₹1,800 by an airport manager.
Former AirAsia CFO Vijay Gopalan has alleged that an IndiGo flight departed without him despite the airport display showing the service as delayed, prompting him to accuse the airline of being “unbelievably arrogant”.
Taking to Instagram, Gopalan said that he was scheduled to fly from Tiruchirappalli International Airport to Chennai at 2:55 pm after completing web check-in. He said he arrived at the airport around 1 pm and headed to the lounge to finish some work. While waiting, the departure time was repeatedly pushed back - first to 3:10 pm, then 3:15 pm, and later 3:25 pm - with the updates reflected on the display board.
“I was looking at the board, it still said security. They hadn’t announced the boarding and therefore, why would I go and wait at the gate?” he said, adding that the lounge is only a “2-3 minute” walk from the boarding gate.
Gopalan claimed he received a call from airline staff around 3:05 asking about his whereabouts. “I immediately looked up the board. It still said security… I said, how can it leave because the boarding has not yet been announced?” he recalled. However, upon rushing to the gate, he was allegedly told that final boarding calls had already been made.
“So the flight left us. It just left without me. And the ground staff were super rude,” he said, claiming one staff member remarked, “Just because you wanted to eat good food, you cannot delay our flight, so we left it without you.”
(Also Read: Passenger brings tripod to hold phone and binge-watch on IndiGo flight: ‘Brought a studio setup to 35,000 feet’)
‘Not angry. Plain disappointed’
In a follow-up video, Gopalan said airline representatives insisted frequent flyers should know gates close 25 minutes before departure. “I don’t even know when the departure is going to happen… you moved the flight from 2:55 to 3:10, 3:15, 3:25,” he said, arguing the display had not been properly updated and led him to assume there would be a further delay.
He further alleged that he was asked to pay a “minimal charge” of ₹3,000 to be rescheduled, which was later reduced to ₹1,800 by an airport manager. Gopalan said he, a colleague, and another passenger who had been waiting in the lounge were eventually moved to a later flight, causing him to miss a conference in Chennai.
Sharing a video of his interaction with ground staff, he wrote, “There was ZERO intent to listen to my side of the story and more importantly , deflect the blame to me when they knew they were at fault. I was told I was careless. I was told I sat in some other place. I was told I missed the flight because I wanted good food… None of this is true.”
“I am not angry. I am plain disappointed. If this is not arrogance what is ? Why blame passengers when the mistake is on your part ? Your own guys lied to me saying the gate numbers printed on the boarding pass when it is not. When asked, the blame was deflected to me,” Gopalan added.
What did IndiGo say?
In a statement to HT.com, IndiGo said that an interim issue affected the Flight Information Display System, which is managed by the airport operator. It added that its team followed standard boarding procedures and made the final boarding announcement, but Gopalan was unable to reach the gate in time.
“We truly understand how concerning it can be to miss a flight, and the inconvenience this may have caused you. As checked, an interim issue impacted the Flight Information Display System, the management of which falls within the purview of the airport operator. Meanwhile, our team proceeded in accordance with the standard boarding protocol and made the requisite final boarding announcement. However, we understand that you (Gopalan) were unable to reach the gate in time, following which our airport team assisted you with an alternate flight to ensure you could continue your journey. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you onboard again for a smoother and more pleasant experience," IndiGo said.
