IndiGo customers claim they have been hit with hefty cancellation charges after the airline scrapped a number of flights in view of ongoing hostilities between India and Pakistan. Several customers took to social media to accuse the airline of charging them an unfair cancellation fee after cancelling their flights.
IndiGo under fire
One screenshot, shared on X, shows the low-cost airline claiming ₹8,111 as cancellation charges from a customer whose Chandigarh to Mumbai flight was cancelled.
The irate customer took to X to accuse IndiGo of “blatant thuggery,” claiming that other airlines refunded nearly the full booking amount for flights cancelled due to India-Pakistan tensions. His screenshot shows that he received a refund of only ₹2,050 despite spending more than ₹10,000 on a Chandigarh to Mumbai flight ticket.
“The flight was cancelled on account of India-Pakistan tensions and you have the audacity to deduct 80% of the fees!!! Other airlines have refunded nearly 100% of the fares,” the customer wrote. He tagged the Ministry of Civil Aviation in his post, asking: “is this allowed?”
Airline responds
However, IndiGo says that a “full refund” for the ticket has been processed from their end, and suggested that the third-party platform used for booking the ticket may be responsible for the confusion.
{{/usCountry}}However, IndiGo says that a “full refund” for the ticket has been processed from their end, and suggested that the third-party platform used for booking the ticket may be responsible for the confusion.
{{/usCountry}}“Sir, following our interaction, we’d like to reassure you that the full refund for your booking has been processed from our end. Based on the screenshot shared, it appears the information pertains to your travel agent’s platform. We kindly request you to reach out to them directly for assistance in claiming the refund. Thank you for your understanding,” IndiGo said.
The airline had yesterday announced that it has waived cancellation fee for flights operating to and from certain airports until May 22.
Flights cancelled
This was one among several such complaints that have flooded social media since IndiGo and Air India began cancelling flights.
One X user named Vibhor said his flight from Patna to Chandigarh was rescheduled by IndiGo. Despite rescheduling the flight itself, the airline charged him more than ₹8,000 as “Airline cancellation charges.”
“Why do I need to put in so much effort to get a complete refund for a flight cancelled by airline?” Vibhor asked, asking the Ministry of Civil Aviation to look into the matter.
On May 9, IndiGo had announced that all flights to and from Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Kishangarh, and Rajkot have been cancelled until midnight on May 10. The airline also cancelled its flight operations to and from Jammu, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Leh, Srinagar, and Rajkot airports for May 13.