The Delhi consumer forum has held IndiGo airline responsible for poor service after giving a passenger a seat that was “unhygienic, dirty and stained.” The airline has been ordered to pay Rs 1.75 lakh to the woman for the “discomfort, pain, and mental agony” she went through during the trip.
The complaint was filed by Pinki, a resident of Delhi’s Chanakyapuri, who had booked tickets for herself, her husband and two family members on December 27, 2024, for a flight from Baku to New Delhi on January 2, 2025. She alleged that IndiGo gave her a dirty and unhygienic seat during the journey.
Pinki also claimed the airline handled her complaint in a “dismissive and insensitive” manner. She later sent a legal notice to IndiGo on January 13 but did not receive a satisfactory reply, leading her to approach the Delhi consumer forum.
IndiGo’s response
IndiGo denied wrongdoing, saying they offered Pinki another seat, which she accepted and used to complete her journey to Delhi.
The New Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, headed by president Poonam Chaudhry and members Bariq Ahmed and Shekhar Chandra, ruled on July 9 that IndiGo was “guilty of deficiency in service.”
Official order
“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 Rs 1.5 lakh as compensation for mental agony, physical pain and harassment to her,” the order stated, according to PTI.
The forum also ordered IndiGo to pay Rs 25,000 towards litigation costs.
It noted that IndiGo did not provide a crucial document called the SDD, which records passenger-related incidents and is important for flight operation monitoring. “The absence of this document significantly weakens the opposite party’s defence,” the forum added.