A passenger, who recently boarded a Mumbai-bound IndiGo flight, described his experience as feeling “like a cargo”, adding that the airline would no longer be his “first pick”. He also said that IndiGo has started to “resemble a government-run bus service”.
Ameet Rele shared his travel ordeal on LinkedIn. He began with the words: “Flying IndiGo: When you feel no more a passenger, but a Cargo!”
Rele, a frequent traveller, said he typically looks for “basic comfort, efficiency, and a little empathy” when choosing an airline. He noted that IndiGo used to be his “most preferred low-cost and high on experience” airline.
He went on to share his latest experience flying with IndiGo: “From the airport staff, whose announcements/conversations often come across more like commands than communication, to the in-flight crew trained to minimise conversation to such an extent that it creates discomfort to the level that you feel they are exerting authority rather than being efficient—everything feels to the edge of annoying, arrogance, discomforting and mechanical.”
Rele, who was on a three-hour flight to Mumbai, expressed surprise that the seats no longer reclined. For a flight of that duration, how is a passenger expected to stay comfortable or relax?” he asked.
He also pointed out how cramped the tray tables were. “The tray tables have shrunk to an odd, barely usable 5-6 inches—just enough to hold a food box, but forget using a laptop to catch up on work. On longer flights, this essentially makes travel time unproductive.”
“The entire experience is beginning to resemble a government-run bus service,” he further said, before expressing, “It will get you from point A to point B, but with no sense of comfort, courtesy, or care.”
He declared that “IndiGo won’t be his first pick,” and said that he will have to bear with the airline until a “real alternative” becomes available.
Responding to his long LinkedIn post, a PR professional, Sanjay Choudhry, wrote, “I really miss Vistara sometimes. Tatas should never have disbanded it. It had already created a name for itself in premium travel. Tatas should have run it in parallelly with Air India, and not killed the brand.”
“Additionally, when they fly even a few minutes early, they will announce 100 times, but when it’s delayed, there is no acknowledgement of the IndiGo standard time,” chimed in another.
A third said, “Ameet, I’m with you on this, with hardly any competition for IndiGo, their services have taken a major hit. This is coming from a very disgruntled corporate traveller.”