IndiGo Passenger Criticizes Airline for Unprofessional Conduct During Five-Hour Delay, Video Goes Viral

Passenger Criticizes IndiGo: A recent incident involving a five-hour delay on an IndiGo Airlines flight has sparked widespread criticism after a passenger from Kolkata, Rhitam Bhattacharjee, accused the airline crew of unprofessional conduct. Bhattacharjee took to LinkedIn to share his ordeal, accompanied by a video that has since gained traction across various social media platforms.

Kalesh b/w Passengers and Crew Members inside Indigo Flight (Indigo Passenger Critcises Crew for "Unprofessional Behaviour" during 5-Hours flight delay
pic.twitter.com/8pjOAWaHKh

— Ghar Ke Kalesh (@gharkekalesh) January 15, 2025

The flight, planned to operate from Kolkata (CCU) to Chennai (MAA) on January 6, was delayed for a whopping five hours. Bhattacharjee and other passengers were kept in the aircraft all through the delay, and as compensation, a packet of chips and a cookie were provided.

In his LinkedIn post, Rhitam Bhattacharjee described the experience as “terrible” and specifically called out the behavior of the cabin crew, labeling it unprofessional and uncooperative. The frustration escalated on the return flight when he encountered a similar lack of assistance from the crew.

Bhattacharjee’s post quickly gained attention, with many users sharing their own grievances regarding IndiGo’s services. One commenter wrote, “IndiGo’s services have worsened to the point that it has become a last resort for traveling. There are better low-cost carriers in India that at least keep passengers informed and provide better service.” Another user criticized the lack of adequate compensation for flight delays, saying,

“Delays of 2 to 8 hours create a huge challenge for passengers who have urgent commitments. Airlines should face stringent rules, like compensating the passengers 10 times the ticket amount for delays.” In response to this complaint on LinkedIn, IndiGo apologized by posting: “Hi, this isn’t the experience we want to give our customers. Please bear with us, and our team will reach out to you shortly. ~Team IndiGo.”

Though the airline apologized, the incident has signaled a growing discontent among passengers at the services rendered by the airlines.

This event has once again resurrected the debates regarding the necessity of strict policies pertaining to flight delays and enhancing customer experiences. Several passengers have demanded adequate compensation mechanisms and better training of staff to handle such situations professionally.

The viral nature of Bhattacharjee’s post and the resulting debate underscore an important need to ensure that customer satisfaction and openness are given significant importance in operations by Indian aviation companies.