400 IndiGo flyers stranded in Turkey for over 24 hours without food, lodging
Around 400 passengers flying with IndiGo have been stranded at Istanbul Airport for over 24 hours.
As delays to flights from Istanbul to Delhi and Mumbai left travellers frustrated and without adequate support. Passengers voiced their anger on social media, claiming inadequate communication from the airline’s staff, lack of food, and poor accommodation.
The trouble began when a flight from Istanbul to Delhi, scheduled to depart at 8.10 pm on December 12, was initially delayed to the next day at 1.30 pm. Passengers were left at the airport with little information or support from IndiGo staff.
A flyer posted about the situation on social media, stating that while the flight was delayed by several hours, the passengers were not given adequate food, accommodation, or even proper updates from the airline. The individual questioned the airline’s handling of the situation, calling it “bulls**t”, asking how such treatment could be justified.
Similarly, the flight from Istanbul to Mumbai, originally set to depart at 8.15 pm on December 12, was first pushed to 11.00 pm, then delayed again to the following morning at 10 am. Frustrated travellers took to social media to express their dissatisfaction, saying they received no communication from IndiGo regarding the ongoing delays.
Passengers reported that Turkish Airlines staff were the ones providing updates, and there was no formal announcement from IndiGo. Despite promises of lounge access as compensation, the lounge at Istanbul Airport was overcrowded and unable to accommodate all the stranded travellers, they claimed on social media.
Many passengers were left standing for hours, facing further discomfort due to the lack of proper facilities. Passengers also expressed their discontent at the lack of alternative flight options or clear communication regarding compensation plans.
One passenger, who was on the Mumbai-bound flight, criticised the airline’s accountability and customer service, stating that the situation was not just a minor inconvenience but a major failure in basic service.
“Where is the accountability? Where is the empathy for the passengers stranded overnight at the airport?” a flyer posted, demanding an explanation and apology from IndiGo.
In response to the complaints, IndiGo apologised for the inconvenience and assured passengers that they would connect with them directly. The airline acknowledged the issues but did not provide specific details about the reasons behind the delays. IndiGo also requested passengers to share their details via direct message for further assistance.
“Hi, we are concerned to know what went wrong. We request you to kindly share your PNR and contact details via DM, so we may get this checked,” IndiGo said in one of its responses. At the time of writing this piece, both IndiGo flights, the one to Delhi and Mumbai were awaiting departure, with passengers still stuck in Istanbul.
INDIGO AMONG WORLD’S WORST AIRLINES
IndiGo, India’s largest airline, has been rated among the world’s worst airlines in the 2024 global rankings released by AirHelp, a European Union claims processing agency. The airline was ranked 103rd out of 109 airlines, with a score of 4.80, based on on-time performance, customer opinion, and compensation claim processing.
IndiGo strongly refuted the findings, questioning the credibility of the survey and its methodology.
In a statement, the airline said, “India’s aviation regulator DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) publishes data on airline punctuality and customer complaints monthly. IndiGo has consistently scored high on punctuality and has the lowest customer complaint ratio for an airline of its size and scale of operations. The data published in the survey by AirHelp…does not report the sample size from India, and neither takes into account the methodology or compensation guidelines used by the global aviation industry – casting a doubt on its credibility.”