Viral Post: IndiGo Faces Backlash After Family Receives Separate Seats on Flight

IndiGo Airlines has come under scrutiny following a viral post by a man who expressed disappointment over his family being assigned separate seats on a flight.

Akshay Baheti took to X to share his frustration after receiving four separate boarding passes for himself, his wife, and their 8 and 3-year-old children on a flight from Chennai to Mumbai.

..the same situation on the flight as well), but this moves the burden from @IndiGo6E to passengers who may have paid for the seat, which is unfair.
I hope @MoCA_GoI @Officejmscindia @JM_Scindia makes it compulsory to ensure kids on the same PNR being seated adjacent to their..

— Akshay Baheti (@Dr_AkshayBaheti) April 1, 2024

In his post, Baheti highlighted the challenges of managing young children seated separately and questioned IndiGo’s seating policy. He expressed concern for the passengers seated next to his children and criticized the airline’s decision to assign separate seats to a 3-year-old.

Responding to the outcry, IndiGo Airlines clarified that their intention was never to separate families traveling together. 

Mr Baheti, we never wish to separate a family flying together by assigning separate row seats. However, as checked, you completed your check-in at the airport, wherein the seats were assigned based on availability. (1/2)

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) March 31, 2024

However, they explained that Baheti’s seating allocation occurred during airport check-in, where seats are assigned based on availability. The airline emphasized the importance of pre-booking preferred seats online to ensure a hassle-free travel experience.

IndiGo’s explanation drew criticism from some:

“@IndiGo6E

This is your tactics to sell your seats, unacceptable, you can’t force to make the children to sit separately”

customers who argued that the airline’s systems should accommodate families with young children to sit together at the time of booking. They expressed frustration with the inconvenience caused and called for better solutions to address such situations.

Some users responded in comments, 

“Aircraft is the new KUMBH MELA.. Where bacche bichhar jaate hain..”

“You should’ve done online check. It’s an issue with all airlines, most good seats are paid”

In response to the feedback, Baheti clarified certain aspects in subsequent X posts, emphasizing the importance of basic human decency in accommodating families with children. He suggested alternative methods for immediate seat allocation to ensure families can sit together during flights.

Since Baheti’s initial post on March 31, the issue has garnered widespread attention, with nearly 300,000 views and a flurry of mixed reactions in the comments section. The incident has reignited discussions about airline seating policies and the importance of customer satisfaction in the aviation industry.