[Resolved]  Go Air Flight 382 — Horrifying Experience in GoAir Flight!!

Address:

Chandigarh, Chandigarh

Please find my mail to Go air. This is my comlpaint also . Nodal officer at GoAir It's highly unfortunate that I need to escalate a grievance to you. I would like to bring chain of incidents happened when I was traveling with my family, i.e. my wife and 5 years old daughter, on 20th June 2014 with GoAir with below flight details: GO AIR PNR UTUC8G IXC -BOM FLIGHT 382 20JUN 11:30 HRS. Passengers: 1. Jaiprakash Hasrajani - Male - 36 Yrs 2. Gursimran Kaur - Female - 34 Yrs 3. Mehar Kaur - Female - 5 Yrs Following is what happened: 1. Check-in Counter experience: We arrived at checkin counter in Chandigarh well before time of 45 minutes prior flight time and were checked in without any concern by your airline counter. We got shock when without asking us / confirming with us, we were given three different seats. When questioned to checkin team, they (lady at counter and manager there) said we cannot do anything and flight is full. I requested that I have 5 yrs old kid and she cannot be made to sit alone. To which manager said he can't do anything. When I insisted, he said take upgrade to business class and pay for it extra if I want seats together. I requested that it doesn't make sense. Asked to Give us atleast 2 seats together so child doesn't sits alone to which he (manager) said he can't do anything. He refused to show any empathy or even try to think through as what can be done. Another lady at another checkin counter gave me lecture that I should have come 2 hours earlier if need seat together or done tele checkin. Very good lesson for us but didn't help the problem in hand. Certainly we would ensure we do book seats earlier going forward. My requests heed no results so I moved to aircraft hoping inflight crew will help. 2. InFlight Experience: I got bigger shock when I spoke to first inflight crew, Mr Chetan. He completely refused to even listen and said we should have requested at checkin and he can't do anything. He simply asked us to take the seat. We spoke to another inflight crew, Shradhha P. She further shockingly and very rudely asked us to take seat and that she doesn't care about child sitting alone and that we have to take seat. We, my wife and I, tried explaining to our child to sit alone (in middle of two strange people to her) to which our kid started crying. I requested inflight staff again saying my child is crying and can't sit alone, but she (Shradhha P) simply and rudely asked to take respective seats. This is all when my daughter was crying and we had to console her that we would sort it out or it's ok for us to sit separate for couple of hours of flight. She was obviously not consolable as this was shock to her too. Then came ground staff, asking us what is the problem. When we explained him, he saw tickets and said rudely that we have checkedin pretty late and that it's our problem and we need to take seat. My wife tried explaining him that we can't leave 5 years old girl with strangers and sit in separate seats while she is crying. He didn't pay any hoots to it, rather shockingly and very rudely asked my wife to take seat or threatened her that he will "offload" us as we are stopping flight from taking off. Are we some damn luggage that you guys will "offload" us? He went on repeating "offloading" us till I requested my wife to cool down as she lost her cool as listening to most rude statement ever. Forget about empathizing. This was most insulting and derogatory remarks we have ever heard. This was happening while Captain of the flight came out of his cabin and was told by his inflight crew about what's going on. Captain Rajeev in this case, simply made face and went back to his cabin. He didn't even come to talk to us or try to help. We then requested fellow passengers to give us a seat, when few refused, one finally gave up and said he would give. And then my wife could sit down with my daughter while fellow passenger came to embarrassing rescue in last. Through the flight we kept hearing about special preference GoAir gives to kids, your feedback form (when we asked for) says about customer experience as prime motto of GoAir. We couldn't have felt more annoyed seeing your company says something and does altogether something else. We filled 2 feedback forms and gave to ground staf[censored]pon arrival in Bombay. Copy of my feedback form, which I took photo of after filling is attached for your reference. Post feedback I have received two calls one telling me that airline is working on giving us seats together and that internal investigation is on. I received next call after 2-3 days saying that we have been given three seats together on our return flight and that investigations are done at your end and action taken. I asked for what action and I was told that it's internal matter and I cannot be told. So my question to her (person calling from airline) and to you too is, that of all the turmoil we went through your solution is giving us seats together in next flight? Can't we do this on our own and won't we surely do ourselves after such horrifying experience?? Also I would like to know what action is being taken. I was refused by your team member on phone. I asked her to send me email which she said she would and it's more than 3 days now but she hasn't send it even after confirming that she would send. Based on all above my daughter now have started dreading to fly, we were starting our vacation when above incident happened. We went post the above flight to Goa from Bombay. And in both flights, going and return from Goa, my daughter refused to take flight and started crying that she doesn't want to go in flight as flight people will make her sit separate/alone. It's with lot of difficulty and assurance with which we made her board the flights. She has developed this fear of flying in her now due to this such a bad experience with GoAir. Is this what customer experience you build that people start fearing taking flights??? We took SpiceJet flight to and fro Goa from Bombay and to our surprise on our return we were already allotted three seats together as we were family traveling together. Here is SpiceJet who would know what their customers would want. And in your case of GoAir, you won't proactively manage customer but rather insult them and make them suffer to fly with you. Our vacation was completely spoiled with above start. We are back from Goa and still in middle of vacation in Bombay when I am escalating this. Needless to say numerous discussions we have had within ourselves and our extended family about this, where all have recommended to sue airline and lodge complaint in consumer court. All this is going on when we are on vacation which we rarely take. It's really disgusting to see above behavior from a national airline of such a large country as India. An airline which is from a very reputed Bombay Dyeing Group. I am demanding answer from you as: 1. what will make my daughter's fear go which has developed due to above experience with GoAir 2. What about our entire vacation spoilt 3. What about insult of treating us as luggage 4. Making mockery o[censored]s in front of all passengers 5. What exact action you taking on above all and against your staff and management including captain of the flight that ensures nothing like this ever happens with any passengers. Thanks, Jaiprakash Singh Hasrajani