Indigo Airlines — THOROUGH MISMANAGEMENT; HORRIBLE ATTITUDE

Address:

Ahmedabad, Gujarat

I had booked four air tickets online with IndiGo Air on 06 March 2011 through a travel portal MakeMyTrip, for a flight from Ahmedabad to Pune for 29th May 2011. The Airline PNR and E-Ticket Number were Y9U7AQ. The tickets were for me (64 yrs), my husband Dr Dilip Joshi (66 Yrs), my cousin Vilas V Kulkarni (62 yrs) and his wife Anuradha V Kulkarni (55 yrs).
We reached Ahmedabad airport at about 12.45 p.m. on 29th May, only to be informed that the said flight has been discontinued by the airline. We were utterly shocked and dismayed. We had to reach Pune the same evening to attend an important family function – a wedding reception. I told the airline staff manning the counter that we have no information about this discontinuation. In fact, I had received a SMS directing me to be punctual for the flight, as the check-in process would stop 45 mts before scheduled departure. I took this message as a confirmation of the flight. When I told this to the lady staff, she coolly said that the message must be ‘system generated’ one. She checked her records and told me of some dated when they “tried” to contact me on my mobile phone. Any way, I requested her to put us on a Pune flight by any other airline but there was no flight to Pune at that time or later. Finally, she agreed to put us on their Mumbai flight scheduled to depart at 1820 H. We had no choice, so we agreed to this. Alternatively, she also offered to put us on Baroda-Pune flight the next day. It would have meant one extra night’s stay and travel to Baroda. This was out of question. We thought that it would be best to at least reach Mumbai and then some how reach Pune. So we reached Mumbai at about 1930 H and took a cab to Pune costing us Rs 2600/- and reached home at 1145 p.m.. We, of course, missed the reception, which was the purpose of this trip.
On returning home, I called the IndoGo help line next day and told all that transpired with us. I got a Customer Care mail ID from them and sent a mail outlining our sufferings and our bitter resentment at this careless functioning of IndoGo Air. In reply, I was showed the dates and times of phone calls they alleged to have made to me to inform me about the cancellation. But no call reached me. They also informed me of dates when they sent SMS to me. About this I am positive that I received none, barring the ones informing to be punctual. I grant that it is possible that I was called on my cell phone and I may have missed the calls for various reasons. However, I did call back some numbers I saw as Missed Calls but found them busy and I gave up. At that time, I had no way of knowing that one of them could be from IndiGo. However, I am quite sure that I did not receive any SMS informing the cancellation. My point is that if ‘system generated’ SMS can reach me, why not the right SMS? Secondly, how can a system generate a message for a non-existent flight? This speaks very poorly of the functioning of the airline.
The IndoGo Air does not admit its failure in making sufficient effort to reach me and has, as a generous gesture, offered us four vouchers worth Rs 500/ each, that too, to be used before 31st July 2011. This is ridiculous. This is not only being insensitive to an aggrieved customer but smacks of patronizing attitude, which is deplorable. I, naturally, declined this offer. It is akin to throwing crumbs to me to shut me up. Further, I have no intention o[censored]sing Indigo Air in future and therefore this generous offer is useless to me.

Two questions need answers from IndiGo.
Firstly, why an all-out effort was not made by it to inform me of the discontinuation of the flight. Calls made on mobile phone are not good enough, if at all made. Most people do not respond to missed calls from unfamiliar numbers. SMS is more reliable way. Secondly, how can a system generate a misguiding SMS about a flight that has been discontinued?
I and my husband have extensively traveled by some of the leading airlines both within India and abroad but have never been so shabbily treated as by IndoGo.
I want all to learn a lesson from my experience and be warned about flying with Indigo Air.

Dr. Mrs. Mangala Joshi
781/5 Shivajinagar, Pune 411 004