| Address: Bangalore, Karnataka |
I traveled aboard 6E 346 from Bangalore to Mumbai on 20th Dec on seat 18B. Though, I don’t have the time to narrate this dreadful travel experience, but my discontent, anguish and consequent damage caused is urging me compellingly to share my enraged state of mind with the concerned.
The flight was scheduled to leave at 1020 Hrs. I reached Airport at 0900 with ample time at hand. I had already web-checked-in, had the hard copy, no baggage to book and hence proceeded straight to security check and casually glanced at departure screens. The flight 346 was missing from the flight displayed list. I approached the information desk which was over crowded with people to find the departure gate as # 15 and the flight status “on-time”. I sat at gate # 15 along with the other complement of passengers for about 1 hour (till 1020), not to find anybody from Indigo at the departure gate counter. Though the gate #15 displayed the fight details and destination correctly, but not a soul appeared from Indigo to let all waiting passengers know anything about delay or change of gate. Suddenly the display changed to Jet Airways (9W) flight and there started the obvious agitation from waiting passengers. Without even having any one from Indigo to come and inform the waiting passengers, the fellow passengers themselves managed to find that the gate had changed to #11 (probably). There was a rush moving towards a different found gate now. At the new, the departure shown now was 1100 hrs which meant a 40 mins delay. There was about half an hour waiting at the gate as the coaches were not available as conveyed by 2 Indigo ladies at the gate. There was no supervisor or no senior person to communicate with; leave aside a manager who could apprise and appease the crowd. Finally, comes the coach at 10 mins before the new departure time viz. 1050 hrs. The crowd, the overgrown gust and disorder was no less than a railway station.
Inside the aircraft, was the same syndrome. The next, nearly 2 hours of waiting in the aircraft was a harrowing and annoying experience by cabin crew giving arbitrary reasons of delay because of first 1) queuing up for takeoff - waiting for other planes to take off first and then we taxi to runway, then 2) waiting for Pilot/commander to arrive and fly the aircraft and then 3) time required for paper work.
It’s so clear that the cabin crew themselves had been ignorant of the reasons of delay, were not able to speak clearly and were presented as scapegoats to bear the brunt of incensed passengers. And then there was a limiting and intolerable, unexpected, brazen and apathetic announcement from the lady commander to discipline ourselves and maintain decorum otherwise the agitating passengers will be deplaned. This was audacious, too impertinent and highly insensitive - playing with harassed customers emotions - quite tyrannical. Instead of being apologetic and having some senior member to mollify irate customers; an oppressive tool was used.
Another unfamiliar and uncanny happening, amidst the stowed aircraft, flight 6E 346 (supposedly waiting for Pilot) – 10 passengers board the flight after “boarding over” announcement has been made. The fight which is supposed to take off at 1020 first and then at 1100 hrs is boarded by 10 passengers at 1225 hrs just because the aircraft is late and waiting for a never heard reason- “pilot not on board”. It’s laughable. It’s something; I am waiting for my Car driver at home.
All in all, it was an unusually, ill-managed situation and the airline should stand up to admit their apparent failure, replete with lack of empathy, unprofessional and gauche approach. It was a total fiasco.
The following questions are rather unanswered and no matter how hard one tries; it remains unanswered.
1) What stopped Indigo to deploy their ground staff on originally allocated departure gate # 15.
2) What stopped Indigo to communicate delay in departure and change of departure gate?
3) Why were the passengers taken on-board when there was a continued delay that was finally communicated as “no pilot”?
4) Where was the Pilot for the flight, for which we were called on time viz. no delay?
5) After the arrival of the Pilot on board, there was a further delay of nearly an hour, which was first announced by pilot as 15 more minutes.
6) All along, why was there a total absence of Indigo Senior-team-member/Manager to engage with passengers?
7) Do you leave the necessity of customer engagement with the airplane stewardesses/Cabin-crew or airport desk associates/clerks under similar scenarios of service failures?
You may like to check the veracity of above narrative and it’ll not be difficult to do as the entire passenger complement of 6E 346, would be more than happy to vent their long-winded raged thoughts to you.
It would not be out of place to request Indigo leadership to acknowledge and answer this.
We have replied to your previous post, please check.
Regards,
Team IndiGo