Consumer Complaint against Airlines

Airlines Complaints

Indian Airlines Industry has recently become one of the fastest-growing airlines industries in the world. They generate a huge amount of income and employment. There are about 450 airports and more than 1000 registered aircrafts in India today.

But nothing can ruin a holiday than diligently planning a whole trip with excitement, only to arrive disappointedly at the airport to find out that there is some glitch.

The most common airline complaints in 2019 was lost baggage. According to a recent survey, an average of 1 in 150 people have their checked baggage lost or left behind every year. The other common airline complaint is flight delay. Apart from flight delay, consumer often face issues like promised refund not given, ticket cancelled, flight cancelled without prior knowledge, rude staff behaviour etc.

As per Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) guidelines for flight delays, the Airlines should inform about flight delays promptly to the passengers with reasons. If a flight is delayed beyond 2-3 hours, airlines should offer compensation and assistance, which may include meals, refreshments, and accommodation. Also, the passengers should be given options for full refund or re-booking the next available flight. These guidelines regarding delay and cancellation, helps passengers to understand their rights. Hence it is possible to get flight delay compensation in India.

If you have faced these kinds of problems with your airline, you must have brought it to airline authorities' notice by complaining. In this article, we have mentioned India's famous airlines, and the types of complaints the airlines' passengers face with them.

FAMOUS AIRLINES IN INDIA

1. Go Air: Go Air has secured a spot in the list of best Airlines in India. It was founded in November 2005 by Jeh Wadia, an Indian industrialist. In October 2017, it was India's fifth largest airline and had a considerable market share of 8.4%. The airline is a fully-owned subsidiary of Wadia Group and started its operations in November 2005. The airline operates 230 daily flights to 30 significant destinations, which have 24 domestic and 6 international destinations. The airline has its hubs at Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kannur, and Kolkata.

2. Air India Express: Air India Express is an economical airline having its headquarters in Kerala. Airlines are operated by Air India Express Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of India's national carrier Air India. It runs around 649 flights per week to 33 Middle East and Southeast destinations. The airline has a fleet of aircraft 25 Boeing 737-800 and carries approximately 4.3 million passengers every year.

3. Spice Jet: Spice Jet is a low-cost airline having its headquarters in Gurugram, India. Initially, in 1994 it was established as air taxi provider ModiLuft and then later in 2004, it was renamed Spice Jet by an Indian entrepreneur and started its operation in May 2005. According to data in March 2019, Spicejet was the second-largest airline in India and had 13.6% of the market share in the number of passengers. Spicejet has a fleet of Boeing 737 and Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft. It operates 312 flights daily to 55 destinations, which include 7 international and 47 domestic destinations. Many flights are operated from Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Hyderabad.

4. IndiGo: Indigo was founded in 2006 by Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal as a private company and had its headquarters in Gurugram. The airline had its first aircraft in July 2006, and it started its operations in 2016. By 2012 it became the largest Indian carrier, and in 2015 it went limited and issued a share to the public. Indigo has an immense fleet size in India and a maximum domestic share. Also, Indigo is the largest individual Asian low-cost carrier in passengers' carried and jet fleet size. Maximum flights of Indigo are operated from Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi.

5. Air India: Air India is a very own national carrier of India and was founded by J.R.D. Tata as Tata Airlines in 1932. It has its headquarters in New Delhi, and after the second world war, it became a public limited company. Afterward, it was renamed Air India and is owned by Air India Limited, a government-owned enterprise. With a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, the airline serves 94 international and domestic destinations. Air India has two sister companies Air India Express and Alliance Air, which operates in India and Asian destinations.

6. Air Asia India: Air Asia India started as a joint venture with AirAsia Berhad and Tata Sons. AirAsia Berhad has a 49% stake, and Tata sons have the remaining 51%. It started its operations on 12 July 2014 from Bangalore and has a market share of 6.5%. With a fleet of Airbus A 320-200 aircraft, it serves 24 destinations.

TYPES OF AIRLINES COMPLAINTS

Indian Airlines has seen one of the best growth among all airline industries of this world, but with all this growth and rapid development, our aviation sector has also experienced many kinds of turbulence.

Among 1000s of Indian airline companies, some of the most famous airlines such as AirIndia, Spicejet etc. have seen their customers regularly filing a complaint against them.

Some widespread airline complaints include rude behavior of staff, refund not given, and baggage lost. Apart from this, many airlines have faced aircraft turn-around times, which results in delays in flight for its passengers. Here are some common types of airline complaints:

1. Customer Service
In the past few years, many passengers of some highly reputed airlines have shared their experiences where they had to face the rude behavior of the airline's customer service representatives. Most passengers faced rude behavior, absent onboard services, and poor language skills from the airline's representatives in these kinds of complaints.

2. Flight Delay
In 2019, the Air Passengers Association president accepted that many airlines are facing aircraft turn-around time issues. These turn-around time issues are the main reason behind the delay of flights, which has left many passengers frustrated. Many top airline customers have reported that they were not informed about their flight's updated timings by the airline industry. Thus, failing to use emails or SMS services to inform their customers has made flight delays a pervasive and frustrating issue for consumers in almost all the major cities like Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai etc.

3. Booking and Refund
Another prevalent issue faced by many air passengers is related to airline industries' booking and refund conditions. The most-reported complaint under this category is the lack of flexibility in tickets where airline industries usually decline to refund the amount if something unexpected happens, such as illness or accident of a family member. Apart from this, many famous airlines are reported for being very slow in the procedure of a promised refund. Due to this, passengers have to struggle, and sometimes they are not appropriately compensated. Moreover in recent times of pandemic the most common consumer complaint was that passengers are not getting refund inspite of the fact that their flights were cancelled by the Airlines due to Covid-19 pandemic.

4. Lost Baggage
Lost baggage is one of the most frequently experienced and common issues faced by air passengers in Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi and Kolkata. The airline industries have ignored the inconvenience faced by their customers in case of misplaced luggage. For the past few years and indeed, it has left many passengers upset and disappointed. Many customers have claimed that their lost or misplaced luggage carried their valuables, urgent medications etc. but they have not been compensated appropriately by the airlines.

5. Cleanliness of Cabins
Many airline industries of today's time claim to be more aware of the cleanliness of their cabins, but many passengers of these airlines have actively reported their concern about cleanliness and hygiene. Apart from the poor condition of cabins, cleanliness of washrooms and dirty seats are also some of the most common issues faced by these airline industries' passengers.

5. Meals
Onboard catering has always remained a concerning area for airline industries, which directly results in the passengers' disappointment with the meals offered to them. Many passengers have been served the wrong food and the food quality has also remained low compared to passengers' expectations.

6. Hidden Charges
The bulk of customers' anger is aimed at low-cost airlines that have additional hidden charges that disturb the trip's budget. Such airlines have complicated ancillary fee rules which customers have to read.

7. Change of Aircraft
In recent years there is a trend among some customers where they specifically book preferred seats in preferred aircraft but they feel very dissatisfied when they come to know that they have to change the plane and their preferred seats have been changed.

How to resolve Airlines complaints?

1. File support ticket/send an email:
You can always contact airlines through their official website by going to their contact us section and by sending them an email. Customer service emails of some leading Airlines are:

Air India Express - customersupport@airindiaexpress.in
Spice Jet - custrelations@spicejet.com
Go Air - feedback@goair.in
Vistata - custrelations@airvistara.com

2. Call Customer support:
All these airlines have a 24*7 customer care number who are always willing to help the customer. To resolve these complaints, you can always call their toll-free customer service numbers. The customer care numbers of some of top airlines in India are :

Indigo Customer Care No. - 0124 617 3838
GoAir Customer Care No. - 1860 210 0999
AirIndia Customer Care No. - 1860 233 1407
SpiceJet Customer Care No. - 096540 03333
AirAsia Customer Care No. - 080 4666 2222
Vistara Customer Care No. - 092892 28888
AirCosta Customer Care No. - 1800-4250-0666

3. Report to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA):
If the Airlines is not willing to help or acting aloof at any stage then the consumer can file a complaint with a Government Agency that oversees air travel. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is the governing body overseeing air travel in India.

4. Send Legal Notice:
Consumers can send legal notices to Airlines in case it is unable to resolve his complaint. It is one of the efficient ways to handle the issue legally. Check below to know how to send a legal notice to Airlines?

Step 1: Firstly, get a legal notice drafted by a lawyer.
Step 2: Check it properly and make sure it is signed by lawyer.
Step 3: Keep a copy of it for future purposes.
Step 4: Send the legal notice to Airlines by registered post.
Step 5: Keep the slip or delivery report for evidence.

5. File consumer forum case:
Consumer forum deals with consumer complaints and you should approach the consumer forum if you feel that your rights as a consumer have been violated.

If Airlines is not responding to your complaints even after sending legal notice by a lawyer then you should file a case against it in a consumer court.

Here is how you can file a case in the consumer court?

Step 1: Intimate the aggrieved party via legal notice.
Step 2: Draft the consumer complaint
Step 3: Attach all the relevant documents and proofs to support your complaint.
Step 4: Select the appropriate court for filing the complaint.
Step 5: Pay the prescribed court fee that is required to be paid along with the complaint.
Step 6: Submit the case along with the affidavit & fees in the court.

Flying in an airline is often a memorable experience, but sometimes it can be memorable for all wrong reasons, and we have mentioned many of those reasons above. Once again to summarize, it is to be noted that the first point of contact should be the airlines itself. Customer satisfaction is as important to airlines as it is to other businesses.

The airlines have allotted separate ticket desks, lounges and baggage claim sections to help the consumers. If this does not solve the problem then the consumer should file a written complaint to the airline. This will act as a proof that you did something from your side in later stages and moreover put pressure on the airlines.

However if the consumer is still left stranded with nowhere else to go then the consumers can always file a consumer complaint at Voxya. We at Voxya, generally receive about 1000s of complaints related to these Airlines in a month.

So how do we actually resolve these airline complaints? We start a social media campaign and then send an email to the company to resolve the complaint amicably. Moreover if strict actions need to be taken then we draft a legal notice and send it to the concerned airline.

Most Common Issue Reported for Airlines Complaints

Tickets/Flights canceled

Boarding Issues

Refund not given

Staff misbehaved

Damaged Baggage

Fight delay

Changed Seat number

Amount deducted but ticket was not booked

Double amount charged

Fraud by booking agents

Subject Request for Refund and Compensation for Excess Baggage Charge Discrepancy (Spicejet Air Line) ^Open

Dear Voxya Team, I am writing to formally file a complaint regarding an incident that occurred with SpiceJet on [**-**-****] for my flight from Ahmedabad to Patna. The incident involved a situation with excess baggage charges, unfair demands...

Dec 13, 2024 by Dhaivya buch

1500 refund received for 1 2 flights cancelled by airline worth a total of (Indigo) ^Open

I had booked a flight from Dharamshala to Mumbai. Indigo divided it into Dharamshala - Chandigarh via *E-**** and Chandigarh - Mumbai via *E-****. A day before my travel, they cancelled the Dharamshala - Chandigarh flight due to operational rea...

Dec 10, 2024 by Arastu Zakia Nambiar

Wrong flight information on ticket (Indigo ) ^Open

I had booked The flight from nairobi to vadodara with a layover at mumbai for **th nov. The pdf received on booking the flight says that checkin / bag drop counter closes at *:**am. And flight departs at *:**am. I reached airport at *am only to...

Nov 17, 2024 by Anushree Thakkar

Deducted amount unjustly (Air india express airlines ) ^Open

Hello Sir My flight ticket was booked from ease my trip site for the date of nov **thn from ixe to dmm,,later on I rescheduled to Nov ** after paying **** from your site by me...I have attached the payment reciept. This payment was done on No...

Nov 14, 2024 by Mohammed riyaz ibrahim

Denied Boarding by Indigo without any grounds (Indigo) ^Open

I was denied Boarding in my Indigo Flight from Delhi to Hong Kong for not possessing a PAR (Pre Arrival Registration) for Hong Kong. This was not correct as I had a connecting flight after ** minutes as soon as I landed from Hong Kong to Chin...

Nov 02, 2024 by Arham Shafiq Rahman

COMPENSATION FOR DELAYED FLIGHT (Indigo) ^Open

I want to inform you that my flight (*E ***) from Cochin (COK) to Mumbai (BOM) was delayed on **th August **** and I missed my connecting flight from Mumbai Airport to (RUH) Riyad Airport, Saudi Arabia. Since my exit entry visa for Saudi Arabia...

Oct 27, 2024 by ASHOK MURUKAN S

Unfairly Charged for Hand Luggage (Indigo) ^Open

I was unfairly charged an amount of Rs. **** by Indigo Airlines for extra hand luggage. No other airline even checks how much hand luggage is there but Indigo even checks that. Their whole policy is to take as much money as they can from the cu...

Oct 19, 2024 by Anurag Bardia

Flight cancellation by company (Indigo Airlines) ^Open

I booked the ticket for ** oct **.** hrs with my family. We were supposed to travel to hyderabad but on the same morning we got the message that this particular flight from gondia to hyd has been cancelled due to some reason. And because of tha...

Oct 16, 2024 by Amreen quadary

Refund for rescheduling of flight IX1591 from Agartala to Kolkata on (Air India Express) ^Open

The said flight was originally scheduled for **:** am on **.**.****. However, the information about the change of time was suddenly sent at **:** pm on **.**.**** and calls were put at a weird hour of **:** pm after the web check-in had been do...

Oct 08, 2024 by CHAITALI GORAI

PNR HCGWJZ Refund medical waiver (SPICEJET LIMITED) ^Open

Dear Custrelations and Nodal officer SPICEJET LIMITED , I am writing to request a refund for my cancelled flight PNR: HCGWJZ/ODZ*HZ due to unforeseen medical reasons. Despite my previous requests, I have yet to receive the balance refund am...

Sep 23, 2024 by Anubhav Parashar

Not allowed for checkin (Indigo Airlines) ^Open

I have booked ticket at *.** PM for the flight departure at *.** PM from Doha to Chennai , and i have arrived airport for checkin at *.**PM,The Indigo officer not allowed me to checkin and i have no luggage and only laptap bag, i pegged for my ...

Sep 14, 2024 by Mohamed Yusuff

Complaint Regarding Denial of Boarding by Etihad Airways I want refund (Eithad Airways) ^Open

Dear Voxya Team, I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to lodge a formal complaint regarding an incident that occurred with Etihad Airways on *st September ****, during my travel from Delhi to Dublin with confirmed valid tickets....

Sep 14, 2024 by Arpit Ahlawat

I have not been refunded for a cancelled flight ticket booked in March 2023 (GOFIRST AIRLINES ) ^Open

I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding the non-refund of my flight ticket for the journey from Ahmedabad to Delhi, booked through HappyFares and operated by GoAir (PNR: X***RC). The ticket was priced at ₹**,***. Despite my numer...

Sep 03, 2024 by Harit Soni

Ticket cancelled but refund not received (Lufthansa Airlines) ^Open

I have booked a flight from Mumbai to Bologna through lufthansa website, PNR No. M****Z. As I was not sure of the travel I bought a refundable ticket. Then I made the cancellation of the ticket on **rd July **** and I was told by their customer...

Aug 21, 2024 by Abid Bhabhrawala

Unable to Refund from Malaysian Airlines For Unsuccessful Transaction After multiple followups (malaysia airlines) ^Open

Dear Team, I have booked an international flight from Bangalore ( India) to Sydney (Australia) on **-**-****, but after I entered my bank details with OTP my money got deducted from my bank account but I did not receive the flight tickets. ...

Aug 21, 2024 by Suman Banerjee

Urgent Complaint Regarding Staff Conduct at Edinburgh Airport PNR (Indigo Airlines) ^Open

Dear Indigo Airlines Customer Service, I am writing to formally raise a complaint about an extremely distressing experience I had with a staff member of Turkish Airlines at Edinburgh Airport on August *, ****. My PNR number for the connectin...

Aug 10, 2024 by Rudali patil

Regarding flight issue 2176 of indigo that is extremely 9 hrs delay (Indigo Airline ) ^Open

Hi , That is wrost experience with indigo airlines thatv is shared by me. Dear Team i have planned for singapore visit for *st of aug to * of aug and i already booked flights, Hotels, Taxis and attractions Tickets and paid *.** lac for that...

Aug 09, 2024 by Umesh Jaiman

On Julymy flight IX750 from Dubai to Kannur was cancelled due to operational reasons (Airindiaexpress) ^Open

Subject: Complaint Against Air India Express for Unresolved Refund and Misleading Itinerary Complaint Description: I booked a round-trip flight with Air India Express from Dubai (DXB) to Kannur (CNN) scheduled for July *th, ****. Unfortun...

Jul 13, 2024 by Byjesh

Last minute cancellation of international flight (Airindia Express) ^Open

To whom it may concern, I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with the recent experience I had with AIRINDIA EXPRESS airline. On ** JUN '**, PNR F*MBMX, I had booked an international flight with your airline, IX-*** SHJ-VJA, sch...

Jul 05, 2024 by G Sivarama Krishna

Baggage Damage and Infringement (Spicejet) ^Open

On my travel from Dubai to Madurai on **th May ****, one of my check in Baggages was opened by damaging the lock and a cash worth **** AED was stolen from the wallet kept inside. I have raised this complaint immediately in Madurai airport who p...

Jul 04, 2024 by Ajith Khan Naina Mohamed

Missing Baggage (Air India) ^Closed

My baggage has been missing for the past month now ...

Aug 27, 2024 by Kiran Goutam Dhananjayan

Spicejet bad customer service Zero refund and Rescheduling charges very high (SPICEJET LIMITED) ^Closed

I have booked a SpiceJet flight via the Goibibo application; due to unforeseen circumstances, I need to change my flight dates. But the Spice team is charging me approx. Rs. **,*** for rescheduling, and even if I cancel my flight bookings, zer...

Aug 16, 2024 by Anubhav Parashar

Refund not given (Indigo Airline ) ^Closed

Respected sir/ma'am I am here by to complain against indigo airlines for Job of( air ticketing) they have assured me that I have been selected for this particular job n they have ask me to deposit registration amount of ****rs n after registrat...

Aug 11, 2024 by Soni Pandey

Transaction failed ticket not issued refund needed (Makemytrip) ^Closed

I had booked a flight for Amritsar to pune via MakeMyTrip. And the amount for the same got deducted from my bank account. But it shows transaction failed! And I have tried my best to reach to MakeMyTrip but they're not responding to any of the ...

Jun 27, 2024 by Sunanda Menon

Compensation for delayed cancelled flight not recieved (Indigo) ^Closed

I had booked a Indigo flight for *th March from Mumbai to Stockholm which after being delayed for about ** hours was finally cancelled. Me and my family were stranded first at Mumbai airport and then at Istanbul Airport for over ** hours. We wo...

May 12, 2024 by Shailesh Bokil

Seeking compensation due to physical suffering and mental agony (Air India) ^Closed

I had booked ticket from San Francisco to Delhi on **July **** for my Spouse (Ankita Kumari) and my child who is infant (Kashvi Kumari). The date of flight was **Oct****. It was booked more than * months in advance as we were told by the custo...

Apr 25, 2024 by Kusum Kumar

Refund is stuck since may23 (Go First Air) ^Closed

My flight tickets from goair was cancelled on May'** as all airlines were shut. till now refund received.Please have a look at this matter....

Apr 09, 2024 by Subhrojit Roychaudhury

Refund is not provided by Indigo Airlines in medical emergency (Indigo Airlines) ^Closed

I couldn't travel on my flight from Lucknow to Bangalore on * Feb **** because my daughter (** months age)was not well. She was suffering from diarrhoea and doctor advised medicine and rest for her. So I called customer care stating that due ...

Feb 20, 2024 by Shoaib Ahmad

Denied boarding by airline (British Airways) ^Closed

Our family was unexpectedly denied boarding at the last minute by British Airways staff because our * year old child, who holds an Irish residence permit, was missing a visa not required for entry to Ireland. Both parents hold valid Irish resid...

Jan 21, 2024 by Sumeet Arora

Flight cancelled refund not received yet (Yatra) ^Closed

I had booked a ticket from kolkata to bangalore for feb *th on *st jan, i had to cancel the flights cause of personal reason, but i cancelled under the dgca policy, to get full refund. they said as soon as the airline processes the refund, they...

Jan 11, 2024 by Megha Pradeep

Not getting refund of my rejected flight booking from easemytrip (Easemytrip) ^Closed

We have tried to book a return flight trip from Bengaluru to Gorakhpur on Easemytrip portal. I used netbanking option to make the payment of Rs *****/- towards the flight booking. For some reason the the booking got failed but the amount was d...

Jan 07, 2024 by Manoj Kumar Giri

Refund not received (Air india) ^Closed

Ticket was cancelled on *st November but refund is not received. There is no proper response from customer service of air India and they just close the ticket after reply to mail that refund was issued. ...

Jan 02, 2024 by Dhruvkumar Patel

Request for refund for Flight Booking ID with PNR (Air India Express Ltd) ^Closed

Respected Sir, This is regarding the request for a refund through the source card ending **** as the booking was done from Goibibo with reference ID: E-Ticket for Your Flight Booking ID: GOFLDNTAND*E*HPF**** with Booking Date: **th Dec ***...

Jan 01, 2024 by Shashwathi S

Travelling baggage has been damaged (Indigo Air lines) ^Closed

My wife took the **:** Indigo flight from Kolkata to Bengaluru on **/**/****(Flight no. *E ***). After reaching the destination she didn't receive the check in baggage from the counter after waiting approximately ** mins. After inquiring the st...

Dec 30, 2023 by Sumit Ranjan Maiti

Flight cancellation refund issue (Yatra Com) ^Closed

I’ve booked flight ticket from Delhi to Chennai through Yatra.com. Total ticket cost is Rs.****. When I tried to cancel the flight ticket, I’m getting Rs.* for refund. Please need help with getting my money back....

Dec 15, 2023 by Harish Selvam

Refund not processed by Cleartrip inspite of policy (Cleartrip com) ^Closed

I was supposed to get refund from cleartrip.com, inspite of airline agency saying we are fully eligible for refund. ...

Nov 30, 2023 by Deena Reena Sequeira

Not refunding my amount which the airline has refunded (Cleartrip) ^Closed

As per the airlines spicejet its been clearly mentioned if I cancel my flight within ** hours of booking, I am eligible for full refund and after speaking with the airline and agency I have cancelled my flight. Now the cleartrip team mention...

Nov 07, 2023 by Pratichi M

NAME CHANGE ISSUE (Indigo Airline ) ^Closed

I really had worst experience with this People couple of times. Now when I do have a future booking and I missed to add my husband's surname. The flight is on November **, ****. When I call them to change it on **/**/**** they say it's too late...

Oct 22, 2023 by Ruby

Money deducted but booking failed (Make my trip) ^Closed

I was booking a domestic flight from Mumbai to Ahmedabad for ** October. After filling all the details i was asked to pay the amount, after completing the payment money got deducted instantly but when payment gateway redirected me to MakeMyTrip...

Oct 03, 2023 by Sagar Punjani

AirAsia International flight got rescheduled twice and the latest rescheduled date is not feasible f (AirAsia) ^Closed

Me and my friends (* people) booked return tickets from Cebu (Philippines) to Chennai (India) for **th Oct ****. A week back the flight got rescheduled to **th Oct. I tried to cancel the flights but since Airasia does not have customer support ...

Sep 20, 2023 by Kenith Aiyappa