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 complaints include, promised refund not given, ticket/flight cancelled without prior knowledge, rude staff behaviour etc.
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
Complaints
Cheating No refund by GoIbibo (Goibibo) Open
- Flight ticket in SpiceJet was booked through GoIbibo (website) on ** January ****. - Tickets (PNR: PBKRVZ) were issued in the name of Philipose Chacko & Ramany Philipose, for onward travel (COK – DXB) on **th March **** and return travel ...
Jul 29, 2020 by Vinu Zachariah
Extreme delay and irresponiveness towards Flight Ticket refund (Goibibo) Open
We booked return flight tickets on Lufthansa airlines for my grandparents from Delhi to Boston through Goibibo. The date of departure from Delhi was March **th ****, layover was at Frankfurt and final destination was Boston. Similarly return fl...
Jul 29, 2020 by Saloni Bhattar
Refund not given by Airindia (Air India) Open
I have booked ticket on **th March for ** April fly but due to Covid-** all flights canceled so we have not fly & for refund i have called many time to customer service & written ** mails to Ecommerce@airindia.in but no response. ...
Jul 29, 2020 by Gaurav Kast
Didn t get full refund (Spicejet and makemytrip) Open
I booked this ticket on ** july and due to unavoidable circumstances i had to cancel this ticket i cancelled this ticket before ** hrs of departure yet they are refunding only ** rupees and the booking cost was Rs. ****/- i want full refund .m...
Jul 29, 2020 by Kailash chand yadav
Refund required (GoAir Airlines) Open
I had booked a ticket on Go air from Mumbai to Bangalore on *thnof August and the airlines have cancelled the flight. I had insured the flight but the insurer won't process it unless I find a valid reason for the cancellation. I have been tryi...
Jul 29, 2020 by Vinu Isaac
AirIndia Express not refunding the Cancelled flight charges (Airindia Express) Open
Dear Sir/Madam, I have booked a flight with Airindia express on May **th which was cancelled due to COVID-** situation and the company have asked all customers to reschedule the flight with no change cost expect fare difference which applicable...
Jul 29, 2020 by Vijayakumar G
Flight cancelled by air india but amount not refunded (Air India Airlines) Open
Dear Sir, My journey was from Port Blair to Mumbai via Chennai on ** Mar **** (PNR YPRB*), but Port Blair to Chennai flight was cancelled from your side, however Chennai to Mumbai flight was operated. Therefore I went Air India Office at Port...
Jul 28, 2020 by MD SAHIL HUSSAIN
Air Ticket (Indigo Airlines 6E) Open
Before Lockdown I make ticket on Indigo Airlines from Sharjah to Bangalore after lockdown he say not giving return amount only use credit shall but where can i use that amount in corona time ...
Jul 28, 2020 by Naseer Ahammed
No Refund (Cleartrip and AirAsia) Open
flight has been canceled from airlines (airasia) and from cleartrip no deduction amount has been shown and final refund amount was less as nothing in refund. as there is no reason from customer end, even after lots of pain and loss during arran...
Jul 28, 2020 by Manas
Refund not issued for cancelled flights (Goibibo airlines) Open
Apropos to the appended email, I am still waiting for a response in regards to my concern which I highlighted on **th July ****. Being such a reputed organization, I have expected a much better experience than others, however it's utterly di...
Jul 27, 2020 by Sri P
Didn t allow me to enter into flight (Air India) Open
Sub: Air India didn't allow me though I was having my ticket and security scanning on timely manner. Description: I had booked my flight ticket from New Delhi to Vadodara. I did web check-in and printed out the ticket. I reached on the ...
Jul 27, 2020 by Chaitanya Pithawa
Lost money in PayTM Fraud (Paytm jet Airways) Open
I was called by a fraudster for my PayTM KYC, saying my account will get blocked if i dont complete it. The fraudster then sent a link for logging into the account. It was PayTM's logging page and the link was a phishing link. The fraudster cap...
Jul 27, 2020 by Namisha Jain
GOAIR not refunding amount for the tickets cancelled at their end (GoAir Airline) Open
I had booked a ticket from GoAir on *th Jul **** and my PNR E*U***. My traveling dates were * Aug from Ahmedabad to kolkata and returning was on ** aug from kolkata to Ahmedabad. However the airlines cancelled my ticket and not refunding my ...
Jul 27, 2020 by Mithilesh Kumar
Air India won t take responsibility of passengers s grievances (Air India) Open
This is regarding Air India ticket number ************* (Booking reference Z*H**), travelling from Vijayawada to New York via Delhi on the **th of August ****. In short, Air India has cancelled my upcoming flight, and put me on a flight sch...
Jul 26, 2020 by Ashok k
Flight was scheduled at time of lockdown but Air India has not rescheduled ticket and even now not r (Air India) Open
I have booked flight on * April ** for a flight from Toronto to Delhi for ** May **, due to lock down firstly Air India has not issued ticket no's to me as when lockdown announced till * th June I asked customer care to refund the amount on whi...
Jul 26, 2020 by Abhay Upadhyay
Flight cancelled refund (Amazon indigo and cleartrip ) Open
Sir this is srikala booked flight ticket on July *th from Chennai to kannur(Aug *rd) thru Amazon application.Indigo *E**** PNR PP***U.That flight was cancelled .i don't get flight cancelled message I just went for a enquiry in live chat then ...
Jul 26, 2020 by Srikala
Refund for air ticket cancelled by the airline (Goair) Open
I have booked an air ticket from Delhi to Jammu for a GOAIR flight dated **-**-**** with PNR R*HLKF. The flight was cancelled by the airlines causing a great inconvenience to me.I have requested the company for refund of my full amount,but they...
Jul 26, 2020 by Mukesh Kumar
Flight Refund (GoAir Airline) Open
Hi, I have booked international tickets worth Rs**k and domestic Tickets worth Rs**** with GoAir airlines. All flights got cancelled due to pandemic but they haven't refunded our money. Also, no one is answering calls neither replying to my ...
Jul 24, 2020 by Jyoti Choubey
Refund of air ticket for cancelled flight due to Covid19 lockdown (Go Airlines India Ltd) Open
I booked an air ticket for my daughter and wife with GoAir Kolkata to Pune flight G*-*** bearing the PNR: RE*MTX, date of journey was May **, ****. The said flight was cancelled due to nationwide lockdown for Covid-** pandemic. The ticket amoun...
Jul 24, 2020 by Amritaksha Chatterjee
REFUND FROM AIR INDIA EXPRESS COVID 19 FLIGHT CANCELLATION (Air India Express) Open
** Jan, **** we booked a flight to fly on ** May, **** and return on * Jun, **** amounting to INR *,**,*** from Dubai to Mangalore and return via personal credit card. Due to covid ** situation we received an email on *th May saying that all fl...
Jul 23, 2020 by Fahad Abdulla Mogral
"I was unable to get in touch with anyone in Byjus nor with my counselor regarding my problem for 3 months. But Voxya team helped me solve my issue very soon. Thank you!"
Mamta D
Complaint filed against: Byju's