Overbooking Backfires: IndiGo Flight Returned to Terminal After Passenger Unable to Find Seat

Overbooking is a common practice, which airlines often use to make sure to minimize the number of empty seats onboard and maximize their revenue. However, this has become the reason for a major blunder. A similar incident happened with an IndiGo Airlines flight, where two passengers received separate boarding passes for the same seat.

IndiGo Flight Returns to Terminal

This incident was first reported by Hindustan Times. On May 21, IndiGo flight 6E6543 was preparing for departure from Mumbai to Varanasi. The boarding was completed and the aircraft received the departure clearance. When the Airbus A320 was taxiing out from the terminal area to the runway, the cabin crew onboard saw a passenger standing on the rear side of the aircraft, unable to find his seat.

The cabin crew took notice of this situation. After checking, she found that for the same seat, two separate boarding passes had been issued. The flight was operating with full occupancy. Hence, this was a result of overbooking. To be precise, overbooking mixed up with the rush for faster turnaround time caused this mess.

She alerted the Pilot in Command (PIC), following which the aircraft returned to the terminal area. The extra passenger was offloaded. Because of the presence of an unauthorized person onboard, the cabin baggage of all the passengers onboard was checked again. Because of this, the flight was delayed by more than an hour.

Airline Issues Statement

Because of this incident, the airline had to face a lot of public trolling. Some people on social media pointed out the bad service of the airline, while some compared it to bus travel. The airline came ahead and issued a statement regarding this incident.

It admitted that there was an error during the issuing of boarding passes. A passenger on standby was allotted a ticket for a seat already reserved by a confirmed passenger. The mistake was recognized only when the aircraft left the bay. The airline expressed regret for the discomfort caused to other passengers.

It also clarified that the passenger who was allotted a ticket was actually a staff member of IndiGo itself. He was flying under the airline’s Staff Leisure Travel (SLT) policy. Under this policy, staff members of the airline get a discount on flights while traveling.

Regulator Steps In

Because of this matter, the aviation safety regulator of India: the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has stepped in and has asked the airline to submit a report regarding this incident. Such incidents come under the denied boarding category. DGCA has strict rules against airlines denying boarding to passengers after issuing boarding passes.

According to DGCA CAR 2016, if an alternative flight is available within 1 hour of the affected flight, the airline is not liable to pay any sort of compensation to the passenger. In case, there is no flight within 1 hour, it has to pay double the fare price, along with the fuel charge (Rs 10K Maximum). If the passenger does not opt for an alternative flight, then the airline has to pay 4 times the ticket price, along with the fuel charge (Rs 20K Maximum). The fare price considered here is only one-way. As long as the denied boarding is not the passenger’s fault, the airline is liable to pay compensation.

With airlines in India looking to cater to more International connecting passengers, their primary focus should be to improve their systems to make sure such mistakes are not repeated. IndiGo is not the only airline to commit these mistakes. Recently, a passenger flying from Delhi to Ahmedabad with SpiceJet shared his ordeal on Twitter.

On the boarding pass he received, he got seat 29E. But when he reached the aircraft, he was shocked to find out that there was no 29E onboard. That day, the flight was downgraded from B737-800 to B737-700. SpiceJet’s B737-700 fleet does not have Row 29. This case also comes under the denied boarding category.

Conclusion

An IndiGo passenger was found standing during the aircraft’s taxi phase while departing from Mumbai Airport for Varanasi. The aircraft was taken back to the terminal to offload that passenger. The airline clarified that the passenger was a staff member.

What do you think about this blunder from IndiGo Airlines? Discuss in the comment section.