A man had booked an IndiGo flight from Chennai to Mumbai for his family of four. However, upon boarding the flight, he was shocked to find that the airline had allocated seats to his children away from him. Though the passengers on board were kind enough to exchange seats with the man’s family, he took to social media to highlight the issue, stating that it is “basic human decency” for airlines to assign adjacent seats to families with children.
“I, my wife, & our eight and three-year-old kids, travelling on IndiGo on the same PNR, allotted four separate seats! We 2 will manage, but not sure about those sitting next to the kids,” wrote X user Akshay Baheti.
He added, “Indigo is indeed unique. Don’t think any other airline allots separate seats to 3-year-olds.”
“I hope MoCA, JM Scindia, makes it compulsory to ensure kids on the same PNR are seated adjacent to their parents, no ifs and buts attached. It’s really not a big ask,” he continued.
After the post gained traction, IndiGo commented, “Mr Baheti, we never wish to separate a family flying together by assigning separate row seats. However, as checked, you completed your check-in at the airport, wherein the seats were assigned based on availability.”
“Hence, we always recommend our customers to pre-book their preferred seats online for hassle-free travel,” the company added.
The post was shared on March 31. It has since then received over 2.6 lakh views and the numbers are still increasing. Many even liked the post shared on X and shared their thoughts in the comments section.
An individual wrote, “This is so wrong. IndiGo knew there were children as tickets were issued and on the same PNR. This was pre-known. It was a basic interview question to make algo for seat allocation in my time. Airlines these days are getting worse.” He also tagged the official X handle of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in his comment, saying that the regulatory body “should look into it”.
“This happened to me as well. Me, my wife and my 3-year-old son were all given different seats. The lady at the counter told me that I should have purchased preferred seats online if I was looking to be seated together,” commented another.
A third claimed, “Even if you do advance check-in and opt for free seats, Indigo will assign everyone in the itinerary separate middle seats only instead of giving them together seating.”
“This is part of the IndiGo strategy. You had a major inconvenience and now you will make sure to pay and book seats in the future. So will all who read this tweet. Shows how unconcerned they are. You pay for a flight and then pay to sit with your family,” shared a fourth.
A fifth added, “…Dr Baheti should have chosen seats when booking. He knows it’s 6E, and seats are chargeable. Should have paid and booked. When I book tickets for me and my wife, we pay and book seats together.”
He continued, “IndiGo, you need to look at a policy during your booking flow where you ensure that you inform passengers travelling on the same PNR, especially those with minor kids, that they have voluntarily chosen to bypass buying seats. This is important because there could be a case where something unfortunate happens to a child while onboard your flight and they are seated away from parents. Imagine the scenario.”
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