Advertisement
New Delhi: In a bizarre incident, a Nagpur resident, Sagarika Patnaik, who was travelling for work on an IndiGo flight, was assigned window seat 10A, from Pune to Nagpur (6E6798) in the early hours of Sunday was shocked to find that that her plane seat had no cushion. Upon approaching the cabin crew, she was asked to look for it under her seat but when she could not find it, the crew finally provided her with a new cushion.
Sagarika’s husband Subrata Patnaik expressed surprise at the incident and raised questions as to how such a situation could happen with an airline like IndiGo. In response to the following incident, the airline explained that the previous cushion had been removed for replacement due to dirt and a spare cushion was provided to maintain hygiene standards. Subsequently, a spare cushion was provided to her after a delay.
“#Indigo !! #Flight 6E 6798 !! Seat no 10A ! Pune to Nagpur!!! Today’s status … Best way to increase profit…Pathetic,” Mr Patnaik said in his post.
#Indigo !! #Flight 6E 6798 !! Seat no 10A ! Pune to Nagpur!!! Today’s status … Best way to increase profit 😢😢…Pathetic … pic.twitter.com/tcXHOT6Dr5
— Subrat Patnaik (@Subu_0212) November 25, 2023
Replying to Patnaik’s X post, IndiGo Airline officials said “Hi, that’s certainly not good to see. At times, the seat cushion gets adrift from its Velcro. The same can be repositioned with the help of our crew. Further, your feedback will be shared with the concerned team for review. Hope to serve you better in the future”.
However, this incident triggers concerns about the airline’s maintenance and oversight. Frequent flyer Kanishka Gupta echoed these concerns, recounting instances of malfunctioning screens and misplaced safety equipment on flights, sources reported. Aviation analyst Dhairyashil Vandekar deemed the situation unacceptable, emphasizing the airline’s responsibility to provide fully functional and safe seats to passengers and urging regulatory authorities to take strict action in such cases.
Six passengers on Chennai-bound IndiGo flight deboarded at Bengaluru airport
In yet another incident earlier, six passengers on a Chennai-bound IndiGo flight were reportedly asked to deboard at Bengaluru airport due to the airline’s reluctance to fly with only a small number of passengers. The airline clarified that due to a delay in the incoming aircraft, these passengers missed their onward flight and the ground staff made efforts to assist them, offering overnight accommodation and rebooking on the next available flight.
