Top consumer complaints in 2024 - Voxya Consumer Forum Online

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

Refund not given even after (Travolook) ^Open

I booked flight from travolook on **th May, REF*********. they cancelled flight saying due to operational reason and they will refund amount in **-** days, i called them back after a month and they said due to bank error refund didn’t process...

Sep 03, 2021 by Nishant vikram singh

Airticket not booked by travolook in (www travolook in) ^Open

i booked a flight from bangalore to allahabad for the date september **th **** via www.traveolook.in couple of minutes later i received a call from an executive saying the flight ticket was cancelled due to PNR number not generated. the cus...

Sep 01, 2021 by Niranjan.B.S

Refund of Booking Amount (Travel Triangle ) ^Open

I, Aseem Tiwari, and my wife were looking for Maldives Tour Packages online. We were approached by one of the agents, named "Kkingsman Travels" through Travel Triangle. The salesperson had produced the quote and explained all necessary require...

Sep 01, 2021 by Aseem Tiwari

Airline ticket money deducted but ticket was not booked awaiting refund (Travolook) ^Open

On the *th of July I had booked a ticket from ahamadabad to Pune money got deducted but did not get the confirmation when I send mail got a call that this happened because there was issue with the airline company. Was promised refund in *-* day...

Aug 31, 2021 by Snehal dudhekar

Booking amount not Refunded (https www travolook in ) ^Open

I booked a ticket today from this website https://www.travolook.in/ (Wing In Travel) today at *:** PM. After booking I didn't receive my Confirmation email or message from the Airline and I called their customer care number and they told me tha...

Aug 29, 2021 by KHAN

Refund on cancellation not recieved (Travolook in) ^Open

I had book a Flight from Mumbai to Jammu on *th June **** after the booking within ** mins the booking was cancelled saying it was an operation issue and it was told to me the refund on cancelation will be made within *-** days to my bank accou...

Aug 28, 2021 by Smit Thakur

Airline refund (Cleartrip) ^Open

Indigo refunded the amount but cleartrip has not. They mailed me ** days ago they have initiated but dont give, customer care keeps delaying ...

Aug 28, 2021 by Dhruv

Travolook Refund not received (Travolook) ^Open

Booking is Cancelled due to fare expiration by travolook. But the refund is not received yet. Its *months now. REF********* Travolook.in...

Aug 28, 2021 by Anurag

The payment is deducted from Bank Account but haven t received any confirmation from Portal or Indig (Travolook) ^Open

I have booked a flight from Hyderabad to Jaipur on **st August via Travolook. I paid via google pay and the amount is deducted from the account but have not received any confirmation regarding the booking being confirmed and neither they are re...

Aug 27, 2021 by Bhavika Agarwal

Refund for my online flight ticket (Travolook) ^Open

I had booked Vistara flight UK *** on **th August from Mumbai to delhi scheduled to depart on **th August. Reference No. : REF********* After doing the payment, i got a mail from Travolook that my booking is cancelled and i will get the refund...

Aug 27, 2021 by Yashima Kewalramani

Money not refunded (Travolook in) ^Open

I've booked a flight on Travolook.in on Aug *th and immediately after the payment got confirmation, I got a call saying that the flight booking has been cancelled. They informed that the refund process will take up to **-** working days. Its be...

Aug 25, 2021 by Sarat Chandra Patibandla

Airline postponed Flight for 1 Day Ticket Cancelled (Indian Airlines) ^Open

Air India postponed their Flight for * Day which was not acceptable to us as our journey purpose was failed due to which we have cancelled the flight booking. Now how can Airline refuse to Refund the Airfare. This is our right to get the money...

Aug 24, 2021 by Niladri Dhar

Refund amount not received (Travo look) ^Open

REF********* I booked a flight ticket with travolook agency for my brother Manas ..at the very moment they cancelled the ticket saying some operational issues. its been past ** days neither I got any refund amount nor I am able to connect wit...

Aug 22, 2021 by Prasad

Amount not refunded by travolook site against airlines ticket booking (Travolook com) ^Open

I have booked airline ticket from travolook site on **june****. The ticket was not booked due to technical reasons but the amount got debited from my credit card. The reference number is REF********* booking date ** june**** in the name.of Dhan...

Aug 22, 2021 by Dhananjay kumar

Refund (Air india) ^Open

I had to change the dates of my flight so as advised by Air India they helped me to book tickets for the new date and cancel the original ticket saying I will receive a refund within ** days. It has been * months and several follow up with Air ...

Aug 20, 2021 by Gulzar Ahmed

Incorrect refund for covid impacted travel (Air India) ^Open

Issue – Please refund balance of $**** which was incorrectly deducted as cancellation charges even though my travel was restricted due to covid. I was provided full credit shell of $****.** valid till Dec-**** but on refund received $****.** ...

Aug 19, 2021 by Pranav Bhatia

Not allowed to board after having all neccesary documets (Air India Airlines) ^Open

I was travelling with my wife and *-year-old daughter from Calicut to Dubai on August **. I reached the airport * hours ahead of schedule. At the end, I was prevented from boarding the AI flight by your staff on the ground that my visa was not ...

Aug 19, 2021 by Naeem Mahamood

Didn t allow me and family friend to board flight and took and didn t return money for excess luggag (Indigo) ^Open

I have reported to the indigo counter in RGI Airport around **-Aug-*****:** Am with My wife and daughter(** months) and Friend. At that moment only one groundcrew staff (Mohammed ) was issuing boarding passes to passengers and my turn was **th ...

Aug 19, 2021 by Mohammed Haneef

Money Not refunded (Travo look) ^Open

I have booked a flight ticket from there website but after some time they called back and informed that ticket was unable to process due to some technical reasons and money will be credited back in your account in *-** working days. Now its alm...

Aug 19, 2021 by Mohammad Zaid

Money deducted but no confirmation (Goibibo) ^Open

I paid for hotel booking on **th august my money was deducted but hotel booking was not confirmed Booking I’d HTLQX**XRP ...

Aug 18, 2021 by Arvindpal singh mann

Airline refund (Indigo Airlines) ^Closed

I had booked * tickets for a trip from Chennai to Bagdogra almost a month in advance. I had to cancel tickets within *-* hours of booking due to unavoidable circumstances. The ticket status said refundable. But it turned out that the refund amo...

May 30, 2018 by Shweta Ramesh

Double charged for business class upgrade and baggage (Jet Airways) ^Closed

Received an email from Jet Airways asking me to bid to upgrade my flight ticket to Business Class. As I had excess baggage, ** kgs, I thought this would be a good idea as Business Class allows baggage of upto **kgs. The maximum bid amount was R...

May 18, 2018 by Neil Pinto

Flight tickets canceled by paytm (PayTM) ^Closed

First i booked * flight tickets from paytm website from ranchi to delhi of dated *th august. During booking convenience fee was showing zero(a typical screen shot attached) but when i make payment, extra **** rupees deducted from my account a...

Aug 06, 2017 by Debabrata