IndiGo fined ₹1.75L for dirty, stained seats
What's the story
IndiGo Airlines has been slapped with a fine of ₹1.75 lakh by the New Delhi Consumer Commission. The penalty comes after a passenger complained about dirty and stained seats on a Baku-Delhi flight. The commission found IndiGo guilty of service deficiency, ruling that "dirty seating arrangements constituted a direct violation of consumer expectations and the airline's contractual obligations."
Penalty details
₹1.5 lakh awarded for mental agony
The commission awarded ₹1.5 lakh to the complainant for mental agony, physical pain, and harassment. An additional ₹25,000 was granted toward litigation expenses. The decision was made on July 18 by a bench led by President Poonam Chaudhry and members Bariq Ahmed and Shekhar Chandra of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in New Delhi.
Incident details
Details of the complaint
The complaint was lodged by Pinki, a Chanakyapuri resident in Delhi. She had booked tickets for herself, her husband, and two other family members on December 27, 2024. Upon boarding the IndiGo flight on January 2, 2025, she found her seat dirty and unhygienic. When she complained to an air hostess about this issue, the crew member apologized, expressed helplessness in providing clean seats, but offered her an isolated seat in the 14th row.
Dispute resolution
IndiGo argued that the issue was resolved immediately
IndiGo argued that the issue was resolved immediately as the complainant was shifted to another seat. However, the commission maintained that dirty seating arrangements still constituted a direct violation of consumer expectations and contractual obligations. The commission also noted that under civil aviation requirements, any airline registered in India must provide a responsive and functional grievance redressal mechanism along with a dedicated helpline number, in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.