‘IndiGo didn’t take off — but my stress levels did’

7 months ago 1
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Passengers enactment     up   astatine  an IndiGo Airlines kiosk astatine  Chennai Airport

Passengers enactment up astatine an IndiGo Airlines kiosk astatine Chennai Airport | Photo Credit: R SATISH BABU

It is 6.30 successful the greeting and I americium already hassled. Even arsenic I hold patiently extracurricular Chennai Airport to committee an IndiGo flight to Bengaluru, the idiosyncratic down maine successful the queue is pushing, successful bid to get ahead.

I archer him, gently, “Hey, my formation is astatine 8am. I’m waiting.” He taps my enarthrosis gingerly and says, “Hey, my formation was past nighttime astatine 8. I’ve been waiting for excessively long, beta.”

I americium wide awake now. Surrounded by hundreds of radical trying to get into the airdrome — astir of them with valid tickets and boarding passes — the country astatine Chennai Airport resembles a busy, noisy market, filled with chaos and confusion.

The informal connection passed on each those successful enactment is: “All IndiGo flights contiguous are cancelled.” (This was confirmed overmuch aboriginal successful the time by Chennai Airport authorities. The aforesaid was the lawsuit successful New Delhi arsenic well.)

A radical of friends headed to Kochi are wondering whether they should effort and publication different flight. A large radical is enroute to Mumbai to be a function. An aged uncle, acceptable to caput to New Delhi, is slumped successful a chair, wondering wherever helium tin spell — helium has already checked retired of his hotel.

“Like life, IndiGo is besides uncertain,” idiosyncratic comments successful jest. It should beryllium the aircraft’s adjacent tagline.

There are akin scenes crossed airports successful India today. A writer person headed to Chennai connected a enactment trip, waited for much than 10 hours successful Mumbai airport... this, after helium had checked successful his luggage. “My formation kept getting delayed,” helium says. “The vexation came from them not telling america however agelong the hold was going to be. The formation was seemingly disposable astatine the tarmac but pilots and unit weren’t available. Everyone was bushed and hungry.”

After a 10-hour wait, helium headed backmost to his Mumbai residence. He inactive has nary thought present his checked-in luggage is.

I besides drawback up with a household of three, headed to Coimbatore connected a greeting flight, who paid for other luggage conscionable past night. “We watched the quality connected the cancellations, but did not deliberation it would impact our flight. We are clueless.”

Which brings maine to 6Eskai, IndiGo’s AI-enabled chatbot and supposedly “your usher to each question question ever”. Oblivious to scenes happening connected ground, the bot cheerfully continues to nonstop passengers invited messages. Much to the chagrin of a bushed rider whose formation was conscionable cancelled, 6Eskai texts her adjacent arsenic she waits successful queue.

The connection reads, “We look guardant to welcoming you connected board”.

Published - December 05, 2025 03:45 p.m. IST

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