IndiGo airline offers refund and vouchers after co-pilot barges into toilet with female passenger inside
An IndiGo passenger has spoken out about a distressing ordeal onboard one of the airline’s flights earlier this month, alleging that a co-pilot barged in on her while she was in the toilet.
To her dismay, the airline reportedly brushed off the incident as a mere “inconvenience”.
IndiGo is a low-cost airline based in India and is the largest airline in the country.
Passenger claims co-pilot barged into toilet
In a LinkedIn post on 19 Aug, Ms Rhea Chaterji recounted her experience during a late-night IndiGo flight on 8 Aug.
She explained that she had gone to the forward washroom before take-off and ensured that the door was securely locked.
She had just sat down when she heard a knock, which she answered. Shortly after, another knock followed, and she replied, louder this time.
However, the door was forcibly opened before she could finish speaking.
Standing at the door, she said, was a male crew member, who turned out to be the First Officer.
Source: thepointsguy.com for illustration purposes only
“He simply said ‘oh’ and shut the door,” Ms Chaterji shared in her post. “I felt shocked and utterly violated.”
But instead of addressing her concerns, she claimed that the female cabin crew downplayed the incident, insisting the pilot “hadn’t seen anything” and apologising only for the “inconvenience”.
Allegedly told to meet Captain and First Officer in cockpit
According to Ms Chaterji, the crew continued to approach her throughout the flight despite her repeated pleas to be left alone.
At one point, she was allegedly told to meet the Captain and the First Officer in the cockpit.
“I was instead told to go to them in the cockpit — a small enclosed space with 2 men, one of whom had just seen me in a most vulnerable state,” she wrote.
“Every woman reading this will certainly understand why the thought of that caused even greater anxiety for me.”
Source: Seeing Machines for illustration purposes only
After landing, Ms Chaterji escalated her complaint to IndiGo’s top management, including the CEO.
However, she claimed that the airline’s response was nothing more than corporate “lip service”.
She explained that the airline kept calling her experience “an inconvenience” and sent her emails filled with jargon about the pilot’s “profound remorse”, even though he never personally apologised to her.
Ms Chaterji stressed that compensation was not the aim of her post.
“But if you’re curious, the price of a woman’s dignity according to Indigo is the refund of the airfare and a little over half that sum in airline vouchers.”
Netizens outraged at airline for treatment of passenger
Her LinkedIn post has since gone viral, sparking outrage among netizens who called for greater accountability from airlines.
One LinkedIn user expressed shock at her experience and the airline’s “indifference”.
Source: LinkedIn
Another commenter called it “appalling” and said that no one should have to go through such an ordeal.
Source: LinkedIn
One netizen even urged her to pursue legal action against the airline.
Source: LinkedIn
IndiGo Airlines has also commented on Ms Chaterji’s LinkedIn post, apologising “for the experience you went through due to an inadvertent mistake by one of our crew”.
“We assure you that the crew has been counselled and sensitised, and in cognisance of this matter, we are reinforcing training to ensure such incidents are never repeated,” it added.
Source: LinkedIn
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AirAsia flight lands at wrong airport in South Korea, even crew members were confused
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Featured image adapted from IndiGo on Facebook & Canva for illustration purposes only.
