More Than Half Of IndiGo Flyers Unhappy With Flight Punctuality, Staff Behaviour: Survey

Amid the recent IndiGo flight cancellations and delays, a survey has revealed growing dissatisfaction among passengers. According to a nationwide survey by LocalCircles, covering over 15,000 airline passengers across 301 districts, 54% of respondents reported issues with flight punctuality in the past 12 months, while an equal percentage flagged concerns over staff attitude and courteousness.

Another 45% cited poor information transparency. This comes as hundreds of Indigo flights have been cancelled in the last week as India’s largest airline by market share faces a severe crew shortage following new pilot and crew rostering rules under the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations that came into effect from November 1.

Additional causes for flight cancellations include technical glitches, airspace restrictions, airport congestion, seasonal schedule changes, and occasional weather disruptions, the survey noted. On Wednesday, Aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation said it is investigating IndiGo flight disruptions and has asked the airline to submit the reasons for the current situation, as well as the plans to reduce flight cancellations and delays.

On Thursday IndiGo officials were summoned by the DGCA. The regulator has called the carrier’s officials for a meeting to explain the ongoing operational issues and present a detailed plan to mitigate disruptions.

The airline scrapped over 200 flights nationwide in the past week, with December 3 alone accounting for more than 200 cancellations. Regulatory data shows that in November, IndiGo cancelled 1,232 flights.

Meanwhile, IndiGo’s in the second quarter saw the net loss widening sharply to Rs 2,581.7 crore, up from a loss of Rs 988.8 crore year-on-year. The loss has widened despite the company's revenue rising 9.3% to Rs 18,555.3 crore.

The substantial increase in loss was primarily attributed to a massive forex loss of Rs 2,892 crore during the quarter. The survey, which received 15,938 responses from IndiGo passengers across India, highlights growing dissatisfaction with the airline’s service standards.

When asked about issues faced over the past 12 months, 54% of respondents cited flight delays and timeliness concerns, while an equal percentage pointed to poor staff attitude and lack of courteousness. Another 45% flagged inadequate information transparency, making these the top three pain points for flyers.

Other concerns included baggage handling (42%), customer service (32%), aircraft quality and maintenance (27%), and food quality (23%). Smaller percentages mentioned entertainment systems and miscellaneous issues.