IndiGo removes ailing 80-year-old woman from paid premium seat, she wins Rs 55,000

An ailing 80-year-old woman who paid extra for a premium front-row seat and wheelchair assistance so she could travel comfortably after undergoing two surgeries instead found herself shifted to a middle seat in the 28th row just before boarding an IndiGo flight. Holding that the airline’s last-minute decision caused her avoidable physical pain and mental agony, the Karnataka State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has enhanced the compensation payable to her from Rs 8,000 to Rs 50,000, besides ordering Rs 5,000 litigation costs.

A bench of judicial member Ravi Shankar and member Sunita C Bagewadi was hearing an appeal filed by Bengaluru resident Ansu A Amin against a 2024 order of the Bengaluru District Consumer Commission seeking enhancement of compensation after it found IndiGo guilty of deficiency in service but awarded only Rs 8,000.

Holding the airline responsible, the state commission said on June 18, “The Opposite Party without considering the age and health conditions of the appellant arbitrarity changed the seat, as a result the seat was compelled to travel in discomfort… This conduct of the Opposite Party amounts to deficiency of service and unfair treatment…the compensation awarded by the District Consumer Commission deserved to be enhanced for Rs 50,000 in the interest of justice.”

The commission found that despite knowing she had specifically sought additional legroom after undergoing two surgeries, the airline shifted her to a cramped middle seat without prior notice, leaving her to endure pain throughout the journey.

The dispute dates back to December 2023, when Amin booked an IndiGo flight from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad. Aged nearly 80 and having undergone two surgeries, she specifically requested a front-row premium seat with extra legroom and wheelchair assistance to make the journey comfortable.

The consumer forum noted that the complainant had not booked the premium seat merely for convenience but because of her advanced age and medical history.

Her request was accepted, and the airline allotted seat 1B in the first row. She paid Rs 13,906, which included additional charges for the premium seat and related services. Confident that her medical needs had been accommodated, she arrived at the airport expecting a comfortable journey. Instead, she was informed that her confirmed premium seat had been changed to seat 28B in the 28th row.

According to the complaint, when she questioned the change, airline staff allegedly told her she had no choice and would have to travel in the seat assigned if she wanted to board the flight. With no alternative offered and the flight ready for departure, she completed the journey in the middle seat.

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She later claimed that the lack of legroom caused unbearable back pain and leg pain during the flight. Besides the physical discomfort, she said she also suffered humiliation because of the manner in which the seat change was handled. After the airline failed to respond to her legal notice seeking Rs 80,000 in compensation, she approached the consumer commission.

Seat changed for audit: IndiGo

IndiGo admitted before the commission that the passenger had booked the premium seat and that it was later changed. The airline explained that one seat in the front row had to be reserved for members conducting an audit on that particular flight and, therefore, Amin’s seat was shifted from 1B to 28B. It also argued that she completed the journey without raising any dispute and, therefore, there was no deficiency in service.

‘Airline should have informed earlier’

The appellant is an old lady with a history of surgeries, and she had booked the premium seat by paying an additional amount with the expectation of travelling comfortably and without stress.

If it is the procedure that one seat in the row must be allotted to the personnel conducting the audit, at time of booking itself the airlines ought to have intimated the same to her.

The commission observed that moving from the front row to a middle seat reduced her ability to stretch or change position during the flight, made movement to the washroom more difficult, increased stress and aggravated her physical discomfort.

It noted that the complainant had not booked the premium seat merely for convenience but because of her advanced age and medical history. By shifting her to a middle seat without considering those circumstances, the airline ignored the very reason she had paid extra.

The airline’s action amounted to both deficiency in service and unfair treatment.

Rs 8,000 inadequate

While the district consumer commission had earlier awarded only Rs 8,000 as compensation, the state commission found the amount to be “meagre”, considering the discomfort, stress and mental agony suffered by the elderly passenger.

Allowing the appeal, it enhanced the compensation to Rs 50,000 and also directed IndiGo to pay Rs 5,000 towards litigation expenses. The airline has been directed to make the payment within 30 days, failing which the compensation will carry interest at 6 per cent per annum until realisation.

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Reminder for airlines

The ruling sends a strong message that airlines cannot treat paid premium seats as expendable, particularly when passengers have booked them because of age, disability or medical conditions. Where a passenger pays extra for comfort to meet genuine health needs, the commission has made it clear that airlines must either honour that commitment or face liability for the consequences.

Consumers facing similar grievances may contact the consumer helpline in their respective states (Karnataka: 1800-425-9339) or dial the National Consumer Helpline at 1915 for assistance.