By News18,Sahas Mahapatra
Copyright news18
A shocking incident unfolded at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on September 12, involving a passenger and IndiGo Airlines staff at the boarding gate. The passenger, who was scheduled to travel from Bengaluru to Raipur on flight 6E 405, claimed he was denied boarding despite arriving at the gate with 15 minutes remaining before departure.
A video now viral on Instagram captures the entire incident where the man, with folded hands, is seen pleading with a female IndiGo crew member. “Please ma’am, I am a frequent flyer, please allow me. Don’t do this to me,” he said.
Despite his repeated requests, the man was allegedly made to wait until the boarding time lapsed.
What happened at the airport?
On September 12, an argument ensued between an IndiGo passenger and crew member after the former was denied boarding for being late. In the viral clip, the passenger can be heard repeatedly pleading to board the flight, but the staff member refused.
The situation escalated when the passenger accused the IndiGo employee of verbally abusing him. In the video, he is heard saying, “You just abused me, you just abused me.”
IndiGo’s employee refuses allegations of verbal abuse
The crew member firmly denies the claim, maintaining that the passenger had been “shouting at [her] for the past…” before being interrupted again.
“Ma’am, you are abusing me. You are abusing me? You just now abused me while walking off,” the passenger exclaimed.
She denied again and eventually walked away, stating, “I am not going to talk to you. I should have stopped talking to you 10 minutes back,” she said.
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But the passenger continued accusing her of having abused him. Another airline employee steps in to calm the passenger, and the woman claims that she was only trying to help him board another flight.
Internet’s Take On The Situation
The video garnered mixed reactions online. While many sympathised with the passenger, others pointed out that airline policies are strict for a reason, and reaching the gate late often leads to denied boarding.
Flyers claim that after being denied boarding, another staff member sometimes steps in to offer rebooking options, with added charges or penalties.
“25 mins is the norm, and this man was late by 10 mins. Folding or unfolding hands doesn’t matter. Stop supporting such acts,” wrote a user.
Another posted, “It’s very clearly written on the boarding pass that the gate closes 25 mins before departure.”
“These days, it has become a trend that if someone misses their flight, they immediately blame the staff or the airline,” stated a user.
Some users echoed, “Indigo and their staff are very bad.”
What did IndiGo say?
Sources from the airlines told the Hindustan Times that the passenger was late to reach the gate. According to them, he arrived at 7:21 AM for a flight that was supposed to depart at 7:40 AM. Since boarding closes 25 minutes before departure, which means the cut-off was 7:15 AM, he was not allowed to board the flight. The airline later accommodated the passenger on another flight, the source added.
Interestingly, some frequent flyers have alleged that Gates 15 and 16 at Bengaluru Airport have seen similar incidents in the past, suggesting a pattern, reported the media portal.
