Passenger Claims Vistara Asked For 'Cremation Centre Receipt' For Rescheduling Flight, Airline Clarifies

A Twitter user slammed Vistara Airlines, claiming that he was asked to produce a "cremation centre receipt" when he asked to reschedule his flight.

Vistara quickly responded, expressing regret to the user and promising to look into the matter.

Source : Getty

Social media erupted with outrage Monday after a Twitter user claimed that Vistara Airlines asked him to show the "cremation centre receipt" when he requested that he need to reschedule his booking due to an emergency in the family. The user, who hosts two podcast shows according to his Twitter bio, said this was the "coldest thing" he had heard from a B2C brand, and the post led to a flurry of comments on the social networking site. In a series of posts later, Vistara apologised to the user, Karthik Nagarajan, but also said its team was only following rules "as required for compliance purposes" since he had asked for a sector change.

"Hey @airvistara, asking for cremation centre receipt from a frequent traveler who asked for a booking to be rescheduled on family emergency basis is by far the coldest thing I have heard from a B2C brand, ever. I literally have no words," Nagarajan tweeted.

hey @airvistara, asking for cremation centre receipt from a frequent traveler who asked for a booking to be rescheduled on family emergency basis is by far the coldest thing I have heard from a B2C brand, ever. I literally have no words.

— Karthik Nagarajan (@The_Karthik) May 22, 2023

While the airline initially replied to the post with the usual response asking for booking reference number or PNR, it later shared a series of five posts explaining its side, while also apologising to Nagarajan for the inconvenience.

"With great concern, we thoroughly investigated, listened to the recorded call, and discovered that our team understood your situation and offered a one-month extension of the voucher's validity," one of the posts read. "However, when you asked for the sector change, which is not permitted globally, our team requested that you to share the supporting documents for the bereavement in your family as required for compliance purposes."

With great concern, we thoroughly investigated, listened to the recorded call, and discovered that our team understood your situation and offered a one-month extension of the voucher's validity. (2/5)

— Vistara (@airvistara) May 23, 2023

However, when you asked for the sector change, which is not permitted globally, our team requested that you to share the supporting documents for the bereavement in your family as required for compliance purposes. (3/5)

— Vistara (@airvistara) May 23, 2023

The airline added: "Our team, while asking for supporting documents, mentioned multiple options, and that would have inadvertently hurt your sentiments. We sincerely apologize for that. We value you as our esteemed customer and your continued patronage."

Our team, while asking for supporting documents, mentioned multiple options, and that would have inadvertently hurt your sentiments. We sincerely apologize for that. We value you as our esteemed customer and your continued patronage. (4/5)

— Vistara (@airvistara) May 23, 2023

Karthik Nagarajan hosts the "FilterKoffeePodcast" and "VoicesForWater" podcast. He has over 4,000 followers on Twiiter and his post elicited a barrage of responses from other users, many of whom recounted their own poor experiences.

"I'm sorry that you had to experience this, Karthik, in the midst of your loss. Love to you and your family," commented a user, while another said: "Shocking! Indian aviation needs to learn a lot, there is large scope for improvement. U just can't simply say fly the new feeling".

Earlier in January, Go First Airline left around 55 passengers behind at the Bengaluru airport. Flight G8-116 of the low-cost carrier took off from Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport for Delhi, leaving passengers stranded in the shuttle bus.

The airline was fined ten lakh rupees by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).