There have been several instances of irregularities in services by airlines but the one that Sagarika S Patnaik encountered on a Nagpur-bound IndiGo flight left her in shock. The Nagpur passenger, Sagarika boarded the flight on Sunday 6E-6798 in Pune and was allotted the window seat 10A.
But when she went to occupy the seat, she was left in shock to see only the grey metal frame staring at her with no cushion above it, according to an IANS report.
“Once she reached her seat, she was shocked to see the cushion missing,” Sagarika’s husband Subrat Patnaik told the Times of India.
Sagarika then raised the concern with the crew who just asked her to look for it beneath the seat.
She sifted through under the seat for the cushion but could not find any.
"She once again told the cabin crew. Boarding was still going on and she was forced to stand in the aisle, which was creating issues for other flyers,” Subrat said, adding: “Finally, a crew member brought another cushion from a spare seat and placed it. How could such a seat cushion just vanish? This is certainly not expected from an airline brand like IndiGo."
Subrat took to X to highlight the concern dubbing the incident as “pathetic”.
He received a response from the airlines saying the cushion sometimes drifts from its hook and loop fasteners.
“Hi, that's certainly not good to see. At times, the seat cushion gets adrift from its Velcro. The same can be repositioned with the help of our crew,” IndiGo responded to Subrat’s grievance, adding that the matter “will be shared with the concerned team for review.”
Subrat also raised how the blunder was overlooked by the ground staff and the crew before boarding.
Some social media users criticised the airlines for its “arrogant automated reply” while one of them shared a similar experience.