Paid for premium seat, forced into middle row: IndiGo ordered to pay ₹55,000 to 80-year-old woman

An 80-year-old Bengaluru resident who paid extra for a front-row premium seat and wheelchair assistance after undergoing two surgeries has won ₹55,000 in compensation after being shifted to a cramped middle seat moments before boarding an IndiGo flight.

The Karnataka State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission enhanced the compensation from ₹8,000 to ₹50,000 and also awarded ₹5,000 towards litigation costs, holding the airline guilty of deficiency in service and unfair treatment. The order was passed by a bench comprising judicial member Ravi Shankar and member Sunita C. Bagewadi.

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Case details

The case dates back to December 2023, when Ansu A. Amin, a nearly 80-year-old woman from Bengaluru, booked an IndiGo flight from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad.

Having recently undergone two surgeries, Amin specifically requested a front-row premium seat (1B) with extra legroom and wheelchair assistance to ensure a comfortable journey. She paid ₹13,906, which included charges for the premium seat and related services.

However, just before boarding, she was informed that her confirmed seat had been changed to 28B, a middle seat in the 28th row. According to her complaint, airline staff allegedly told her she had no option but to travel in the reassigned seat if she wanted to board the flight. She later said the lack of legroom caused severe back and leg pain throughout the journey.

IndiGo’s explanation

Before the commission, IndiGo admitted that the premium seat had been changed. The airline said one of the front-row seats had to be reserved for personnel conducting an audit on that flight, resulting in Amin being shifted from seat 1B to 28B.
The airline also argued that she completed the journey without objecting at the time and therefore there was no deficiency in service.

Commission’s observation 

Rejecting the airline’s defence, the commission observed that the passenger had booked the premium seat due to genuine medical needs and not merely for convenience.

It added that shifting the elderly passenger from the front row to a middle seat reduced her ability to stretch, made movement more difficult, aggravated her physical discomfort and caused avoidable stress.

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Compensation rewarded

The Bengaluru District Consumer Commission had earlier awarded Amin ₹8,000 after finding IndiGo deficient in service. On appeal, the State Commission termed the amount “meagre” considering the physical pain, discomfort and mental agony suffered by the elderly passenger.

The commission directed IndiGo to pay ₹50,000 as compensation along with ₹5,000 towards litigation expenses, within 30 days. Failure to do so would attract 6% annual interest until payment is made.