Airport Changed from Manchester to London – Poor Support for Elderly Passengers
I am extremely disappointed with the way this situation has been handled by IndiGo. My elderly parents were booked on a return journey between India and Manchester. They successfully travelled to the UK, but after the booking was made, IndiGo changed the return itinerary and moved the departure airport from Manchester to London. This is not a minor schedule adjustment. We live in Preston and do not own a vehicle. Travelling to London would require a 6–7 hour journey, significant additional transport costs, and considerable physical strain for my elderly parents. They would then have to undertake a long international flight followed by further travel within India. For elderly passengers, this is simply not a reasonable alternative. What is most frustrating is that such a significant change was made without providing a practical solution for affected passengers. Moving a departure airport by hundreds of miles completely changes the nature of the journey and creates substantial inconvenience and expense. When I contacted IndiGo's customer support team, I was informed that I may be eligible for a full refund due to the schedule change. However, because the booking was made through a travel agent, IndiGo could not confirm the actual refund amount that would be returned. I was also told that the ticket had been issued through a different currency arrangement with the travel agent, despite the fact that I paid £1,498 GBP for the booking. As a customer, I find it unacceptable that neither the airline nor the travel agent can provide clear and transparent information about the refund value following a major schedule disruption. Passengers should not be left chasing answers between multiple companies when the disruption was caused by changes to the airline's schedule. While the customer service representatives were polite, the overall experience has been stressful, confusing and disappointing. I expected better support and greater transparency from an international airline when dealing with elderly passengers affected by a significant itinerary change. I hope IndiGo reviews this case and improves the way it handles major schedule changes, particularly where elderly travellers are involved. Based on this experience, I would think very carefully before booking with IndiGo again.