Doctor alleges IndiGo crew ignored emergency light, skipped pre-booked meal. Airline responds

A Delhi-based doctor has slammed Indigo for its “pathetic downfall in service” after spending the majority of his flight without a meal despite pre-booking one. Dr Suvrankar Datta, a former radiologist at AIIMS Delhi, aired his complaint with Indigo on the social media platform X.

Datta accused the crew of his Bengaluru to Delhi flight of appalling arrogance coupled with indifference that could put the lives of passengers at risk. He said that as a pre-diabetic man prone to hypoglycemia, he had pre-booked a sandwich for his Indigo flight to Delhi as he likes to have his meals on time.

Despite this, and in spite of repeated requests, the crew did not serve him his pre-booked meal until the last moment, when the flight had already begun its descent into Delhi. When the meal was finally served, Datta was further appalled to notice that the beverage was incorrect.

He wrote about his “nightmare” with Indigo in an X thread, saying the crew’s unprofessionalism could result in a mid-air emergency.

“Never flying Indigo again”

Dr Datta began his disgruntled thread by saying he would never fly Indigo again. “My recent flight from Bangalore to Delhi turned into a nightmare that I hope no one else has to experience! “ he said.

He revealed that he always pre-books his meals on flights and did so for his Bengaluru to Delhi Indigo flight as well.

“I always pre-book my meals because I have borderline high sugar levels, prefer having my meals on time and avoid overeating or skipping meals… So, pre-booked a sandwich on this afternoon flight as from experience they always ignore non prebooked meals!” he wrote.

Problem with pre-booked meal

The former AIIMS resident said that his flight took off from Bengaluru around 3:30 pm and meal service began soon afterwards. A crew member came to his seat and said there was a problem with his pre-booked meal and it would be delayed.

“I was patient, understanding that delays sometimes happen,” said Dr Datta.

After waiting for half an hour, he politely requested an update on his meal. “A crew member replied that another colleague would serve me,” he revealed.

However, no one came forward to serve the pre-diabetic man, who by this time was growing annoyed by the crew casually ignoring him. He was also growing jittery from hypoglycemia.

Jittery from hypoglycemia

“I still waited, growing increasingly irritated and jittery from hypoglycemia. Around 4:00 PM, a kind passenger noticed my distress and offered me her sandwich,” said Dr Datta.

Super annoyed, he switched on the emergency call light.

However, the doctor was further shocked to see the crew ignored his emergency call light too. He said he was “super p***ed off” by then.

“Then came the breaking point: the captain announced that we were already descending, yet there was still no word on my meal or response to the emergency light,” he wrote on X.

Finally, around 5:40 pm, a crew member came near his seat and Dr Datta mentioned that he is pre-diabetic and stressed the importance of having meals on time.

At last, more than two hours after take-off, he received his pre-booked meal. But the ordeal did not end there as he was served an incorrect beverage. However, by this time, he did not have the strength to argue.

“I at last received my meal: a sandwich and a cup of black coffee when I had asked for black tea (without sugar),” the doctor wrote. “By that time I was so hypoglycaemic that I did not even have the energy or strength to argue!”

Prepared to escalate

Dr Datta said that what really shocked him about the whole nightmare was his emergency light going unanswered for nearly 30 minutes.

“With an empty seat beside me, I couldn’t help but wonder how the situation would have been handled if I were in true medical emergency!” he asked.

“I have recorded every conversation with exact timestamps, and I’m prepared to escalate this to the national consumer forum,” he said, adding that “Indigo’s crew displayed an appalling level of unprofessionalism and arrogance.”

Indigo's response

Indigo apologised to Datta while responding to his thread.

"Dr Datta, thank you for taking the time to speak with us and allowing us to address the matter. We sincerely apologise for the delay in serving your pre-booked meal and the inconvenience this caused.

“At IndiGo, we are committed to understanding and prioritising our customers' needs and comfort. Please be assured that we take your feedback seriously and have taken the necessary steps to prevent a recurrence. We truly appreciate your patience and look forward to the opportunity of serving you on your next journey,” the airline said.