Popular Podcaster Prakhar Gupta Slams IndiGo Over Preponed Flight, Airline Reacts

Popular podcaster Prakhar Gupta recently took to X to express his disappointment with IndiGo airline's handling of a preponed flight. In a series of posts, Mr Gupta claimed that the airline preponed his flight by 15 minutes, just 2.5 hours before the scheduled time. He said that he didn't receive any email regarding the change and just a "measly" text message early in the morning. "How do you change a flight time and PREPONE it, 2.5 hours before the flight at 4 AM in the morning, expect me to make it on time, and then when I do get there 5 minutes behind on the NEW TIME , you do not let me check in my bag and make me pay for a new flight?" he wrote in his post. 

"I got no email, and one measly text at 4 AM this morning that my flight time has been preponed from 645 to 630, and you close your check in counters according to 630??" Mr Gupta continued. 

Dear @IndiGo6E

How do you change a flight time and PREPONE it, 2.5 hours before the flight at 4 AM in the morning, expect me to make it on time, and then when I do get there 5 minutes behind on the NEW TIME , you do not let me check in my bag and make me pay for a new flight?…

— Prakhar Gupta (@prvkhvr) January 23, 2025

In the following post, Mr Gupta claimed that the ground staff was very rude to him, making him go from one counter to another in an attempt to resolve the issue. "Your staff was rude to me and my co-passenger, accusing us of filming when we were not filming, because I politely asked them the same question- How could they change flight time two hours before a flight and charge me extra?" he continued.

He also slammed the staff's unprofessional behaviour, saying that he caught them playing "very distasteful private voice messages to each other on speaker phone and giggling at the obscenity while 'resolving' our issue." 

Mr Gupta further revealed that the airline charged him Rs 3,000 per ticket for the new flight.  "And the language of the resolution is suspect - the lady literally began with 'Sir, the actual charge of this change is Rs 40,000 (original ticket for not more than 15) but I will charge you only a minimum price of Rs 3,000 per customer'. A 90 per cent discount? Instantly? Without me asking for it? Super suspicious," he wrote. 

"Everyone asks you to go to the next counter, trying to exhaust your anger and genuine frustration. You waste my time, you take more of my money, but no one dares take any accountability," Mr Gupta concluded. 

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In response to the post, the airline stated, "We are currently looking into this and will reach out to you soon to resolve the matter,"

Mr Gupta, we are currently looking into this and will reach out to you soon to resolve the matter. ~Navi

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) January 23, 2025

Meanwhile, in the comments section, users shared similar experiences with the airline.

"Same thing messed up our schedule quite a bit last week, en route to Udaipur from Hyderabad. You tend to optimize to the minute for early morning flights and so, even preponing by 10 mins is absolutely unacceptable. The best part? The flight was delayed by over an hour anyway which was communicated after we reached the gate," wrote one user. 

"This happened to us as well! They advanced the flight and didn't inform us - no text, WhatsApp or email. Then threatened to not check our luggage in," shared another. 

"This is absolutely ridiculous and utterly frustrating. Not only unprofessional, but it's a blatant disregard for your @IndiGo6E customers' time and schedules. This is inexcusable. Something needs to be done about this level of incompetence," commented a third user.