Furious IndiGo passenger slams airline for mismanagement after bird strike incident
A Delhi-based woman has called out IndiGo Airlines after experiencing what she described as a 'near-death' flight incident, followed by complete apathy from the airline's ground staff and customer support.Reeti Basu, who was aboard IndiGo flight 6E 6101 from Visakhapatnam to Kolkata via Bhubaneswar, shared a detailed account of the ordeal in a post on LinkedIn. Her post has now gone viral for all the right reasons.advertisement'Just as the plane was accelerating down the runway, I heard a blast and saw a fireball shoot out from the engine. Most probably, the engine shut down,' she wrote, adding that the aircraft was halted moments before take-off. IndiGo later confirmed the flight was aborted due to a bird strike.
But for Basu, the trauma didn't end on the tarmac. She said, 'The staff told me, 'It's neither our fault nor yours, so we can't help'.''We were held on board for over an hour as if the engine could be fixed and we'd fly again. Eventually, we were deboarded and left stranded without food, water, or any assistance,' she said further.She claimed she asked for basic support, either a hotel stay in Bhubaneswar, lounge access in Hyderabad (where she was offered a connecting flight after a five-hour layover), or simply a meal. All requests were denied.advertisement'All they gave me was a Rs 3,000 voucher. A voucher. voucher for my next trip, which I won't make anytime soon, given the trauma I felt. After a near-death experience. What people don't see is the emotional trauma this leaves behind,' Basu wrote.Referencing the recent AI171 runway incident, she added, 'Now I know what it's like to be in a plane that almost didn't make it. That fear is not something you forget.'Basu even explained why she is putting this on LinkedIn, saying, 'Because emailing the airline isn't enough anymore. Because customer care gave me silence. Because this isn't just about flight delays, it's about how airlines handle trauma and basic dignity. And because maybe if someone in leadership at IndiGo sees this really sees this, they'll think twice before leaving another passenger helpless.'She said her LinkedIn post wasn't for attention but accountability. 'Customer care didn't respond. Emails don't help. This is about how airlines treat people, not as passengers, but as humans.'Basu shared two images along with her long post: one was a screenshot of an Instagram post referencing an article written by IndiaToday.in about the incident, and the other appeared to be a photo taken from inside the IndiGo flight that was aborted.advertisementTake a look at her post here:IndiGo reacted to her post, saying, 'Hi, we regret the inconvenience caused during your recent travel with us. Please allow us some time to look into the matter further, and we'll reach out to you soon. \~Team IndiGo.'Earlier this month, flight 6E 6101 was aborted at Bhubaneswar airport after a bird strike. The pilot had alerted the Air Traffic Control about a technical snag, and take-off was stopped as a precaution.Must Watch
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