Passenger Left Standing On IndiGo Mumbai-Varanasi Flight Due To Overbooking, Offloaded Last Minute

An IndiGo flight was forced to return to the terminal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai after the crew spotted an extra passenger standing inside the aircraft, as all the seats were filled. The passenger was spotted standing at the rear of the aircraft when flight 6E 6543, en route to Varanasi, was taxiing.

Extra passenger on flight

Following this, the aircraft returned to the bay, and the extra passenger alighted before the plane took off. According to reports, the extra passenger was an airline staff member who boarded the aircraft after the ground staff assumed that a passenger who was running late wouldn't make it. In such cases, airline staff can take a flight if there is a vacant seat, referred to as a standby passenger.

Also read: IPS Officer Narrates Experience Of IndiGo Flight Landing With 2 Minutes Fuel Left

REUTERS

However, on Tuesday, the passenger who was running late showed up just in time, and his original seat was given to him, leaving the standby passenger without a seat.

What IndiGo said

In a statement, IndiGo said there was an error during the passenger boarding process of flight 6E 6543 from Mumbai to Varanasi, wherein a standby passenger was allotted a seat reserved for a confirmed passenger. "The error was noticed prior to the departure of the aircraft, and the standby passenger was de-boarded. This led to a slight delay in the departure of the aircraft," the airline said.

IndiGo

What is overbooking

Overbooking is a practice followed by airlines worldwide, where they sell more seats than their capacity to ensure maximum occupation of the flight, even if some passengers cancel at the last moment. However, if none of the passengers cancel their bookings, the airline can be left with more passengers than the number of seats available.

Also read: Lufthansa Passenger Denied Boarding Sparks Heated Argument With Staff

PTI

Compensation if denied boarding due to overbooking

According to the DGCA, in such situations, the airline must first ask for volunteers to give up their seats to make them available for other passengers. If a passenger with a confirmed ticket is denied boarding due to overbooking, the airline has to offer an alternative flight within the next hour. If this is not possible, a compensation of up to 200 percent of the booked one-way basic fare plus airline fuel charge, subject to a maximum of Rs 10,000, should be paid. If the alternative flight is delayed beyond 24 hours, a compensation of up to Rs 20,000 has to be paid.

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