IndiGo has again found itself at the centre of controversy, this time over the behaviour of its cabin crew. The issue was raised by Kanchan Gupta, a senior advisor in India’s Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting, who shared her experience on social media platform X.
Gupta described a rude encounter on IndiGo flight CE198. According to her post, a cabin crew member refused to help her partner with placing a cabin bag in the overhead luggage space. Instead of offering assistance, the crew member allegedly made a dismissive gesture towards the back of the aircraft. Gupta said the behaviour was cold and unhelpful, and accused the staff member of refusing to do a basic duty.
In her post, Gupta criticised what she called IndiGo’s long-standing poor service culture. She said such behaviour was not an isolated incident but reflected a wider attitude within the airline. She questioned why passengers should fund the salaries and benefits of cabin crew if they are not willing to offer basic assistance during a flight.
Gupta went further to suggest that if cabin crew are not expected to help passengers, the airline should consider reducing crew numbers and cutting fares. She also alleged that IndiGo often ignores basic rules without consequences.
This@IndiGo6E will never change — its vile attitude remains all pervasive. On board CE198 cabin crew member Sud***na stood primly refusing to help my partner with her cabin bag. Rather than sully her hands by creating space she vaguely gestured to the back of the aircraft. Shame.
This@IndiGo6E will never change — its vile attitude remains all pervasive. On board CE198 cabin crew member Sud***na stood primly refusing to help my partner with her cabin bag.
— Kanchan Gupta 🇮🇳 (@KanchanGupta) December 31, 2025
Rather than sully her hands by creating space she vaguely gestured to the back of the aircraft.
Shame.
Her remarks come at a difficult time for the airline. In December, IndiGo faced a major crisis with over 500 flight cancellations. Around the same time, a letter from staff went viral, highlighting issues of overwork and low pay. The airline has also faced more than 100 formal consumer complaints related to service failures.
