‘From ₹8.5k to ₹71k’: Redditor forced to pay sky high Air India fare as IndiGo cancelled Chennai Delhi flight last minute

As widespread IndiGo flight cancellations entered the fourth day, a passenger said his late-night flight from Chennai to New Delhi was suddenly cancelled. The passenger also alleged predatory price hikes amid the ongoing turmoil in India’s aviation sector, calling it “capitalism at its best” after he was forced to buy a replacement ticket at nearly eight times the original cost.

The Reddit post wrote that his late-night IndiGo flight was suddenly cancelled, and the airline promised a refund within three to four business days while expressing its “deep pain” over the inconvenience. The cancellation left him scrambling for alternatives ahead of his brother’s engagement party.

The user wrote: “Air India has options, but has removed their listings from Yatra. I think all airlines have done this. Only stopover flights with the shortest slot of 23 hours are listed. I went to Air India website and can see flights listed there at 8 times the cost. So my canceled 8.5 lakh Air India flight forced me to buy a 71 lakh Air India flight instead.”

He claimed that airlines routinely raise prices during crises – citing the Chennai floods as an example.

“I request everyone to use what little strength we have left and not book any future flights from Indigo. Ask your HR to do the same for corporate travellers. Hundreds of cancellations daily just to bully DGCA into letting Indigo not follow their latest rules,” the user wrote at the end of his post.

Shortly after the post went viral, Redditors were quick to comment. “This is what monopoly does to the economy. IndiGo could have easily managed the DGCA guidelines months ago. But no, they are trying to apply pressure. Most of the flights being taken are at busier airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Kolkata,” a user commented.

Another user wrote: “71 thousand?! This is daylight theft of aviation within the country.” A third user said: “Brother, you traveled to the USA for 50,000. This is daylight robbery.”

A fourth user commented: “This is exactly why people lose trust in airlines. They cancel their flights without accountability, and passengers end up paying the price. I feel really bad that this happened before such an important day for you.”