IndiGo crisis: Travel operators ramp up capacities for faster refunds

Travel operators ramp up human and tech support to manage soaring refund and rescheduling requests as IndiGo flight cancellations disrupt peak holiday travel

Online travel operators (OTAs) MakeMyTrip, EaseMyTrip and Cleartrip, among others, have increased their capacities by expanding human support and technology to enable quick refunds or rescheduling of traveller bookings amid a massive surge in inquiries due to IndiGo flight cancellations.

 

MakeMyTrip, for instance, has already credited over Rs 150 crore to its customers through their original mode of payment, covering almost 96 per cent of the overall cancellation volume as of Wednesday evening. A spokesperson from the NASDAQ-listed company stated that for flights cancelled by the airline, the refunds are being processed in coordination with IndiGo. Ixigo, on the other hand, has been using its artificial intelligence (AI) system and AI-powered chatbot named TARA to actively assist its users with refunds, cancellations and alternate travel options. Meanwhile, EaseMyTrip said that it has increased its direct contact with customers and was in constant connect with the airline to fast-track rescheduling, refunds and clarifications on the customer’s behalf.

 

“Our immediate priority is to support every traveller affected by the recent disruptions. We are using a combination of technology and human support to assist impacted customers. On the ground, our call centres are handling significantly higher volumes, and our teams are working round the clock, with human support capacity expanded by 2.5 times. The figure continues to move as fresh cancellations are submitted and settled. This remains a dynamic situation, and we are closely monitoring developments to ensure timely support for all affected travellers,” MakeMyTrip’s spokesperson stated.

 

Aloke Bajpai, group chief executive officer (CEO), Ixigo, said that since its customer support is driven by AI, the company has been able to handle the spike in queries efficiently and offer quicker resolutions during this period of uncertainty. Bajpai added that to further ease the inconvenience for its users, Ixigo has proactively issued a full refund of the convenience fees and assured fees for all its customers whose IndiGo flights were cancelled between December 3 and December 8.

 

These travel disruptions come at a time when the industry anticipates its peak business period with Christmas, New Year’s Eve and year-end winter holiday demand. In an official statement, Ixigo noted that there will be a shortfall in capacity on demand, resulting in a further increase in airfares, as the shortfall can hardly be covered by other airlines in a short duration. The Gurgaon-headquartered company added that it is seeing signs of passengers switching back to train and bus as modes of travel, given the rise in domestic airfares. Additionally, international travel is also picking up well since many global destinations have a cheaper fare than the domestic route currently.

 

A Cleartrip spokesperson highlighted that although this flight disruption was unprecedented and unfortunate, the e-commerce firm Flipkart’s OTA is typically prepared for irregular operations that occur annually in the December–January window and equipped with additional capacity to effectively manage this surge.

 

“We have been seeing around three times increase in overall volume of customer inquiries. We have implemented a stretch schedule and optimised our IVR system to prioritise incoming calls. Most importantly, we are ensuring our communication is highly proactive, which allows us to set realistic expectations and serve our customers with faster rebooking and refund clarity,” Cleartrip’s spokesperson noted.

 

Similar to others, Hari Ganapathy, co-founder of Pickyourtrail, said that the company has expanded operational capacity, extended support hours and brought cross-functional teams together to coordinate in real time with airlines and hotel partners.

 

“Every call was answered, each member handled 70 to 80 customer chats, and the guiding mindset was simple: even when circumstances were uncertain, the customer remained our responsibility. That commitment ensured every traveller was supported throughout,” Ganapathy added.