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The woman alleged that passengers who skip seat selection during web check-in never received a boarding pass, her post sparks debate online
IndiGo clarified that a boarding pass was not issued to her because she booked tickets under a special fare category (Image: X/@IndiGo6E)
A passenger has raised concerns about IndiGo’s web check-in process, alleging that when someone opts for it, the airline does not show any free seat options. Calling it a “new scam”, she shared a post on her X (formerly Twitter) account, narrating the entire incident.
Anuradha Tiwari, founder of the Dharma Party of India, claimed that during web check-in, no free seats were available for selection. According to her, passengers who skip seat selection and opt for auto-assigned seating are informed that a boarding pass will be sent to them via email a few hours before departure. In her case, that boarding pass never arrived.
“There is a new scam by @IndiGo6E these days. When you web-check in, they don’t show any free seat options to select. If you skip seat selection and choose auto-assigned seating, they say you’ll receive your boarding pass by email around 4 hours before departure. In my case, it never arrived,” she said.
Anuradha continued, “When I called customer care to ask why the boarding pass wasn’t sent, they told me that auto-assigned seating can only be done 12 hours before departure. If it isn’t assigned by then, the airport has to allocate the seat. They also said they have no way to contact the airport.”
She further mentioned that this process meant passengers needed to reach the airport well before departure to complete physical check-in and obtain a boarding pass; otherwise, the airline might refuse to issue one, saying the passenger had missed the deadline.
“Technically, there are no FREE seats for web check-in. Everybody is out here scamming common people because apparently, there’s nowhere for us to go and complain. Well done!” she said.
IndiGo Responds To The Complaint
Responding to the complaints, IndiGo stated in the comments section that Anuradha’s experience was linked to a special fare category under which the booking had been made and required document verification.
The airline said, “Ms Tiwari, we understand your concern and would like to clarify that, for standard fare bookings, web check-in is completely free of charge. A fee is applicable only when a customer opts to pre-book a specific seat. If seat selection is skipped, a seat is automatically assigned at no additional cost.”
IndiGo continued, “In your case, the booking was made under a special fare category that requires mandatory document verification at the airport check-in counter. Consequently, web check-in and kiosk check-in facilities are not available for such bookings.
Check-in can only be completed at the airport after the required document verification has been carried out. We hope this clarifies the process.”
People Share Similar Experiences With IndiGo Web Check-In
The post has garnered attention from other air travellers, who allege they have faced a similar situation.
“What document verification is it? And what special fare category? I face the same issue, even though I pay the full fare without claiming any discounts,” one user said.
Another shared, “Well, many times in recent when I do web check-in from your app, there is no option to skip seat selection and we have to make payment because of this technical glitch. Request you to please look into the app interface for convenience of passengers.”
“You’ll are just looting the public. The worst airline in recent times. Your ground staff lies your online team lies. Have had a very bad experience with 6E. Pls have some decency and don’t ruin India’s image,” commented a different person.
Ms Tiwari, we understand your concern and would like to clarify that, for standard fare bookings, web check-in is completely free of charge. A fee is applicable only when a customer opts to pre-book a specific seat. If seat selection is skipped, a seat is automatically assigned…— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) June 15, 2026
“This is so untrue…today morning did web checkin for MCSCRQ, but there was no option to select free seats & hence got a response on the screen that boarding pass will be sent on email 4 hrs b4 departure… didn’t receive it…reached airport in advance & got the BP after creating a scene,” someone else said.
Another person called out the airline, saying, “This is false @IndiGo6E. Same issue happened to me. I tried to web check in advance. But there was no free seat to choose and I was not even able to complete the web check-in. When I called the call centre, they said this can only be done at the airport counter.”
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