IndiGo forgot old couple at Istanbul airport, then handed them a loaf of bread to last the night

Here's another tale that adds to the distressing airport anecdotes. An aged Indian couple was left at the Istanbul airport for 24 hours after their IndiGo flight forgot to put them on their connecting flight from Istanbul to Mumbai.

The couple was travelling from London to Mumbai, and was supposed to take their connecting flight to Mumbai from Istanbul. 

They were flying Turkish Airlines from London to Istanbul, and were supposed to fly from Istanbul to Mumbai via IndiGo. IndiGo operates a code-share with Turkish Airlines. 

What happend 

• The elderly couple, Rajesh Shah, 64, who was on the wheelchair, and his wife, Rashmi Shah, 59, were set to return to Mumbai on August 17, 2023, when they were left stranded at the Istanbul airport for 24 hours. 
• The couple was vegetarian and had medical conditions.They were not given any assistance or support, nor did the airline communicate with them while they were sitting at the Istanbul airport.
• The next day, they finally got on another IndiGo flight to Mumbai.

The ordeal

• The elderly couple's daughter, Richa Shah, told The Times of India that her parents had a single PNR ticket for their journey to Mumbai.
• Both her parents have medical conditions, her father was wheel-chair bound as he had undergone multiple surgeries (he had suffered multiple strokes earleir) and her mother couldn't walk for long. 
• She further added that the ground staff assisted her parents and took them to the boarding gate where they were supposed to board their connecting flight to Mumbai. 
• Richa Shah said, "They were made to sit at a boarding gate with their boarding passes. When a few hours passed, my mother went to check at the counter regarding the flight status. The staff took the boarding passes from her and asked them to sit till further instructions." The staff told her parents that "my supervisor is on the way, you have to talk to him."
• At last, Rajesh Shah and Rashmi Shah were finally told that their flight had departed and that's when they worriedly called their daughter, Richa Shah. 
• Richa Shah got in touch with IndiGo helpline from India and the airline then issued a boarding card for the couple to fly to Mumbai the next day. 

The ordeal doesn't end here, Rajesh Shah and Rashmi Shah were stranded at the airport with just a loaf of bread and Coke, and had to spent the whole day sitting on the chairs at the terminal.

What did IndiGo say

• Indigo released a statement saying, "We are aware of the incident of a mis-connection that happened at Istanbul airport with a senior couple travelling from London to Mumbai via Istanbul on August 17, 2023."
• They further added, "This was a regrettable case of a human error with our Turkish Ground Handling Services due to which the passengers missed their connecting flight to Mumbai. The IndiGo team at Istanbul extended assistance and provided them with the next available direct flight option. We have already taken up this incident to our partner airline and extend our sincere apologies to the affected passengers."

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