Stories
Air India Denies Boarding Over Points Booking, Passenger Alleges Discrimination
N
News18•15-10-2026, 16:30
Air India Denies Boarding Over Points Booking, Passenger Alleges Discrimination
- •A passenger alleged that Air India denied boarding to their mother on a confirmed Mumbai to Ahmedabad flight because the ticket was booked using loyalty points.
- •Ground staff reportedly claimed the flight was oversold and stated that points bookings were not on the priority list.
- •The affected customer had to panic-buy an alternative IndiGo ticket for Rs 7,629 due to the mother's medical condition.
- •While Air India refunded the original points and taxes, they allegedly refused to reimburse the replacement ticket cost, offering an alternative flight nine hours later instead.
- •The incident sparked outrage online regarding airline loyalty program policies, prompting Air India to request booking details to investigate the matter.
Key Questions Answered
The passenger was denied boarding because the flight was oversold, and airport ground staff claimed that tickets booked using reward points were not on the priority list for boarding.
Air India refunded the original points and taxes for the booking, but refused to reimburse the cost of the replacement IndiGo ticket, arguing that an alternative flight had been offered.
Air India offered the passenger's mother an alternative flight scheduled to depart approximately nine hours later.
