Poor Customer Handling

One airline. One passenger. One visa. Two completely different experiences. ​ My journey to Riyadh for LEAP 2026 started with a nightmare at Coimbatore Airport. ​ I was travelling with IndiGo (InterGlobe Aviation Ltd) from Coimbatore → Hyderabad → Riyadh on 30 Aug ​ Before travelling, I had already checked my Saudi visa name format with the LEAP organizers. They confirmed that my first name and last name, including my father's name, were correctly reflected and that there was no issue. ​ My photograph, passport number, date of birth and other details on the visa also matched my passport. ​ Yet, the Coimbatore IndiGo team stopped me. “The name on the visa does not match the passport.” I was asked to wait. As the booking closure time approached, I went back for an update. I was again told they couldn't board me. ​ My colleague and I had to repeatedly explain the situation. The interaction became unnecessarily difficult and, frankly, rude. ​ Finally, they said they could allow me to fly to Hyderabad and that I could check with IndiGo there. ​ So I boarded the flight, but with the uncertainty of whether I would be able to continue my journey. ​ Then came Hyderabad. ​ I collected my luggage and went to the IndiGo counter. A staff member checked my visa, hotel booking, return ticket and passport, verified everything and pasted a “VERIFIED” sticker on my passport. ​ At the counter, another staff member noticed that Coimbatore had added a comment to my PNR regarding the name mismatch. She checked with her supervisor. The supervisor's response: “No problem, Sir. There is some confusion with the name, but that is not an issue. Your passport and other information match.” That's it. No problem. ​ There was absolutely no issue at immigration either. ​ So I have one simple question: How did a “problem” at Coimbatore become “no problem” at Hyderabad? What if I had cancelled my trip because of the uncertainty? What if I had missed LEAP because the frontline team couldn't resolve the confusion? ​ This is where Customer Experience matters. We talk about Customer Journey, Customer Success and Customer First, but sometimes customer-centricity simply means: Investigate before you reject. ​ My name did not suddenly change. It is Subhash Bhaskaran it is not mentioned as Sachin Tendulkar. My photograph and all other key details matched my passport. ​ The Hyderabad team showed the right approach: check the facts, escalate when needed and resolve the issue. ​ So this is both feedback and appreciation. 👎 Thumbs down to Coimbatore IndiGo for the handling, communication and unnecessary anxiety. 👍 Kudos to Hyderabad IndiGo for resolving it professionally. Same airline. Same passenger. Same documents. Two completely different customer experiences. ​ A customer should not have to fight to prove that a problem is not a problem. Sometimes, Customer Success begins with one simple sentence: “Let me check before I say no.” ​ #CustomerExperience #CustomerSuccess #CustomerJourney #Leadership #IndiGo