A new nationwide survey has raised serious concerns about the conduct of major Indian airlines, revealing widespread passenger exploitation through hidden charges, restrictive digital interfaces and misleading refund practices. Conducted amid the ongoing IndiGo crisis, the study by LocalCircles highlights that more than four out of five air travellers faced some form of manipulation or fraud on airline apps or websites in the past year. The findings come at a moment when public frustration with air travel is at its peak, and regulatory scrutiny over airline operations has intensified. The revelations point to a deeper problem in the aviation ecosystem, where loopholes in digital interfaces and opaque pricing practices have created fertile ground for consumer abuse, even after the government introduced guidelines to curb such behaviour.
Hidden Pricing, Blocked Options and Manipulative Messaging Erode Trust in Digital Airline Platforms
The survey, which collected insights from more than 1.24 lakh passengers across 302 districts, paints a troubling picture of the current state of airline digital services. The most common issue reported was the rise of drip pricing—where the displayed ticket price increases significantly by the final payment step due to hidden fees such as convenience charges and platform costs. This practice, deeply embedded in airline booking flows, has become a major source of consumer frustration. Close to eighty percent of respondents said that they regularly encountered such unexpected price escalations, with a particularly high number of complaints directed at Air India, SpiceJet and Akasa Air.
But hidden charges were only one part of a larger pattern of digital coercion. The survey also uncovered widespread instances of forced actions, where passengers were prevented from making the choices they wanted. A striking example emerged during the IndiGo crisis, when more than five thousand flights were cancelled and the airline promised full refunds without conditions. Passengers attempting to cancel their tickets found the cancellation button either missing or disabled on the app. Instead, the only visible option encouraged them to reschedule their flights, a tactic that many consumers described as manipulative and misleading. More than sixty percent of respondents said they had experienced similar situations multiple times.
The phenomenon of bait and switch was equally pervasive. In one widely discussed case, a passenger cancelled a ticket worth Rs 39,180 under IndiGo’s promise of a full refund but received only Rs 1,788. Such inconsistencies between promises and actual outcomes create deep mistrust and leave travellers unsure of the true terms of any offer. Close to seventy percent of surveyed passengers said they had faced this type of discrepancy in the last twelve months, suggesting that the problem extends far beyond isolated incidents.
Another disturbing pattern identified was confirm shaming, where digital interfaces pressure users into purchasing add-on services by making them feel unsafe or irresponsible if they decline. The most common example appeared in the insurance selection screens, where passengers who wished to proceed without insurance had to click buttons labelled with phrases such as “I will stay unsecured.” More than a third of respondents said they had encountered such manipulative language repeatedly, arguing that airlines were using emotional pressure to drive additional revenue.
Collectively, these practices point to a systematic shift in the digital behaviour of airlines, where psychological nudges and dark patterns have become central to how tickets are sold, modified and cancelled. As more airline interactions migrate online, such practices risk becoming deeply entrenched unless stricter oversight is enforced.
Government Guidelines Fail to Curb Manipulative Digital Practices as Passenger Complaints Surge
What makes the survey’s findings more troubling is the persistence of these patterns despite government intervention. In 2023, the central government issued explicit guidelines to curb dark patterns—design tactics that manipulate or mislead consumers—in digital services. The aviation sector was expected to be among the most regulated under these guidelines, given the essential nature of air travel and the high volume of consumer grievances. However, the survey indicates that the guidelines have had little impact on airline platforms. Passengers continue to encounter blocked cancellation options, confusing refund pathways and aggressive sales prompts for add-on services.
The gap between regulatory intent and industry compliance reflects structural weaknesses in enforcement. Dark patterns in the airline industry are deeply embedded in software design, requiring continuous monitoring and technological audits to identify and eliminate manipulative features. Without direct oversight or strong penalties, airlines appear to have little incentive to reform these practices, especially when they generate substantial revenue streams through convenience fees, insurance add-ons and rescheduling charges.
Public anger over these issues is growing rapidly. Travellers increasingly take to social media to document their experiences—screenshots of disappearing cancellation buttons, sudden fare spikes and inconsistent refund receipts have become common. The IndiGo crisis, which triggered a wave of cancellations, exposed the extent of the problem more starkly than ever before. Even at a moment when the airline pledged unconditional refunds, passengers found themselves trapped in opaque digital pathways that steered them toward less favourable outcomes.
Industry analysts argue that digital misconduct in aviation reflects a larger shift in corporate behaviour across service platforms, where user-interface manipulation is used to drive revenue rather than improve customer experience. Airlines, operating under financial pressure since the pandemic, may see such design choices as necessary business strategies. However, consumer advocates warn that such practices violate basic principles of transparency and fairness, threatening long-term trust in the aviation sector.
The revelations also prompt broader questions about the future of digital regulation in India. As technology touches almost every consumer transaction, dark patterns are emerging as a significant frontier for regulatory reform. The aviation sector, due to its scale and financial implications, is likely to become a critical test case for whether India can enforce digital fairness in high-value, high-volume industries.
As passengers continue to navigate an increasingly complex and manipulative digital environment, it is clear that the issue extends far beyond one airline or one crisis. The findings of the LocalCircles survey suggest a systemic problem—one that will require stronger oversight, stricter compliance mechanisms and sustained public pressure to resolve.
