Akasa Air staff allegedly questioned the validity of a return booking made through Yatra; passengers say the airline later located the reservation by name and checked them in.
New Delhi/Kolkata, 15 November 2026: Four passengers travelling on a return itinerary between Kolkata and New Delhi say they were kept waiting for more than an hour at Akasa Air’s check-in/help desk at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Terminal 1, on 14 November, after staff reportedly questioned the validity of their booking reference. The passengers say they were eventually checked in after an airline employee located the reservation using their names.
The booking
According to the passengers and the itinerary they say was issued through the online travel platform Yatra.com, the four travellers had booked a return journey on Akasa Air under a single group booking. The itinerary provided to the passengers listed:
· Outbound: Akasa Air flight QP-1259, Kolkata to New Delhi, 12 November 2026, scheduled departure 17:45 and arrival 20:10.
· Return: Akasa Air flight QP-1260, New Delhi to Kolkata, 14 November 2026, scheduled departure 20:55 from Terminal 1 and arrival 23:25.
The passengers say web check-in for the outbound journey was completed using the reference printed on the e-ticket. For the return journey, however, repeated attempts to check in online allegedly produced a “no booking details found” message.
What the passengers say happened at the airport
At the Akasa Air counter, the passengers say they were told that the booking reference was invalid and that the airline’s system showed the booking against 13 November rather than 14 November. They say they showed staff the Yatra itinerary, which listed 14 November, and told them they had received no SMS, email or other notice of a date change or replacement booking reference.
According to the passengers, staff:
1. said they would not be allowed to fly unless they produced an updated booking reference, although the passengers say no updated reference had been sent to them;
2. questioned whether they had a valid ticket and asked them to establish that they were the people named in the booking;
3. directed them to contact Yatra, reportedly saying that the issue arose because the booking had been made through a third-party platform; and
4. kept them waiting at the help desk for more than an hour. The passengers also allege that staff members appeared to be chatting and laughing while the issue remained unresolved.
The passengers further say they tried to contact Yatra’s helpline but could not get through. After repeated requests, an Akasa Air employee searched the reservation system by passenger name and, according to the passengers, found a confirmed booking for the flight. They say check-in was nevertheless not completed immediately. The passengers proposed waiting until the flight’s check-in closing time, and were eventually checked in after more than an hour.
The legal and regulatory position
The incident may raise issues under the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), Section 3, Series M, Part IV, which sets standards concerning passenger information, denied boarding, cancellations and delays. Paragraphs 3.1.1 and 3.10.2 are relevant to the accuracy and communication of reservation information through airlines and travel agents; however, because the passengers say they were ultimately checked in, the incident should not automatically be described as denied boarding. The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 may also apply: Section 2(11) defines “deficiency in service”, Section 2(47) defines “unfair trade practice”, Section 35 provides for consumer complaints and Section 39(1) sets out the remedies a Consumer Commission may grant if a complaint is proved. Further, Rules 4(4) and 4(5) of the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 require covered e-commerce entities to maintain a grievance redressal mechanism, acknowledge complaints within 48 hours and redress them within one month. The respective responsibility of Akasa Air and Yatra will depend on the booking and reservation records, the cause of the date discrepancy and each entity’s role in the transaction; therefore, no statutory breach or automatic entitlement to compensation can be presumed without further evidence. The 2026 amendment to the E-Commerce Rules is scheduled to commence on 1 January 2027 and was not yet operative on the date of this incident.
Questions that remain unanswered
5. Why did the airline’s reservation system reportedly show a date different from the date on the itinerary supplied to the passengers?
6. Was the return booking accepted and registered by Akasa Air for 14 November, and what did the airline’s reservation history show?
7. Was any date change, cancellation or reissue made, and if so, when and how was notice sent to the passengers?
8. If the reservation could be located by passenger name, what prevented the check-in from being completed promptly?
9. What caused the passengers’ reported inability to reach Yatra’s helpline, and what assistance was available through its grievance-redressal channel?
10. What explanations will Akasa Air and Yatra provide, and will either company offer a resolution for the time and distress described by the passengers?
Passenger’s account
“We paid in full and held a confirmed ticket. Being treated as though we had no ticket, and being left waiting for over an hour with no assurance, was humiliating and frightening.”
— A passenger, describing the group’s experience.
The passengers’ account and the documents they have supplied form the basis of this report. The airline’s reservation history and the travel platform’s booking records would be necessary to establish how the discrepancy arose and whether any legal or regulatory obligation was breached.
