The widespread operational disruption at IndiGo, which led to over 550 flight cancellations in four days, has left thousands of passengers stranded and furious. However, in a bizarre twist of fate, one traveler from Indore found an unexpected silver lining in the chaos, turning a potentially expensive personal error into a lucky escape.
A Costly Mistake Goes Unnoticed
An Indore resident had planned a trip to Bangkok, Thailand, departing from New Delhi on 5 February. In the process of booking his connecting flight from Indore to Delhi, he made a critical error. Instead of selecting dates for 4-10 February, he accidentally booked tickets for 4-10 December. The mistake completely slipped his notice until the airline's ongoing crisis intervened.
"I was in my zone thinking the booking was for February," the Redditor later shared. His realization came only when he started receiving messages from IndiGo about web check-in, as his flight was being rescheduled due to the airline's logistical issues.
How IndiGo's Meltdown Triggered a Lucky Discovery
The passenger was initially confused when notified that his Delhi to Bangkok flight was rescheduled to 1 AM from its original 9:39 PM departure due to "logistics reasons." Unhappy with the new timing, he decided to cancel the 2 AM flight. It was only when he opened the cancellation portal that the shocking truth emerged.
"When I was going to cancel, I saw that... I booked it for 4-10 Dec and not Feb," he recounted. He acknowledged that had the flight schedule not changed, he would never have noticed the error. The very disruption that angered the nation's air travelers became his savior.
Turning Chaos into a Full Refund
This timing proved extraordinarily fortunate. Under standard airline rules, cancelling a flight within 24 hours of departure usually makes a passenger ineligible for a full refund, which requires cancellation at least 7 days in advance. However, because IndiGo had rescheduled the flights due to its own operational crisis, the airline offered affected passengers the option of a full refund or an alternative flight.
"Now I was able to get a full refund as both flights were rescheduled, so they naturally gave me the option to get a full refund or choose a different flight," the relieved man explained. His gratitude was tempered by the 55-minute wait on hold to speak to a customer service agent. His final word on the episode: "Thank you, Indigo, for messing up. I am saved now."
IndiGo has attributed the chaos, expected to continue until 10 February 2026, to a crew shortage and has even sought temporary relaxation of certain DGCA rules to normalise operations.
Netizens React: 'God's Favourite Child'
The online community was quick to react to this story of serendipity. Social media users flooded the post with comments, calling the Redditor 'God's favourite child.' One user quipped, "Bro used all of 2025 luck on one call." Another offered a sarcastic take: "Indigo is very sweet."
However, the post also highlighted the contrasting experiences. While one passenger found luck, another commented, "For me, this sudden cancellation crushed any hopes of happiness I had," underscoring the widespread inconvenience caused by the airline's operational breakdown.
