Indian air travellers are raising concerns about 'dark patterns' in airline booking platforms, with a new nationwide survey indicating that these manipulative design practices intensified during IndiGo’s recent operational meltdown.
LocalCircles, which conducted the study, recorded over 1,24,000 responses from 302 districts, pointing to consumer distress across the sector.
What are these dark patterns?
Dark patterns refer to interface designs that intentionally guide users towards choices they may not otherwise make. In airline bookings, these include bait and switch, where fares or refund terms shown initially are replaced with less favourable options later, and rage-triggering experiences such as repeated failed clicks because key actions appear disabled or obscured.
Here's what the survey says
According to the survey, IndiGo passengers reported a sharp spike in bait and switch experiences at the height of last week’s flight crisis, when the airline cancelled more than 5,000 services. Respondents alleged that fares and refund terms shown initially changed to less favourable options later in the process.
Despite IndiGo announcing unconditional cancellations and full refunds, passengers told LocalCircles that the cancellation button on the app was greyed out, leaving modification as the only available option.
Several users also claimed that the refunds they eventually received were significantly lower than expected. One respondent cited by LocalCircles said they were refunded only Rs 1,788 after paying Rs 39,180, despite the airline promising a full return. However, we could not independently verify these claims.
Forced action was identified as the most common dark pattern experienced by IndiGo flyers during the disruptions. The survey states that over 64 per cent of respondents encountered situations in which they felt compelled to take a particular step, such as accepting only modification instead of cancellation.
Dark Patterns Reported Across Airlines
The study suggests that the problem is not limited to one carrier. Hidden charges that appear only at the final stage, known as drip pricing, were reported by 80 percent of respondents. These fees, such as convenience or platform charges, were said to be commonly encountered on Air India, SpiceJet and Akasa.
Confirm shaming, where users face language that pressures them into selecting paid add-ons, was reported by 35 percent of participants. Examples included prompts that made passengers feel guilty for opting out of insurance or other optional services. False urgency alerts and repetitive pop ups were flagged by more than half of survey respondents, while 30 percent reported basket sneaking, which involves extra services being added without explicit consent.
LocalCircles said its findings will be shared with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), both of which have previously been urged to study dark patterns and strengthen enforcement.
The survey also indicates that despite draft guidelines introduced under the Consumer Protection Act in 2023, many passengers continue to face opaque charges, limited choices and unclear refund processes when booking or managing flights online.
