Air Deccan is supposed to be India's first low-cost airlines. But surely their already sagging reputation will take a nose-dive with this latest episode exposing the level to which they stoop to save a few bucks. It's absolutely disgusting even by Air Deccan standards.

See this, this and this for more information.

I have first-hand experience of the pettiness of Air Deccan once and I have absolutely no respect for this so-called "low-cost" airlines and no hesitation in accepting the authenticity of the CNN-IBN report. Their stinginess has to be experienced to be believed. Their insensitivity to passenger needs is an institution by itself and their penny-pinching ways are too well known to the public for their denials to sound credible and genuine.

What they should learn is that low cost does NOT mean low quality. Low cost does not mean being behind schedule almost all the time. Low cost does not mean making passengers pay more for carrying even 0.001 kg of extra baggage. Low cost does not mean having a repulsive, customer-unfriendly attitude and poorly trained staff. And low cost certainly does not mean taking the public for a ride by bending the rules to suit their business.

I think there's a case for taking this airline to the cleaners in a Consumer court. Punishment should be severe and harsh for this errant airline.

It seems that the management at Air Deccan have no idea about this concept called "corporate branding". Their image will now sink even further below zero, if it hasn't already.