Passengers may think they are just booking a ticket, but airlines' clever design tricks are quietly picking their pockets.
A staggering 80 per cent of airline passengers in India face 'dark patterns' while booking or managing flights online, a nationwide LocalCircles survey reveals.
These manipulative design tricks -- ranging from forced add-ons to bait-and-switch pricing -- confuse flyers, inflate costs, and limit choice, often without passengers realising it until the payment stage.
Bait-and-switch
The most reported tactic, with 70 per cent of respondents saying fares or refund promises initially shown were later altered to less favourable options.
Low fares suddenly hike, or full-refund guarantees vanish during cancellations -- a problem highlighted during recent IndiGo operational disruptions.
Forced upsells
Sixty-four per cent of users said they were 'very frequently' nudged into purchases like seat upgrades or insurance, or funnelled through limited booking pathways.
Confirm shaming
Designed to make users feel guilty for opting out of optional services, confirm shaming affected 35 per cent of respondents.
Common prompts included phrasing such as 'I will fly uninsured', echoing concerns flagged by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA).
Drip pricing
Hidden fees appearing only at the final stage are a universal gripe, cited by 80 per cent of flyers.
Charges for baggage, seat selection, and convenience fees inflate ticket costs unexpectedly.
Basket sneaking
Extra services such as insurance, meals, or seat upgrades added without consent were reported 'very frequently' by 30 per cent of flyers, with 34 per cent encountering them sometimes.
False urgency alerts and repetitive pop-ups further pressure passengers, subtly coercing them into spending more.
Despite draft guidelines issued in 2023 under the Consumer Protection Act, enforcement remains weak.
LocalCircles' findings, drawn from over 124,000 responses across 302 districts, will be shared with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the CCPA to push for stricter oversight and transparency.
Passengers may think they are just booking a ticket, but airlines' clever design tricks are quietly picking their pockets.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
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