‘Cute Fee’ or Confusion Fee? IndiGo Faces Backlash from Passengers
After a user on X, Shrayansh Singh questioned the enigmatic “Cute Fee” printed on their travel bill, a recent social media post has prompted considerable attention and controversy over unclear airline charges. The post, which was aimed at IndiGo, has garnered a lot of attention and provoked an answer from the airline.
The X user shared a screenshot of his flight invoice, highlighting several unusual charges, including the ‘Cute Fee’, ‘User Development Fee’, and ‘Seat Fee’.
His message read: “Dear @IndiGo6E, 1. What is this ‘Cute Fee’? Do you charge users for being cute? Or do you charge because you believe that your aeroplanes are cute? 2. What is this ‘User Development Fee’? How do you ‘develop’ me when I travel in your aeroplane? 3. What is this ‘Aviation Security Fee’? Am I not paying taxes to the Government for ensuring my safety when I travel? Or has @MoCA_GoI outsourced aviation security to businesses?”
IndiGo confirmed in response to the post that the Common User Terminal Equipment (CUTE) price is what is referred to as the “Cute Fee”. “It is essentially the amount charged for using metal-detecting machines, escalators, and other equipment at the airport.”
The user was unconvinced despite this justification and questioned why these fees were levied on top of the Aviation Security Fee. “Isn’t this a component of airport security?” he argued. The CISF, a federal security agency responsible for airport security, owns the metal detectors, right? Public utility infrastructure comprises the apparatus used at the airport and structures. They are meant to be funded by the taxes we pay.”
Mocking the “Cute Fee,” a user wrote, “Now I understand why IndiGo was showing 3X the price to me—apparently, even being cute is an offence!”
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