AKSHARA SINGH · SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGYPROPOSAL FOR INDIGO · NOV 2026

Say it before they ask.

A social media strategy to rebuild trust after the December 2025 disruption, and make sure India's biggest airline is ready before the next peak season. Choose a flight to go to that part of the plan.

FLIGHTDESTINATIONSTATUSGATE
6E 001 WHAT HAPPENED

December 2025, in numbers.

~4,500
flights cancelled over ten days
10 lakh+
passengers affected
~1,600
cancellations at the peak, on 5 December
60%+
IndiGo's share of domestic flying
2 DEC 2025Cancellations begin as the airline fails to adjust to new crew duty and rest rules.
3–5 DECCrowds at airports; bags pile up; passengers turn to IndiGo's team on X for help.
5 DECCancellations peak at roughly 1,600 in a single day, during wedding season.
10 DECThe chairman issues a public apology.
AFTER₹10,000 travel vouchers for severely impacted customers; the regulator orders refunds and caps fares.

What this means for social

Social media became the airport's help desk. People weren't only posting about cancelled flights. They were posting that nobody told them, and that they couldn't find their bags.

So this isn't a "post more ads" problem. It's a trust problem, and trust is built by what the brand says, how fast, and whether it keeps its word.

Sources listed at the bottom of the page.

6E 002 THE INSIGHT

Passengers forgive a delay. They don't forgive being left in the dark.

Stranded travellers reported not being informed about cancellations. Silence is what turns a bad day into a lost customer, so the strategy is built around one habit: tell people first, clearly, and keep telling them.

6E 003 THE STRATEGY

Rebuild trust by being boringly reliable online.

GoalsFaster help, clearer information and visibly better sentiment before the December 2026 peak.
AudienceFrequent flyers, first-time flyers, families travelling for weddings, and business travellers.
Platform rolesX for live service and updates; Instagram for explainers and people stories; LinkedIn for leadership and industry trust; YouTube for behind-the-scenes films.
VoiceCalm, human, specific. Numbers and next steps, never "inconvenience is regretted".
Transparency

Weekly on-time report

Every Monday, the numbers from last week, good or bad. Trust comes from publishing the bad weeks too.

Your rights

Know-your-rights explainers

Cancellations, refunds and lost bags explained in one swipe. People save these before they need them.

People of IndiGo

Faces behind the flights

Schedulers, pilots and baggage teams. It's hard to stay angry at a brand once you've met its people.

6E 004 TRIAGE DESK

Try the social care desk.

On a bad day, hundreds of messages arrive an hour. The first job is sorting them. Pick the right category for each message to see the reply and next step.

Message 1 of 6 · Score 0

RESPONSE PLAYBOOK

Choose a category to see how we'd reply.

6E 005 CRISIS PROTOCOL

If it happens again: hour by hour.

Drag through a disruption day to see what the social team posts and does at each stage.

The team's checklist

    6E 006 CONTENT PLAN

    A month of calm, useful content.

    November 2026, the month before peak season. The full 30-day calendar, response playbook and crisis checklist are in the Excel workbook that comes with this strategy.

    DayPlatformPostWhy
    MondaysXWeekly on-time performance reportProof, every week
    TuesdaysInstagramKnow-your-rights carouselSaves; fewer angry DMs later
    WednesdaysInstagramPeople of IndiGo reelHuman faces, softer sentiment
    FridaysInstagramWedding-season travel tipsUseful at the busiest time of year
    Once a monthLinkedIn, YouTubeLeadership note; operations centre filmIndustry trust
    6E 007 MEASUREMENT

    How we'll know trust is coming back.

    <30 min
    Median first response
    on X and DMs
    95%
    Mentions answered
    within 24 hours
    +15 pts
    Positive or neutral sentiment
    via social listening
    52/52
    Weekly reports published
    including the bad weeks

    Targets are proposals; baselines would come from IndiGo's own social listening and care data.

    Sources

    1. Wikipedia, "2025 IndiGo scheduling crisis". Link
    2. The Better India, "What sparked the IndiGo flight cancellations?", December 2025. Link
    3. Malay Mail (Reuters), "Where's my bag? India's IndiGo battles passenger fury", December 2025. Link
    4. Gulf News, "IndiGo to compensate severely impacted passengers". Link
    5. Deccan Herald, "IndiGo crisis: passengers emerge as collateral damage", December 2025. Link

    The working files

    This is what a client receives every month: the content calendar, the reporting template and the playbook. Filter the calendar, tap any post to read its caption, or download the full Excel file.

    DatePlatformFormatPillarPost ideaTimeGoal

    Message typeFirst public replyNext step in DMsTarget first responseEscalate to
    CancellationWe’re really sorry, [name]. This matters, and we want to get you there. Please DM your PNR and we’ll look at options right now.Check alternatives, offer rebooking or refund, confirm entitlement in writing.15 minDuty manager if no seat within 24 hrs
    Lost baggageThat’s stressful, especially with medication inside. Please DM your PNR and bag tag number; we’ll prioritise this.Log case, share tracking reference, update every 12 hrs.15 minBaggage desk; medical items marked urgent
    Refund statusWe hear you. DM your PNR and we’ll check exactly where it is and when it lands.Share status and date in writing.30 minRefunds team if past stated timeline
    Rant / abuseWe’re sorry we let you down. If you’re open to it, DM us what happened and we’ll make it right where we can.One offer to help; do not argue.30 minCommunity lead if threats or harassment
    PraiseThis made our day. We’ll pass this on to the crew. Thank you for flying with us!Share with crew team; ask permission to feature.2 hrsNone
    MisinformationOperations are running as scheduled. Check live status here: [status link]. We’ll post here first if anything changes.Monitor; pin clarification if spreading.15 minComms lead if trending
    Media / influencer complaintWe’re sorry, [name]. We’ve DMed you and our airport team is on it.Same process as everyone, faster visibility to manager.10 minComms lead + airport duty manager

    The Excel file also includes an hour-by-hour crisis protocol checklist for disruption days.

    MetricHow it is calculated
    Follower growth(This month followers − last month) ÷ last month
    Engagement rateEngagements ÷ accounts reached
    Save rateSaves ÷ reach: is the content useful?
    Share rateShares ÷ reach: is it worth passing on?
    Click-through rateLink clicks ÷ reach
    Average reach per postReach ÷ posts published
    Response rateMentions and DMs answered ÷ received
    Median first responseMinutes to first reply, from the care tool
    SentimentPositive or neutral share, from social listening

    The Excel template calculates every rate automatically. Fill in the monthly numbers and it produces the report, plus a wins, misses and next-month section.

    Download the full Excel file

    Designed posts

    Ready-to-publish creatives made in Canva, straight from the calendar above.

    your rights · 1/6flight cancelled? here’s what you’re owed.swipe for refunds and rebooking →
    Know your rights: cancellationsCarousel cover, 1 of 6Open in Canva
    WEEKLY ON-TIME REPORT · WEEK 45ON-TIME DEPARTURES XX%good weeks and bad ones. that’s the promise.
    Weekly on-time reportPublished every Monday, good weeks and badOpen in Canva
    people of indigomeet the person who makes sure your crew is rested.watch the reel ▶
    People of IndiGo reel coverMeet the crew schedulerOpen in Canva
    6E 008 CAMPAIGN KIT

    The campaign kit.

    Four kinds of assets I designed for this strategy, including new variations of the post series above: an Instagram carousel, Stories, widescreen pieces and a print piece. Scroll each row, or open the originals in Canva.

    Know your rights carouselView in Canva ↗PDF
    Know your rights carousel, Flight cancelled?
    Flight cancelled?
    Know your rights carousel, You choose
    You choose
    Know your rights carousel, Told less than 24 hours before?
    Told less than 24 hours before?
    Know your rights carousel, Delays: the clock
    Delays: the clock
    Know your rights carousel, Lost bag?
    Lost bag?
    Know your rights carousel, Save this
    Save this
    Instagram StoriesView in Canva ↗PDF
    Instagram Stories, Weekly on-time report · week 46
    Weekly on-time report · week 46
    Instagram Stories, People of IndiGo: baggage
    People of IndiGo: baggage
    Instagram Stories, Live update: fog at Delhi
    Live update: fog at Delhi
    Airport and crisis protocolView in Canva ↗PDF
    Airport and crisis protocol, Departure board that gives the reason
    Departure board that gives the reason
    Airport and crisis protocol, Crisis protocol, hour by hour
    Crisis protocol, hour by hour
    Print: rights cardView in Canva ↗PDF
    Print: rights card, Seat-pocket rights card, front and back
    Seat-pocket rights card, front and back

    See all my work ↗