Flight delays and lack of information frustrate flyers on Air India and Akasa Air routes
Pune: Baner resident Vihang Shaha, who runs an NGO, was in Delhi on Saturday at his friend's place and witnessed firsthand the harrowing experience his friend's daughter went through while travelling from Delhi to Bengaluru on an Air India flight, a Boeing 737 Dreamliner, which came from Sydney.
Shaha, who was also to catch a flight from Delhi to Pune later in the evening, had no clue that his Air India flight, an Airbus A320, would be moderately delayed. "My friend's daughter, Sana Nath, was travelling on AI-427 from Delhi to Bengaluru to meet her husband. Her flight came from Sydney and was to take off from Delhi at 8.30 am and land in Bengaluru by 11.20 am.
"She informed us that the flight was delayed and at around 10 am, the flyers were provided with some snacks and water.
However, the problems had not even begun. All flyers boarded the aircraft at 11 am, but the AC was not working properly, and the aircraft didn't take off. All flyers were made to sit in the aircraft in the sweltering heat until 12.30 pm, and the cabin crew said there was a technical issue with the aircraft. Finally, at around 12.30 pm, instructions were given to the flyers to deboard," Shaha told TOI.
It was a Boeing 737 Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12, claiming 241 lives.
After the incident, the DGCA called for enhanced safety checks on the aircraft.
"The cabin crew said the same to the flyers. At the airport's terminal, flyers waited without food and water until 2.30 pm, after which they boarded again. However, this time too, the aircraft didn't take off, and the same story about enhanced checks was told to flyers. The AC wasn't working, and at 3.15 pm, the passengers were deboarded again, and the flight was cancelled.
The frustrated flyers waited until 4.30 pm to get their luggage and were given the option of either a full refund or to fly on Sunday.
She came back home totally tired and sad due to the ordeal," Shaha said.
A WhatsApp message was sent to an Air India spokesperson, and an official statement was requested. However, a reply from the airline was awaited until the report went to press. An airline source told TOI that the flight was cancelled due to 'operational reasons'.
It was Shaha's turn now to face some hassles. "My Air India flight (AI-2973) was to take off from Delhi at around 8.30 pm. The problem is that most airlines don't provide proper information to flyers, which makes them angry. The flight was delayed for some reasons and flew at around 9.30 pm. It was a short delay, but flyers demanded answers, which the airline didn't provide," Shaha said.
The same evening saw another set of flyers travelling on an Akasa Air flight from Pune to Bengaluru (QP-1318) facing major hassles due to an inordinate delay and lack of proper information.
The flight was supposed to fly from Pune at 10.50 pm and land in Bengaluru by 11.45 pm. "There was no proper information even after multiple delays," a flyer said. Shivani Bhise, another flyer, wrote on X, "The flight has been delayed multiple times to 1.15 am to 2.45 am, but still there is no clarity.
No one has clear answers, just vague promises," she said. The aircraft finally flew at around 3.30 am and landed in Bengaluru at 4.37 am, flightradar24 said.
An airline spokesperson confirmed the incident. "The Akasa Air flight was delayed due to weather-related diversion of the incoming aircraft. Our airport team on the ground kept the passengers informed and arranged refreshments for their comfort. While weather conditions are beyond our control, we sincerely regret the inconvenience caused," the spokesperson told TOI.
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