12 hours ago
AI fleet size cut hassles international passengers
Four members of a Pune-based family, set to fly from Mumbai to Newark on another Air India flight (AI-191) on Friday, faced a similar situation. Santosh Gupta, the owner of Shree Vinayak Holidays, said their flight was suddenly cancelled on Thursday.
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"Upon enquiry, we learnt that one of them (mother of the family) will travel on the same flight on Friday, which the airline had earlier said was cancelled. The other three would be travelling to Newark via Delhi on June 29 (Sunday). We had booked the tickets for them in January," Gupta said.
An official statement from the airline regarding these issues was awaited till going to press. A source in the airline said the reduction of the fleet size in the international sector was among the reasons behind these problems.
"In some cases, different PNRs might have led to the different travel dates of members of the same family. We are providing all possible help to affected flyers," the airline source said.
Many travellers have faced hassles after Air India temporarily curtailed its intnl services by 15% to maintain operational stability and enhance passengers' safety. Vinit Shah, another flyer, wrote on X on June 23, "The airline (Air India) has offered only one option: fly Pune-Delhi-Singapore with a five-hour layover. There is no date flexibility. My mother cannot manage this halt."
Ravindra Zawar, another flyer, wrote, "AI146 from London (Gatwick) to Goa on June 28 has been changed to Heathrow to Mumbai with a 10-hour layover in Mumbai, and then to Goa."
