14 hours ago
Chaos hits AI: Three of family rebooked on Pune flights on 3 days
Pune: USA resident Anish Agarwal's mother, father and brother were to travel from Toronto to Pune via Delhi on an Air India flight (AI-190) on Friday. The carrier suddenly changed their travel dates.
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"Now, my brother will travel on Friday, father on June 28 (Sunday) and my mother on June 30 (Monday). I tried calling up the airline's customer support number from the USA, but in vain. I was put on hold for four hours, after which the call got disconnected. I got no solution. This has led to us booking hotel rooms for three additional nights in Toronto," Agarwal told TOI.
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.
"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 international travellers have faced hassles after Air India temporarily curtailed its international services by 15% to maintain operational stability and enhance passengers' safety.
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In addition to its international fleet, the airline has cut down on its domestic routes as well.
A flyer, who recently flew to Singapore on Air India, said, "I was slated to fly on June 23. Around 12 hours before the flight, I got the information that it was suspended. The alternative offered to me delayed my travel by more than eight hours. I wasn't offered any compensation or hotel accommodation for the same."
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. Also, there is no date flexibility. My elderly mother cannot manage this halt."
Ravindra Zawar, another passenger, wrote last week, "Flight number 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."
