Nightmare for economy passengers

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It has been a nightmare for economy class passengers on Air India flights.

With the strike by pilots of the national carrier entering its third day on Friday when at least 126 domestic flights were cancelled, many economy class passengers have been given the short shrift.

The airline failed to inform them about the flights being cancelled, leaving the passengers, many from rural areas, in the lurch at the Chennai airport.

Bokka Srinu, 32, a car driver from Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district who is employed in Kuwait, received a rude shock when AI 975 flight to Kuwait was cancelled on Friday and AI officials nonchalantly told him to return after a couple of days.

While the national carrier has agreed to refund his ticket fare, like other business class passengers, Srinu was not offered alternate travel arrangements or accommodation.

“I have to join duty Saturday evening and I am still stranded at Chennai,” Mr Sirinu told Deccan Chronicle.

“I have no idea about these facilities. I am going back home as the officials have told me that it might take two or three days for the departure of Kuwait flight.”

The situation is even more painful for Amjad Ali, 28, of Chittoor, who was to travel to Kuwait for the first time to join work in a private company. As many as nine members of his family including his wife, children, parents and in-laws were stranded in the visitor’s gallery at the airport to send him off, but to their dismay, the flight had been cancelled.

“We spent Rs 5,000 to travel from Chittoor in a vehicle and now we have no idea what to do with this big group. We are hoping that he will be accommodated in any other airline flight operating to Kuwait,” said his friend R.M. Babji.

In stark contrast, the airline made arrangements for first class passengers to be put up at hotels near the airport till they could be accommodated on the next flight available.

When contacted, an Air India staff at the airport said, “We ourselves don’t know when the flight schedules will return to normalcy. How can we give any information to the public?”