Flyers harried as AI’s Lucknowbound flight delayed by eight hours

Flyers harried as AI’s Lucknowbound flight delayed by eight hours

Joy.Sengupta@timesofindia.com 15.10.2024

Pune : Over 100 flyers travelling from Pune to Lucknow on an Air India Express flight were left harried after the aircraft reported a delay of over eight hours on Monday. Manas Mahendra’s parents are senior citizens. They were booked on the flight and he shared their ordeal on social media. “Flight number IX1329 has been a no-show for over six hours now. My parents have been waiting at the airport for over eight hours and they are both senior citizens. Upon enquiry, we were given a vague response that there was a technical issue,” he wrote. 

Another flyer, who didn’t want to be named, told TOI that the flight was scheduled to depart from Pune at 5.20pm on Sunday and reach Lucknow at 7.30pm. “I reached the airport by 3pm for the flight. Passengers were frustrated when the boarding didn’t start and enquired about the delay. The staff did not five any proper information and soon disappeared. The flight had many senior citizens and they were all exhausted. The flight finally took off around 1.40am on Monday,” he said. Spokespersons of the airline were contacted on Monday morning and queries via WhatsApp sent to them. A response was awaited till the time of going to press.

However, a source in the airline told TOIthat the incoming flight from Lucknow to Pune developed a technical snag which resulted in the delay. “The problem was detected after the aircraft landed in Pune. We offered options to passengers — including a full refund and rebooking for another day of their choice. Refreshments were served to them. We had another flight which was to fly to Delhi at 6.30am on Monday. Finally, it was this aircraft which was used for Lucknow-bound flyers. As a result, the morning flight to Delhi departed at 4.30pm on Monday, but we provided prior information,” the official said.