The last time I dealt with an unending delay on a domestic flight in India was when I flew the now-defunct Air Deccan in 2005. The airline heralded an era of low-cost travel in the country, along with the aviation boom that has led to air traffic congestion in most cities.
In Bombay, if the main runway is shut, flyers should be set for a harrowing experience. I expected to reach Calcutta (Kolkatta) at 1:40 pm as I was supposed to fly on Indigo from Bombay at 11:40 am. In a case of mismanagement, the airline kept announcing small delays. They first said departure would be at noon and then 12:30 and then 1 pm and then 2:00 pm! The excuse was that inbound flight from Calcutta did not have enough fuel to circle around Bombay and had to be diverted to Baroda.
In the middle of this, they announced that they would be giving refreshments. I got on the queue like a civilised person, but fellow travellers started behaving like refugees from a war zone and were pushing and shoving to get a container of dal and rice from the Balaji restaurant!
Finally, they announced that the flight would take off at 3:30 pm and we boarded for such a departure only to wait in the plane for another hour before take off.
So what led to the delays? The closure of the main runway. What led to that? A Jet Airways flight from Delhi was the culprit. Apparently there was a hydraulics problem with its landing gear, which malfunctioned and caused massive damage to the main runway. I have enough reasons to dislike Jet Airways, which has gone from a world class airline to something that must be avoided. People should sue them for poor maintenance and the inconvenience caused by them to all travellers in Bombay.
This does not absolve Indigo of poor management! They seem to be an airline with zero contingency plans!
Thankfully, I am now in the City of Joy! Better late than never!
In Bombay, if the main runway is shut, flyers should be set for a harrowing experience. I expected to reach Calcutta (Kolkatta) at 1:40 pm as I was supposed to fly on Indigo from Bombay at 11:40 am. In a case of mismanagement, the airline kept announcing small delays. They first said departure would be at noon and then 12:30 and then 1 pm and then 2:00 pm! The excuse was that inbound flight from Calcutta did not have enough fuel to circle around Bombay and had to be diverted to Baroda.
In the middle of this, they announced that they would be giving refreshments. I got on the queue like a civilised person, but fellow travellers started behaving like refugees from a war zone and were pushing and shoving to get a container of dal and rice from the Balaji restaurant!
Finally, they announced that the flight would take off at 3:30 pm and we boarded for such a departure only to wait in the plane for another hour before take off.
So what led to the delays? The closure of the main runway. What led to that? A Jet Airways flight from Delhi was the culprit. Apparently there was a hydraulics problem with its landing gear, which malfunctioned and caused massive damage to the main runway. I have enough reasons to dislike Jet Airways, which has gone from a world class airline to something that must be avoided. People should sue them for poor maintenance and the inconvenience caused by them to all travellers in Bombay.
This does not absolve Indigo of poor management! They seem to be an airline with zero contingency plans!
Thankfully, I am now in the City of Joy! Better late than never!
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