Dear Sir,
I am writing this mail to seek justice for the mental and financial harassment meted out to me by AIR INDIA. My name is Alok Nigam and I am living in Hyderabad. On 15th April I was to travel to Mumbai to attend an interview for my MBA admission. I planned my travel well in advance and hence booked a return ticket with AIR INDIA on 19th March itself. I made my reservation in the 15th April morning flight (AI 964) having scheduled departure time of 08:45 AM. Just one day before my travel date, i.e. on 14th April, I got a call from AIR INDIA call center stating that my HYD-MUM flight has been rescheduled to 04:15 PM (a delay of 7 hour 30 mins). The person gave me an option to either retain the same flight or alternately opt for a 8:15 AM flight for Mumbai. Since I had my interview at 2:00 PM, I had no other option but to agree for 8:15 AM Air India flight. I asked the caller to send me the new ticket to which he assured me that my reservation has been confirmed and I don't need to present any new ticket at the check-in counter. He told me that my current ticket will suffice the purpose. I sensed no harm in his promise as I have experienced similar situations in my previous travels with other airlines. On 15th morning, I reported at the Air India check in counter at 7:30 am. The person at the desk asked for my ticket and entered something in his console. After few entries he told me that sir you need to wait for a while as he needs to check something with his colleague. Few seconds later, he asked me to accompany one of his colleagues to another AIR INDIA counter. Till this point, the situation was anything but alarming. But as soon as I reached the other counter, I saw a group of around 7-8 fellow passengers arguing over some issue. The person on the counter asked the Air India guy accompanying me to put 7:45 am on my ticket to which I objected and said that it's clearly 7:40 am right now. I could not understand why is this person asking for time and not issuing the boarding pass directly.
It was then that my worst nightmares came true. The person over the counter told me that I cannot be issued a boarding pass as I am late by 10 minutes (the minutes which I spent waiting at previous counter). He simply refused to acknowledge my request. I did mention that I have a crucial interview and there are still good 35 minutes to the departure of flight. A few individuals joined me at the same counter and I realized that all present there, the ones who came before me and the ones joining me, were all in the same boat as mine. We all were being denied the boarding pass citing different reasons, mine being 'late reporting'. As the stakes were really high for me, I apologized for being late and requested him to kindly consider my situation but the person simply refused. The arguments of the people present there slowly turned into a brawl and it was then only the person at the counter erred to admit the real cause of the situation.
Mistakenly, he made a offer to all of us present there, saying " there is just 1 seat available of 8:15 AM flight... so only one of you can get the ticket. you decide whose is the gravest situation and I will issue him the ticket". Here came out the actual reason for this situation " 20 people of 8:45 AM flight were promised a confirmed ticket on 8:15 AM flight where as only 5 tickets were actually available on it " (I have taken these numbers to explain the situation). So the situation can be summed up as:
1. Air India postponed the 8:45 AM HYD-MUM flight to 4:15 PM.
2. Say there were 20 bookings on this flight and they called up all these 20 people and promised a confirmed ticket in 8:15 AM flight.
3. Having no reason to sense any foul play, we passengers arrived at the airport to board the flight.
4. Actual the number of seats available on 8:15 AM flight were far less than that promised to us
5. To tackle this situation the Air India airport staff employs different tactics:
a. offering 4:15 PM flight and a hotel accommodation for the in between time
b. giving excuses like you are late or your phone was switched off when the call center called to inform you.
c. take full refund and go home
6. Nothing of this worked as most of the people there had a valid reason to be there in Mumbai and no one wanted to opt for the evening flight.
I tried to convince the Duty Manager also. He simply kept quiet to our requests and later left to never come back to address the situation. It was not the kind of the start one expects on one of the most important days of his life. These were about 40 minutes of persuasion, requesting, arguing, shouting and speaking for me. But it was all falling on the deaf ears. The whole problem was actually a "Planning and Operations" Blunder on the part of Air India. When it was already 8:15 AM and nothing seemed to be working out for me, I requested them to make an arrangement in any other airlines. The answer to this, i must say is one of the most unfortunate excuses I have ever heard. The person belittled me by saying that you have booked a "CHEAP FARE" ticket and you cannot expect to get this treatment from us. The duty manager too (over phone) told me the same. It was disgusting to say the least. Did I ask for any favors from AIR INDIA? A ticket was available at some stated price on a website a month ago, and I booked the same. Where was I at fault? Did I beg Air India for a discount or a free ticket? It was a pathetic experience at the AIR INDIA check in counter and I was emotionally drained by this horrendous experience I had in this one hour ordeal of mine.
Having such an important interview, I had no other choice but to book a Jet Airways 10:00 AM flight on my own expenses. It was a Rs. 4351 ticket and I attribute this as a monetary loss subjected to me due to the flaws in planning and management of AIR INDIA. It was nothing less than a conspiracy to hide their own ineffectiveness in delivering the services to the customers.
Having told a long story above, my ordeal doesn't end here. I had a return 8:00 PM flight from Mumbai to Hyderabad. This flight was rescheduled at least 4 times i.e. the call center first informed me that it will depart at 9:00PM instead of 8:00PM and then later I was again told that the departure will be at 8:30 PM. The final departure time, as informed at the check in counter was again 9:00 PM and the actual departure took place at 10:20 PM. But even this departure, taking place 1 hour 20 minutes behind the scheduled departure time was not as smooth as it sounds. The e-ticket issued to me had no mention of terminal name in it, neither does the website informs anything about it. Having experienced all that mentioned above in the morning, I decided to play safer and reached the domestic terminal at 7 PM i.e. 1 and half hour in advance (at that time I knew departure to be at 8:30 PM). The staff at Terminal 1B of Mumbai domestic airport directed me to go to the Terminal 1A where from all the AIR INDIA departures take place. I walked this distance in the anticipation that this would be the final hassle. But I was wrong, the police personnel at the Terminal 1B didn't allow me to enter and informed me that this flight actually leaves from International terminal which is situated a good 7-8 kms away. To verify this, I contacted the AIR INDIA window outside the Terminal B1 and the person told me the same. I asked him how one should make out this from this ticket, to which he had no answers. To my surprise, without even me making a mention of it to anyone, there were a group of auto wallas waiting at a distance who made me an offer for a ride to International terminal for Rs 500. I had no other option but to negotiate and give in to their demand. I paid a whopping Rs 300 for this ride to international terminal. All this while I was doubting myself for not able to make out the correct terminal and I still fail to understand that how one can make out from the flight number 'AI 50" that this MUM - HYD flight will actually leave from International Terminal. But my self doubt got cleared only when I met many, yes many other people in the aero bus (bus from Boarding gate to flight) who all were not just fellow passengers but also the fellow sufferers of the same riddle. Thanks to almost negligible instructions from AIR INDIA on the tickets, we all paid exorbitant and unjustified sums (ranging from 150 - 550) to these opportunist auto rickshaw guys. This explained why the auto wallas outside the domestic Terminal B1 were already aware of my dilemma.
Finally the boarding did start at 9:20 PM (20 mins after the scheduled departure) and we boarded the bus from Gate no 4 of International Terminal. And there came the real surprise. The bus actually drove us back to Domestic terminal. Yes, a 'back to square one' situation.
Sir, I don't know whether to laugh at myself or to cry but I felt like Air India has made a joke out of my situation. At the end of this highly eventful day, I was physically and emotionally drained. I was emotionally harassed by Air India. In the morning, I was literally in tears and the treatment given by the Air India officials at Hyderabad airport rendered me mentally strained. It all threatened my career prospects as I was supposed to be in the best of my mental state to appear for my interview. I am sure, my fellow passengers experienced the same amount of pain, one of whom was accompanying his ailing wife and had a doctor appointment in Mumbai. I saw him travelling in the same Jet Airways flight as mine.
Few questions at the end:
1. When you are saying that I am late and that's why I can't be allowed to board the flight, how does that explains only 1 seat left in the carrier?
2. If there are people like me who are late, why are not as many seats vacant in the carrier as no of people waiting to board.
3. One weird explanation came from a employee that since I was late, my ticket was given to a Wait listed Passenger. This concept of WL tickets in airlines was a surprise to me.
If assumed to be true, it presents an interesting riddle here. If at all it exists, how come AIR INDIA issued a ticket to a WL person before the actual boarding time closure? They should wait for the confirmed passenger to come. And when it is closing time for Boarding, a boarding pass can simply not be issued to anyone, be it a WL or a confirmed guy.
Sir, I request you to kindly look into this situation which has left me both financially and emotionally traumatized. I request to to kindly inquire this matter and punish the people who are responsible for this mis-management which brings bad name to the whole organization. I request you to instruct the relevant department to take up my case and compensate for my financial losses atleast. I seek a compensation for my air travel from HYD to MUM and for the auto fare i had to shell out extra for the mis-communication on the part of ticket issuing authority of AIR INDIA. I seek a compensation of INR 4651 (4351 300) and an action against the people responsible for this situation of mine and many others.
Other Required Details:
HYD - MUM: Filght No. AI 964 PNR: YSNGD
MUM- HYD: Flight No. AI50 PNR: YSMQ3
My Jet Airways Ticket details: Flight no 9W 458 PNR: FQODNX
Many thanks for your time and consideration. Looking forward to your response.
Regards,
Alok Nigam,
Mob. 09701007436
email: [email protected]
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