CHAOS AT AIRPORTS AS PASSENGERS PROTEST AFTER AIR INDIA EXPRESS CANCELS OVER 80 FLIGHTS. VIDEOS

Irate passengers on Wednesday, May 8, protested at several airports across the county as Air India Express cancelled more than 80 international and domestic flights after senior crew members went on a “mass sick leave”. While the airline offered the passengers a full refund or a complimentary rescheduling to another date, the flyers did not seem to be satisfied.

Several videos of stranded angry passengers at the Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kochi airports went viral on social media. In one of the videos posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, a group of passengers reportedly travelling to Goa, Guwahati, and Srinagar can be seen shouting at the Air India Express crew over the flight cancellations at the last minute.

Another video by news agency ANI shows passengers sitting at the Thiruvananthapuram airport, tense.

One of the flyers claimed that she could lose her job if she did not fly down to the workplace today. “What would be the point in me travelling on May 10? If I do not reach there before May 9, my boss will say not to come, and I will lose my job,” the flyer, who was to travel from Kannur to Sharjah with twin babies and her husband, told PTI. According to the woman, she had been waiting at the airport since Tuesday night - when her flight was scheduled to leave - but the airline provided accommodation or other facilities.

Another woman, who had her flight to Muscat to meet her ailing husband, said she was told about the cancellation only after reaching the Kannur airport.

Also read: Air India Express cancellations: Monopoly routes will be hit the most

“I had to fly to Muscat this morning at around 8 am, but my flight was cancelled. I had to leave for Muscat as there was an urgent medical emergency. After an argument with the airline staff, I was provided with a ticket for tomorrow. The passengers have been informed that there are no tickets till 17th May, and a refund will also be provided after 14 days,” the passenger said.

Meanwhile, another man who urgently had to travel to Sharjah on Tuesday night, did not wait to cancel the ticket and instead quickly bought a ticket on Indigo for ₹37,000.

Air India Express' several crew members went on mass ‘sick leaves’ in protest against the Tata management over the merger of AIX Connect (AirAsia India with Air India Express).

The airline's spokesperson, in a statement, said, “A section of our cabin crew reported sick at the last minute, starting last night, resulting in flight delays and cancellations. While we are engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind these occurrences, our teams are actively addressing this issue to minimise any inconvenience to our guests.”

“We sincerely apologise to our guests for this unexpected disruption and emphasise that this situation does not reflect the standard of service we strive to provide. Guests impacted by cancellations will be offered a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date. Guests flying with us today are requested to check if their flight is affected, before heading to the airport,” the statement added.

(With inputs from ANI, PTI)

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2024-05-08T08:58:07Z dg43tfdfdgfd