Mid-Day revives vacay dreams for 40 Mumbai daily wagers

The group shortly after their plane touched down at Kathmandu airport on Wednesday morning

After mid-day highlighted the plight of 40 women daily-wage workers who were stranded at a Mumbai hotel after their flight to Kathmandu was cancelled on November 3, Royal Nepal Airlines arranged alternative flights to and from Nepal's capital for the passengers.

The women had been informed that the flight, which was to take off at 3.45 pm, was delayed. At 8.30 pm, they were told it had been cancelled. Though airline staff promised to arrange for an alternative travel option the next day (Monday, November 4), they failed to do so, prompting the women to sit outside the Mumbai office in protest on Tuesday morning. That night, after mid-day spoke to the relevant authorities, an alternative flight was finally arranged, allowing the group to travel to Kathmandu on Wednesday morning.

Sheeja Pillai, a member of the group

The women, all of whom work in Mumbai households as domestic helpers, had saved Rs 40,000 over two years for the trip. Excitement turned to frustration, however, as flight RNA202 was cancelled just before boarding, with the airline citing technical issues involving an Airbus A320 in need of repairs. Despite assurances that they would be accommodated on another flight the following day, the group was left waiting for over 59 hours without concrete information on the rescheduled flight.

The airline finally agreed on providing an alternate flight to Kathmandu and has also rescheduled the group's return tickets from November 8 to November 11 and 12.

Women affected sat outside the Royal Nepal Airlines' office on Tuesday. Pics/Kirti Surve Parade

Words of gratitude

Sheeja Pillai, a member of the group, thanking this newspaper, said, "We had almost lost hope about vacationing in Kathmandu. Thank you, mid-day, for highlighting our issue and bringing us back on track. As domestic workers, we cannot afford to take such trips regularly. The airline had promised us some credit notes, saying that they would allow us to travel some other day but that is not possible for us. We cannot afford to book hotels and also lose the money put in to make hotel reservations now."

Asked about rescheduling the hotel bookings, Pillai said, "Our tour organiser and guides accompanying us spoke to the hotel managers and rescheduled our bookings without any added costs."

Rahul Divedi, tour organiser; (right) Vaibhavi Tawade, a group member

Speaking about the return journey to Mumbai, Vaibhavi Tawade, another member of the group, said, "mid-day offered us tremendous support during our ordeal. The airline has shifted our return journey from November 8 to 11. The return tickets have been a bit scattered according to the availability of aircraft seats. Some of us will board the return flight on November 11 while others will do so the following day."

Rahul Divedi, the tour organiser, also thanked mid-day while recounting the difficulties faced since the flight cancellation. "After being informed of the cancellation, the group had to wait for hours before the airline arranged for accommodations at the Hotel Le Grande. Delays continued, as transportation was provided inconsistently. Although an airline representative had promised to stay in contact with updates on the rescheduled departure, no airline staff was available at the hotel."

Repeated calls to the airline's Mumbai office, messages to the airline's CEO and complaints to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Ministry of Civil Aviation went unanswered. Divedi, along with the stranded passengers, sought fair compensation, especially given the impact on the women's finances as daily-wage workers.

Finally, late at night, on November 5, Royal Nepal Airlines arranged an alternative flight, allowing the group to travel to Kathmandu on November 6.
Divedi added, "We were having dinner at the hotel when the hotel staff received a call from the airline's office to inform us to check out and proceed towards the airport. Transport was also made available for us. After clearing immigration and other formalities, the flight to Kathmandu took off at 3.30 am on Wednesday. We landed at Kathmandu airport around 8 am and moved to our hotel."

3.30 am
Time on Wednesday when flight to Kathmandu took off