27 May,2010 07:52 AM IST | | Surender Sharma
Passengers recount their harrowing experience while the company grieves on Rs 10 crore loss
Twenty-eight-year-old Sunanda Kumar had neatly packed her files in the suitcase and was through with her last-minute packing for her assignment. She left for the Delhi airport right on time, and quietly wished to give her best presentation on the business model of hers. But prayers do not always get answered and Kumar, too, walked out of the airport with disappointment like several fellow passengers.
Harrowed commuters at Delhi airport on Wednesday after many flights
were cancelled due to a strike call given by Air India's ground and
technical staff. PICs/IMTIYAZ KHAN
"I had some urgent business in Patna, but my flight was cancelled due to the ongoing strike. There was no prior information given to the passengers and now I can't even take another flight. My entire travel schedule has gone haywire," said the visibly furious Kumar, who works with an IT firm in Gurgaon.
The airline officials claimed that they have lost about Rs 10 crore due to the two-day strike by the Air India employees and affected around 13,000 passengers across the country. In Delhi itself, a total of 24 flights were cancelled.
"The airlines behaved in an irresponsible manner. They didn't inform the passengers about the cancellation or delay of flights. Had I known this, I wouldn't have made a booking with Air India. The government should deal with the employees participating in the strike severely and teach them a lesson. They just can't take us for a ride," said 42-year-old Shradha Kumari, who was travelling to Kolkata with her husband and two kids.
The passengers alleged lack of information on flight schedule and non-cooperation by the ground staff. The worst hit of the lot were those who had come from abroad and had to take connecting flights to various cities from Delhi.
"I had come from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night and had to take the connecting flight to Ranchi in the morning. But the flight got cancelled and we had to make arrangements by train at the last minute. This experience will make me think twice before booking a ticket with Air India next time," said Sudesh Rai, working in Dubai, left stranded at the Delhi airport along with a group of five people.u00a0
Thousands of passengers had to resort to other options to reach their destinations and some even booked a few bus seats as the stand-off continued on Wednesday.
"After I got to know that Air India will not be operating, I checked with the other private airlines, but to my
| The Other Side |
| "We have called off our strike after the Delhi High Court order. Our 15,000 co-workers still stand by us. We will get back to demand our rights," said Anand Prakash, the joint secretary of the Air Corporation Employees' Union, one of the many staff associations that had caused a stir. |
