PUNE: As many as 125 passengers onboard SpiceJet flight SG 524 flying to Ahmedabad from Pune had a harrowing seven hours at the Pune Airport as the flight, which was to depart at 8.40 pm on Friday, was delayed.
The passengers alleged that they were left in the lurch by the airline. They alleged that the airline officials kept passengers on their toes by making ‘piecemeal’ announcements throughout the night. The flight finally departed at 3.20 am.
Several passengers took to social media to complain about the ‘irresponsible and unprofessional’ behaviour of the airline staffers.
“No SpiceJet officer was available. Around 125 passengers, including women, children and elderly were stranded and were clueless. The airline provided no assistance. The delay announcement was being made in a piecemeal manner. Initially, they told us that the flight was getting delayed by only half an hour. They kept saying this for a few hours. Later, they increased it to an hour,” said Paresh Shah, an Ahmedabad-based engineer, who visited Pune for work.
SpiceJet officials in Pune said that the flight was delayed because of bad weather in Ahmedabad. A big chunk of passengers decided to cancel the flight after waiting for many hours as promises made by the airline staffers were not coming true.
“The offer of an alternate flight was not open for all. I started posting about our ordeal on Twitter and Air Sewa app. Thus, they offered me a Go Air ticket. The passengers were given refreshments. Even water was offered,” said Shah.
Another passenger Gaurav J said he decided to cancel his trip post-midnight.
“After four hours of confusion and being totally clueless, I decided to cancel my flight. Many others did the same. Not only did I miss the connecting train, I had to pay huge money for a cab to return to my apartment in Pune,” said Gaurav.
APOLOGY FOR DELAY
A SpiceJet spokesperson said the airline regretted the trouble caused to the passengers. “Passengers were served refreshments and were regularly updated on the status of the flight. They were also given an option to opt for another flight at no extra cost. SpiceJet sincerely apologises for the inconvenience caused to the passengers due to the delay,” he said.
