Pune: Delayed flights have become routine these days, sometimes even forcing passengers to spend nights at the airports. They are also forced to take leave from work. In such an incident, around 500 Go Air passengers were stranded at the Bangalore and Pune airports due to delayed flights. They spent the entire intervening night of Sunday and Monday without any intimation of delay from the airline.
Go Air G8 292 Bangalore-Pune flight was scheduled to depart from Bangalore at 11.30 pm on Sunday and arrive in Pune at 12.55 am on Monday. However, around 180 passengers of this flight were forced to wait the entire night at the Bangalore airport. Finally, the flight was cancelled early Monday morning. Many passengers had planned to join office on Monday.
Passengers claimed that the airline did not even offer them a cup of tea.
Vishal Agnihotri, an IT professional, who was in Bangalore for a family function with his wife Priya, spent the night at the airport after getting the boarding pass. Vishal had reached the Banglore airport at 9.30 pm on Sunday.
“There were around 180 passengers, who got the boarding pass and underwent security check. Later, the airline staff at Bangalore airport told us the flight was delayed by one-and-a-half hours and was scheduled to depart at 1 am. Till 4.30 am, the airline did not provide us the exact departure time. At 5 am, they told us that the flight was cancelled. When we asked them to accommodate us on another flight, they provided us the Spice Jet flight on Monday night,” Vishal told Sakal Times over phone.
Some regular passengers also claimed that the Bangalore-Pune flight is delayed almost every day.
Sachin Kulkarni, an IT professional from Pune, who was in Bangalore for an official meeting, said, “On Friday, I booked my ticket on the same flight from Pune to Bangalore, which was also delayed by over an hour. Had I known that there would be operational issues, I wouldn’t have booked my ticket. It is a perfect example of pathetic services and complete disregard toward passengers.”
On other side, due to Bangalore-Pune flight cancellation, flight G8 293 from the Pune airport was cancelled. The flight was schedule to depart from Pune at 1.25 am and arrive at Bangalore airport at 3 am. In Pune, the airline assured the passengers they would provide an alternate flight, which was not done.
Abhilash Sanap, an IT professional working in a MNC in Bangalore, had to join office on Monday. He told Sakal Times, “The flight was scheduled to depart from Pune at 1.25 am but they rescheduled the departure time at 3 am. Later, early morning, they informed us that the flight was cancelled. We spent the night at the airport. There were several passengers, who had to reach Bangalore before 9 am at any cost. Many of us had to join office but they ruined our schedule. They accommodated some passengers at a hotel. But I had to leave for Bangalore. They had arranged a flight for around 40 passengers from Mumbai to Bangalore on Monday. The flight was scheduled to depart but it was delayed by one hour. This was a horrible journey. I will never book a ticket with Go Air again.”
When contacted, airline officials said there were some operational issues. Hence, the flight was cancelled. “Flight G8 293 (PNQ-BLR) was cancelled due to operational reasons and passengers were informed about the same. All passengers were taken care of. Go Air accommodated some passengers on alternate flights as per the availability. Some passengers were provided hotel accommodation for the night at PNQ and put on flights the next morning,” said a spokesperson of the airline.
The Pune-Nagpur Go Air flight was also delayed.
The Go air flight G8 283 Pune to Nagpur was delayed by over four hours. Around 140 passengers were stranded at the Pune airport. Mukund Joshi, Secretary, Deccan Gymkhana, told Sakal Times, “The flight was scheduled to depart at 7.40 am and arrive in Nagpur at 8.50 am. I had a meeting at 11 am, but due to the flight delay, I changed my plan. I got my boarding pass and was informed by the airline staff that the flight was rescheduled. I also got an SMS from the airline after I got the boarding pass. It seems it is a regular issue with the Nagpur flight.”
Go Air spokesperson said, “G8 283 (BLR-PNQ-NAG) was delayed due to technical reasons at the Bangalore (BLR) airport. An alternate aircraft was organised, which was delayed due to Notice To Airmen (NOTAM) at Pune (PNQ). All passengers were provided alternate travel options. The flight was airborne from PNQ at 11.10 am. Go Air sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused to its passengers.”
