Does India need a Flagship National Carrier?
My brother had a booking on Air India, Dubai – Toronto via Delhi at 6:20 pm on 30th April and in light of the strike, seeing there was no authentic info about flight status until 1 pm, despite constant follow ups for 2 days, we decided to visit their Dubai office. It was then that we learnt that this flight is probably going to get cancelled! They said alternative arrangements are being looked at, however were oblivious as to how to handle a passenger who has a through ticket to Toronto at midnight from Delhi.. The supervisor then went a step ahead to say they could offer an endorsement on a ticket on any airline if we could get seats from Dubai-Delhi as the Delhi-Toronto leg was still on. Thanks to the back up reservation we made on EK Dubai-Delhi after noting the status of the strike, things looked bright. Then they discover that they cannot endorse this ticket as we apparently got it at a very low fare and their system does not show this fare at all….!! For heaven’s sake..we booked it couple of months ago, they gave us the fare, issued a ticket with the ticket no, seat no.. we didn’t ask them for a discount..!! When asked about their option to get this student to Toronto who needs to start University on Monday, they were clueless. They offered to cancel the ticket and refund the amount without any penalty…wow…that is benevolence isn’t it?
Another discovery they made that if the passenger did not travel Dubai to Delhi the Delhi – Toronto booking can get cancelled…!! Yes…you read it right…if the passenger did not travel on a cancelled flight….urgh..! After an hour of making noise in the Air India office, we managed to get through a message to Delhi office to let him take the Delhi-Toronto journey, we paid for an Emirates ticket from Dubai to Delhi and also paid excess baggage fees of AED 900 at the airport as the baggage allowance to the Toronto leg was 46kgs whereas the allowance on Emirates for the Delhi leg was only 30 kgs!
The Indian Government will perhaps bail out the Indian National Carrier once again from the estimated losses of Rs. 26 crore in two days and more to come, but…who will bail out an Indian student who lost approximately Rs. 25, 000 in one day, just because the flagship carrier of India could not get their Industrial Relations right..! What about the mental turmoil he and the entire family had to go through for almost 24 hours as the airline did not bother to update with any kind of information, did not extend any solace. Is anyone surprised why the Private airlines/ International airlines are grabbing a mammoth market share in India and from Indians worldwide and making huge profits when the Flagship National Carrier is struggling to break-even..?
I don’t know how well I will be heard but I am going to write and send this story wherever possible.

My Wife travelled by Air India flight AI 380 on 24th April from New Delhi to Singapore. On boarding the flight she immediately pressed the service button for air hostess’s attention to get a blanket as she was not feeling well. No one paid attention to the light and only after the flight took off one of the attendants passed by whom my Wife could catch hold of and asked for a blanket. But to her surprise the flight was not carrying enough blankets to give her one. My wife had no choice but to freeze in cold. On landing at Singapore she had high fever and was severely traumatized.
Why does Air India provide a blanket to every passenger like any other flight service (at least the ones I’ve flown till date does). On an International route of approx 6hrs journey in the night if Air India cannot provide for blankets to it’s passengers they better be into some other business as they clearly do not understand the customer needs.
I’d never travel by Air India and would recommend others to do the same. One can much better in-flight service on other Airlines in the same cost or cheaper ones.

PS: Air India does not offer any personal in flight entertainment as well on SG-Delhi route.

Checked In done by air india at 11.30 am & boarding was done at 14.30 but flight couldn't take off due to none availibilt of pilot & now all passenger's in aircraft, is expected to take off at 5.30pm. I want to register complaint for the same & seek compensation.
Flight detail- AI 012, Rajib mallick
[email protected]

Dear All,
I am posting a complaint that i wrote to send to Air India by the emails given i their website. All the contact details given in that is wrong.

Dear & Respected Officials,
I was really shocked when I heard that my sister and her 2year old boy cancelled their trip to Cochin after she send her luggage from the Air India counter in Dammam Airport, the reason is really shocking/fucking, the flight she booked is for Cochin, (Ticket details, Date of travel:07-03-2011, Booking ref mgscoz/aa, e-ticket no e0982777486653 & e0982777486684).
The ticket shows like that, and she confirmed the same with the officials but after sending her luggage the person in the counter informed her that, they will arrange airbus from Kozhicode and she will reach Cochin by road.
My sister is traveling for her child's better treatment in India, and just because of what your people did (which is not a mistake or human error) we had lot of lost. We cancelled the appointment with doctor, lot of time wasted for lot of people both in India and in KSA, lot of tensions(even her child was missing in the Dammam airport for 30min when she was talking to your people and of course lot of money was lost.
Still I hope or believe that, where to travel, when to travel and which means of travel one have to take is deciding not by your people but by the passenger itself.
I like to know what necessary steps are going to take from your side for this unfaithful and cheating that people did against my sister and her son.
If necessary I can provide (if u can give your email-id) the copy of the ticket, which seems as fabricated (to mislead my sister) in which arrival details was not provided expect just the arrival place.
Hope you will do immediate actions so that I can regain my trust in you.

Thanks in advance.

My brother got UK student visa and had Air India AI 115 Flight from Amritsar to London via New Delhi on dated 23-02-2011. As he has student visa and no need to get return ticket but during check in time Airindia staff forcibly ask him for return ticket other wise they cant travel. he immediately deposit INR 27000/- to them and they issue return ticket to him along with more than 20 students visa holder did the same thing. when inquire about such TUGLAKI FURMAN they replied that if some one depot from London airport we will not carry him back to india. i just inquire that is their any rule or only Air india self made TUGLAKI rule? Please discuss the issue in public.

Sikander
[email protected]