Crew shortage leads to Air India’s Delhi-Pune flight cancellation; Flyers frustrated
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Due to insufficient cabin crew, Air India AI-1851’s Delhi-Pune flight was cancelled on Thursday, leaving over 100 passengers stranded.
In addition to them, many passengers with pressing travel requirements suffered as a result of the abrupt flight cancellation, according to a Pune passenger who was scheduled to travel on flight AI-1851 with his spouse and three-year-old child.
According to the passenger, the flight was supposed to depart at 9:45 p.m. They were informed by the ground crew that the aircraft had landed and that boarding would shortly commence. Upon learning that boarding would not begin until 9.20 p.m., a few passengers approached airline staff. They said that the boarding would soon begin and that the pilots had arrived. However, it never took place.
He claimed that after a half-hour of waiting, flyers’ temper began to flare. A few of them asked the ground crew again what was going on.
The passenger further said that that because other flights had been delayed, even though the pilots had arrived, they were short-staffed in the cabin. They were informed that at 10.10 p.m., the boarding would start. At 10.45 p.m., they repeated the same thing, adding that there was a shortage of cabin crew and that four crew members had to be on board in accordance with DGCA regulations. All of a sudden, the flight was canceled, it was announced. It caught them off guard.
The passenger continued that the pilots were in distress. A few passengers had traveled from Manali and Shimla by car to attend the flight. A handful had arrived from Australia and were scheduled for the Pune flight. After the plane was canceled, an elderly man sobbed because he had lost his brother.
The passenger further stated that the airline representatives merely instructed them to start the refund process or to wait for the next flight, which would prioritize people. They said that seats would become available only after January 1 when they inquired about the next flight that would be operating. They struggled to retrieve the luggage because they couldn’t identify which baggage belt they belonged to.
