Mumbai: Many Air India passengers complained
about inadequate information, unhelpful and rude behaviour of
the airline's frontline staff at the airport here even as the
strike-stricken air carrier claimed to have strengthened call
centre functions to keep fliers informed about flights.
As many as 19 of the 20 passengers whom PTI contacted this
afternoon and who were flying out of the Mumbai airport, said
they did not get any prior information from the airline about
the cancellations or delays of their scheduled flights.
A few of them even complained of being fed the wrong
information that their flights were on schedule and got a rude
shock up on their arrival at the airport.
However, a passenger, Archana Joshi, who was to fly to
Chennai, said she was informed of the cancellation of her 1500
hrs flight. "But the ticketting staff at the airport were not
helpful at all about sharing information about her rescheduled
flight," she said.
Navdeep Virkar, who was to fly to Ahmedabad, said on
contacting the call centre, she was told her flight was on
schedule, but on arrival she was told about its cancellation.
"The staff at the ticketing counter rudely asked me to
talk to the manager who was even ruder," Virkar said.
Meanwhile, as the pilots' strike entered the second day
today, the AI counters looked almost deserted, as the national
carrier was forced to cancel nearly 30 flights from the
metropolis alone.
As many AI fliers either postponed their travel or
cancelled tickets, the ticketing counters at the rival private
airlines did brisk business.
These passenger complaints come even as the airline
claimed this morning that it has strengthened its call centre
operations and increased the number of 'floor walkers' at the
major airports to assist the passengers being accommodated on
other airlines or in revalidation/refund of tickets.
Three Chennai-bound passengers, Jayesh, Tejinder Singh and
M S Raju, whose 1500 hrs flight was cancelled, complained of
rude behaviour of the frontline staff at the airport.
Jayesh even complained that he travelled all the way from
south Gujarat after being told that his flight was on
schedule.
Similarly, four Kochi-bound passengers - Joseph Mathew,
Princy Tom, Richa Singh, and Alagappan - complained of
non-cooperative behaviour of the front-line staff.
Delhi-bound Ambuj Kumar, Priyanka Adhale, Rahel Dhillon
and Prem Singh, too, spoke about non-cooperative behaviour of
the staff and no prior information.
Reports from Delhi also said the fliers bore the brunt of
pilots' strike with some complaining that they were not
informed about the status of their flights and some coming to
know about the cancelled flights only after reaching airport.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, April 28, 2011, 23:22