BENGALURU: Thousands of passengers were stranded at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on Friday as Terminal 1, known for its iconic design, descended into chaos, overcrowding and exhaustion, resembling a refugee camp.
As 292 IndiGo flights were cancelled and abrupt disruptions continued for the fourth day on Friday, there was little clarity and passengers’ frustration only grew. Arguments broke out between passengers, airline staff and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel. Fares on other airlines skyrocketed to Rs 1 lakh for routes to Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai.
With limited seating available, families and solo travellers stretched out on the floors, some sleeping on jackets, while others leaning against luggage, turning the terminal into a crowded waiting hall.
A family enroute to Haridwar for ‘asthi visarjan’ was stranded, even as the daughter of the deceased held a urn that had the remains of her father. They had no option other than paying exorbitant sums for an alternative ticket. Even as passengers struggled, no food or alternative flight arrangements were made.
Hyderabad-bound passenger Jayesh Menon told TNIE that flyers were initially informed about one-hour delays, that repeated multiple times before the flights were cancelled. But even a bigger crisis awaited flyers as many were unable to retrieve their checked-in baggage for four to five hours. “People are angry, sad, every emotion you can think of,” he added.
Several stranded passengers continued waiting for their luggage late into the evening, while others scrambled to find alternative travel arrangements amid disruptions, he added.
RANCHI TO B’LURU: A 36-HR ORDEAL
What should have taken a routine 2.5-hour journey from Ranchi to Bengaluru turned out to be a 36-hour ordeal for Sanjay Choraria and his wife. They started on Thursday at 7 am to reach the airport early for their 8.50 am IndiGo flight, only to face repeated one-hour delays that stretched endlessly until the airline abruptly cancelled the flight at 4 pm.
The only alternative offered was a punishing detour - Ranchi to Kolkata to Chennai to Bengaluru. But a bigger nightmare awaited them on the Kolkata to Chennai with the 9.40 pm departure repeatedly pushed past midnight and to 2.30 am. It finally took off at 4 am after tensions boiled over.
In Chennai, passengers were dealt another blow when the final flight to Bengaluru was cancelled. Exhausted and out of options, the couple hired a private cab and reached Bengaluru at 7 pm on Friday.
HUBBALLI BRIDE, GROOM ATTEND RECEPTION ONLINE
Hubballi: It was a full house at a marriage hall in Hubballi. There were close to 700 guests who arrived to bless the couple for their reception. But there were no bride and groom. They came on live on screen from Bhubaneshwar. Following countrywide delays in air traffic involving Indigo Airlines, the bride and groom could not make it. However, the bride’s parents were at the venue to complete the rituals.
The parents of the bride, Medha, at the last minute decided to host the party and ensured the bride and groom got ready and came online at the marriage hall. Medha and Sangam Das were married on December 23 in Odisha and the reception was scheduled on December 3 in Hubballi. They were to fly to Mumbai on December 2 and then to Hubballi. -- Amit S Upadhye