NEW DELHI: It proved to be a trip to forget for 335 passengers booked on Air India flight AI 173, a Boeing 777 operating from Delhi to San Francisco, on Saturday.
Just before boarding at Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport, passengers were informed by airline staff that an engine fault was being rectified and they would have to wait. An alternative aircraft was arranged about four hours later, but it could accommodate only 278 passengers due to a lower seating capacity, leaving 47 passengers stranded.
While most passengers were later accommodated on other flights, eight were unable to depart on Saturday and were scheduled to fly out only on Sunday, as no immediate alternatives were available from Delhi.
As expected, several passengers grew irate and distressed. An eyewitness told TNIE: “Some of them had connecting flights from San Francisco to other cities, which completely disrupted their travel plans. They surrounded the counter and demanded to be taken to their destination somehow.”
One passenger said, “It was a heartrending scene when 47 passengers were told there was no place for them on the replacement aircraft. A family had to leave behind their elderly parent because her luggage had already been offloaded. I was also desperate to reach San Francisco and was in tears.”
She added that this was her second consecutive unpleasant experience on the same route. “When I flew from San Francisco to here six weeks ago, our flight was diverted to Mongolia due to an issue mid-air. I resolved never to fly Air India again, but my return ticket had been booked long ago,” she said. The passenger returned home in India the same night, adding, “I left home at 6.30 am and was back by 8.30 pm without travelling anywhere.”
Among the 47 passengers denied boarding, some travelled to other Indian cities to catch onward flights to San Francisco. “One passenger went to Vienna, then Chicago, and finally to San Francisco. Imagine the stress and ordeal,” another passenger said.
Each of the 47 affected passengers was given compensation of ₹10,000 in the form of vouchers. “We also have the option of contacting the call centre to seek a cash refund,” a passenger added.
An Air India source confirmed that the original flight suffered a technical fault. “We did not want to cancel the flight and inconvenience passengers, so we arranged another aircraft as quickly as possible while repairs were under way. As it was a slightly smaller Boeing 777-200, we could accommodate only 278 passengers. Priority was given to children, the elderly and women,” the source said.
“All 47 passengers who were denied boarding were given compensation as a goodwill gesture and offered a full refund. We managed to reroute 39 of them on other airlines. Only eight could not be accommodated immediately, and arrangements have been made for their hotel stay. They will be flown out on Sunday morning. Given the circumstances, we did the best possible for our customers,” the source added.
Air India currently operates a daily flight between Delhi and San Francisco, which is usually fully booked. “We plan to increase the frequency to 10 flights a week from February, as operations to San Francisco from Bengaluru and Mumbai will be temporarily suspended due to an aircraft change,” another source said.