<p>Following the strike call given by the Air India pilots, anxious passengers converged at the AI counters to enquire about their flights and collect printed copies of their tickets.<br />Businessman Inder Chopra, who had a Delhi flight to catch at 2 pm, was clueless whether his flight would take off on time till 1.35 pm. <br /><br />"I tried calling customer care too before starting from home but no one picked up my call," he said. Chopra was waiting at the airport for one-and-a-half hours before he got a printout of his ticket.<br /><br />Similarly, Raghavendra, who had arrived at the airport from Hyderabad, said that his flight was at 6.30 am. However, he had to wait for five-and-a-half hours before he was accommodated in a private airline. <br /><br />"The airline called early morning informing that the flight will be delayed by an hour. At 7.30 am, they started the boarding procedure. After sitting in the aircraft for over an hour, we were told that the flight is cancelled," he recalled. He was finally accommodated on an IndiGo flight at 12 noon. <br /><br />Benedict L, who was flying directly to Oman, said the airline officials had informed him after a delay of an hour and a half. But it was tense moments for Deboshree Dutta and her father when they were informed that the Delhi flight, which she was to board at 4.30 pm had been cancelled. <br /><br />She had to catch the connecting flight from Delhi to join her husband in Chicago, USA. "When my father called the airline before leaving home, we were told the flight is on time. Now after reaching here they are saying the flight is cancelled. There seems to be a lot of confusion," she said. <br /><br />After much talk, Dutta was informed that she would be accommodated in a Hyderabad flight that would fly to Delhi around the same time. <br /><br />However, passengers of the Bangalore-bound 10.30 am flight from Delhi had a smooth sailing. "We did not face any problem and the flight was on time. In fact, we had some apprehension as one of our relatives had told us about the pilots' strike. However, we took a chance," said Chopra. <br /><br />Amidst all this, there were speculations that the private flights had increased their fares on Wednesday.<br /><br />Three flights cancelled<br /><br />Air India's regional spokesperson, Chandrashekhar said that three flights - two linking the City to Hyderabad and one to Thiruvananthapuram were cancelled. <br /><br />The two Delhi-bound flights were combined and about 10 flights operated till evening, with three more expected to take off. <br /><br />"The pilots abstained from reporting. However, all passengers were accommodated in private flights or re-routed. Everyone reached their destinations. Senior officials were present at the airport and took care of the passengers," he said.</p>
<p>Following the strike call given by the Air India pilots, anxious passengers converged at the AI counters to enquire about their flights and collect printed copies of their tickets.<br />Businessman Inder Chopra, who had a Delhi flight to catch at 2 pm, was clueless whether his flight would take off on time till 1.35 pm. <br /><br />"I tried calling customer care too before starting from home but no one picked up my call," he said. Chopra was waiting at the airport for one-and-a-half hours before he got a printout of his ticket.<br /><br />Similarly, Raghavendra, who had arrived at the airport from Hyderabad, said that his flight was at 6.30 am. However, he had to wait for five-and-a-half hours before he was accommodated in a private airline. <br /><br />"The airline called early morning informing that the flight will be delayed by an hour. At 7.30 am, they started the boarding procedure. After sitting in the aircraft for over an hour, we were told that the flight is cancelled," he recalled. He was finally accommodated on an IndiGo flight at 12 noon. <br /><br />Benedict L, who was flying directly to Oman, said the airline officials had informed him after a delay of an hour and a half. But it was tense moments for Deboshree Dutta and her father when they were informed that the Delhi flight, which she was to board at 4.30 pm had been cancelled. <br /><br />She had to catch the connecting flight from Delhi to join her husband in Chicago, USA. "When my father called the airline before leaving home, we were told the flight is on time. Now after reaching here they are saying the flight is cancelled. There seems to be a lot of confusion," she said. <br /><br />After much talk, Dutta was informed that she would be accommodated in a Hyderabad flight that would fly to Delhi around the same time. <br /><br />However, passengers of the Bangalore-bound 10.30 am flight from Delhi had a smooth sailing. "We did not face any problem and the flight was on time. In fact, we had some apprehension as one of our relatives had told us about the pilots' strike. However, we took a chance," said Chopra. <br /><br />Amidst all this, there were speculations that the private flights had increased their fares on Wednesday.<br /><br />Three flights cancelled<br /><br />Air India's regional spokesperson, Chandrashekhar said that three flights - two linking the City to Hyderabad and one to Thiruvananthapuram were cancelled. <br /><br />The two Delhi-bound flights were combined and about 10 flights operated till evening, with three more expected to take off. <br /><br />"The pilots abstained from reporting. However, all passengers were accommodated in private flights or re-routed. Everyone reached their destinations. Senior officials were present at the airport and took care of the passengers," he said.</p>
