Passengers of San Francisco to Bengaluru Air India flight, who arrived at Bengaluru airport, were shocked when they found out that their luggage was left behind in San Francisco. Air India said that the luggage was left behind for safety reasons due to load restrictions caused by weather conditions in San Francisco.

The flight landed at Bengaluru airport at around 3.20am, but it took passengers nearly an hour at Terminal 2’s baggage claim area to realise their luggage was still in San Francisco.

Bengaluru: Passengers on Air India’s direct flight AI 176 from San Francisco to Bengaluru arrived at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) early in the morning, only to find that their checked luggage was not with them.

The flight landed at around 3.20am, but it took passengers nearly an hour at Terminal 2’s baggage claim area to realise their luggage was still in San Francisco.

Passengers share their experiences

Many passengers were affected, including Vaishnavi Vel and Aneeshwar Danda, tech professionals travelling with their 11-month-old son. They were pleased with the flight and the hospitality but were upset to find that the cover of their baby’s stroller was missing.

Vaishnavi said, “We waited for almost 40 minutes before understanding that something was wrong. At the Air India desk, we saw other passengers also asking about their luggage. Only then did we find out that it hadn’t been loaded onto the flight.”

Some passengers, frustrated by the situation, argued at the counter, and one woman even refused to leave the airport without her luggage, as reported by The New Indian Express.

“We were told that the luggage would be sent to our house the next day,” Vaishnavi added. “We ended up leaving around 5 am. My child was restless after the long flight, and now we have to go shopping for baby food and other essentials since we only had a few items due to carry-on weight restrictions,” she said.

Anagha, whose sister Archana was also on the flight, said, “My sister’s two pieces of luggage are missing. She is resting now, but the airline has assured her that the luggage will arrive on the next flight from San Francisco.”

What Air India officials said

An Air India source said that the luggage was left behind for safety reasons due to load restrictions caused by weather conditions in San Francisco. They assured that the luggage would be shipped on a later flight.

This incident follows a recent show-cause notice issued to Air India by the Civil Aviation Ministry for a 20-hour delay on a flight from Delhi to San Francisco in May, during which passengers were left without air conditioning.

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