Travel influencer slams Air India for last-minute flight rescheduling, airline responds

Bengaluru-based travel influencer Loveleen Arun recently criticised Air India after the airline rescheduled her flight from Delhi to San Francisco without prior notice. Initially set to depart on August 18, the flight was unexpectedly pushed back to August 22, leaving passengers inconvenienced.

In a post shared on X , on August 12, Ms. Arun expressed her disappointment over the sudden change. She highlighted how such abrupt decisions can cause significant disruption, especially for passengers who have carefully planned their travel itineraries.

Get Latest Mathrubhumi Updates in English

“High-handedness by @airindia on another level. Delhi-SFO flight booked for 18th august has been arbitrarily cancelled and the passengers were offered to fly on the 22nd Aug!! When they said that is not acceptable they have been given delhi-mumbai-sfo on 17th Aug. Passengers have pleaded that they will be in Bangalore and this would mean flying Blr – Delhi (having a 10 hour layover) and then taking delhi-mumbai- SFO and instead to give them Blr-mumbai-sfo which has been categorically denied by @airindia,” she wrote.

When passengers, including Ms. Arun, voiced their concerns about the rescheduling, Air India proposed an alternative flight on August 17. However, this option involved a more complex and less convenient route, requiring passengers to travel from Delhi to Mumbai before flying to San Francisco. For those already in Bengaluru, this alternative presented additional challenges, including a 10-hour layover in Delhi, which many found unacceptable.

Despite repeated requests from passengers for a more straightforward solution, Air India reportedly refused to offer any other alternatives. As a result, many travelers, left with no better options, had to accept the less favorable route.

‘First you cancel flights at whim and then don’t try even a slight bit to help your clients. Just no empathy whatsoever!! Money lost in booking, cancelling and re-booking domestic flights is another matter altogether!!,” she added.

Following Ms. Arun’s social media post, Air India issued a public apology and requested her booking details to conduct further investigations into the matter. The airline’s response seemed to acknowledge the inconvenience caused, but it did little to ease the frustrations of affected passengers.

Ms. Arun later shared her negative experience with Air India’s call center, describing it as unhelpful and ineffective. She pointed out that the representatives she spoke to were unable to provide adequate assistance regarding seat availability or ticket changes.

Her post resonated with many social media users, who shared their own stories of canceled international flights and frustrating experiences with the airline.

One of the user responded to her post with “One of the reasons I don’t want to fly with them specifically when it comes to international travel. So uncertain and not at all accommodating.”

Other commented “That’s normal with them. Customer service is zero”

“One of the things I find worse in these cancelled international flights are how long that large amount of money is stuck. Because you make a last min transaction, the fares are high and the refund takes long. And by the time the bill comes at the end of the month, it’s for both the amounts and takes a toll if you are on a cash crunch issue,” another user commented expressing their experiece.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *