Accuse authorities of shabby treatment
TEAM HERALD
VASCO: A technical snag in an Air India aircraft left 28 passengers stranded for one day, but what miffed some passengers was the indifferent attitude of Air India ground staff at the airport.
Narrating their 24-hour long ordeal, a passenger, Tome Gracias, said the Air India flight AI 975 to Kuwait via Chennai was to take-off from the Dabolim airport at 8.45 pm on Wednesday, but was held up due to a technical snag.
“The passengers reported at the Dabolim airport at 4 pm on Wednesday, but we were left stranded inside the airport till 12 am, as Air India staff had failed to make necessary arrangements for our stay,” claimed Gracias.
“The Air India staff at Dabolim airport could not even provide drinking water and milk to the infants, who were travelling along with their families. A child fell sick and when the mother requested for some milk, the Air India staff simply asked the mother to feed the one-and-half-year old baby child with a Samosa.”
“I too was not feeling well and we requested the Air India for an ambulance to shift me and the toddler to a hospital, but they failed to pay heed to our requests. Finally at about 12 am, the Air India staff shifted us to a hotel with an assurance that they would make alternate arrangements for us on Thursday morning,” he added. Gracias claimed that their woes continued the next day as well.
“As the Air India staff failed to contact us on Thursday morning, some of us got in touch with the airline officials and we were told that the flight is at 11.30 am. But when we reached the airport at 10 am, we were informed that the flight had been delayed and the timing was not informed to us,” stated Gracias.
When contacted, Air India Airport Manager Sunil Kolamkar said the technical fault was rectified and the passengers were flown to Mumbai at 4.45 pm on Thursday.
“From Mumbai, the passengers will be shifted in an alternate flight to Kuwait at 9.45 pm,” said Kolamkar.
Responding to allegations that shabby treatment had been meted out to the passengers at the Dabolim airport, Kolamkar declined to comment and stated that he was not on duty on Wednesday night.
