TIRUCHI- A Singapore (SIN)-bound Air India Express (IX) flight departed Wednesday earlier than scheduled from Tiruchi International Airport (TRZ), causing 13 passengers to miss their flight.
The incident sparked a heated exchange between the stranded travelers and airline staff.
Air India Express Singapore Flight
Flight IX 682, typically scheduled for a 4:25 PM departure, took off at 3:00 PM. Air India sources revealed that the schedule change resulted from a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued by Singapore aviation authorities. This notice necessitated the earlier departure from Tiruchi airport.
According to airline officials, passengers received notifications about the revised departure time via email and WhatsApp on Tuesday. Despite these efforts, 13 passengers failed to arrive in time for the rescheduled flight.
The flight proceeded with 160 passengers on board, leaving the remaining travelers to seek alternative arrangements. Air India sources stated that the affected passengers had booked their tickets through a travel agent.
In response to the situation, the airline offered compensation to the stranded passengers. Three travelers received refunds, while the remaining ten had their travel dates changed at no additional cost.
Similar Incident
On October 2, 2023, an IndiGo Airlines (6E) flight from Istanbul (IST) to Delhi (DEL) reportedly departed without approximately 50 passengers.
This incident was brought to light by an Aviation A2Z reader whose brother’s family experienced the situation firsthand.
Well, sometimes airlines overlook flights and they have to bump passengers. One such event occurred in March 2024, when A Reddit user claimed that Delta Air Lines (DL) was forced to remove up to 42 passengers from a Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo Haneda (HND) flight.
The post alleged that gate agents offered $1,500 compensation and seats on the next non-stop flight to Tokyo, scheduled 24 hours later, to passengers willing to voluntarily give up their seats.
However, a Delta spokesperson has refuted these claims, stating that the mentioned flight has not been overbooked for several months.
Such incidents are rare but we are hearing them more frequently. Some incidents where few passengers left behind by airlines went unreported or unheard.
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