I would like to point out to everyone here about a horrendous experience I had recently with Air India
This year for the first time I made the mistake of flying with Air India. Previously I have used several other airlines and never had a denied boarding issue but this time air India was the only choice because of the tour itinerary.
The flight to India was not too bad, service was lack lustre but not poor and landing was OK as well.
During my return I had confirmed tickets for travel back to Canada. I called the airlines office in Delhi 4 days before departure to reconfirm the flight and sure enough was told that return flight seat is confirmed.
Travelled from Amritsar on the eve of the flight and reached Delhi airport at 11.45 in the night, about 7 hours before departure.
waited in the waiting room till 4.45 AM but could not get any sleep so was groggy already.
Queued up at 4.50 AM with about 10 people standing in front.
And waited
And waited
And waited

After 20 minutes or so I became suspicious. The lines were just not moving. People in front were agitated and yelling at ticket agents.
Found out that flight is already "overbooked" but everyone at front was arguing that how can it be full when they were the first ones to queue up and there are still over 2 and half hours to depart.
Right at that moment I had a feeling that something sinister is about to happen. Changed the queue and moved to another one but one again waited
And waited
And waited
By this time an hour had passed and situation had become ugly. No body was getting any seat. People started yelling invectives at agents who were like a deer staring at flashlights. The so-called senior officers and managers were called upon and were trying to calm a swarm of very angry and worried passengers. They kept on stating please wait for another 15-20 minutes while we make alternate arrangements but as many other travellers said what alternatives..........It was already past 6 AM and there were no more flights to London.
It became really ugly after that with the ticketing area becoming a free for all ahkhada of complete chaos and obscenities. Many people literally manhandled the so-called managers. Others jumped on to the luggage belt while agents continued to giggle and say that it happens every day here...what’s the big deal. A woman with young kids became hysterical, just lost self-composure and yelled at top of her voice. She was foaming from the mouth. The managers just trembled but did not know what to do. Kept on saying we are trying to make arrangements. People were asking how the bloody hell can our seats be allotted to someone else when we paid two months in advance, got a confirmed seat and even reconfirmed the flights before departure. Many other passengers became very angry with some foreigners even crying out. This was the most pathetic scene I have seen so far anywhere in the world.
Then they said that that some people can be sent to Bombay. From there will get another flight after 4 hours. Thus they can leave India at 12 noon instead of 7.20 AM, the scheduled time.
But what about the onward connections? Again the agents did not have a clue. Even though I told an agent that a flight is available after 6 hours from my previously scheduled flight from London she wont have anything to do with it and told me flatly I can book you to Bombay and London. After that you are on your own!!!! She did not have the intelligence of a rat to book me a seat in that flight even though that night flight is usually Yeah sleep on the floor till next day perhaps.
Another agent in another shiny example of sarkari airline efficiency asked all passengers int he queue to surrender their tickets to her. Finally when two seats to the bombay flight became available she promptly handed the seats to the persons who were last in the queue because she had bungled the order of tickets leading one foreigner who was in fact first in the queue to cry and weep in front of everyone. I have seen so many people scream like this but despite all this yelling and frustration, the air India agents kept on saying...are bhai kal chale jana ..what is the problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You think this is enough.
Well not really.
Finally at 7 AM they said that we would send people with onward connections the next day. Offered to put us in Hotel centaur, lunch n dinner will be provided plus free transportation, which was waiting outside already as it happens everyday!! Instead of paying Denied Boarding Compensation on the spot, which is the rule, we were given a letter and told that we will get 200 Euros from Local Air India office in cash once we reach our country. Meanwhile we can sit in the bus to take us to hotel while other passengers stream in.
Once again we waited in the bus for several minutes and no new passenger seemed to roll in. Finally we found that we have waiting in vain as the other passengers had left airport half an hour ago already!
Thus I left the airport at 8.30 AM, full 4 hours after I arrived and having spent a sleepless night unnecessarily. In the hotel were told that we get free B/fast, lunch n dinner but that’s all. We have to pay for everything else including chai/coffee which being 5 star charged about Rupees 150 for a cup of tea. Snacks extra!!
Air India was also "exceptionally gracious" in offering us a free 3 minute international call !!!!!!!! But only one call, max 3 minutes only and if we get a voice mail on the other end or speak for 10 seconds, it will still be charged as full call. After 3 minutes the charges were like rupees 60 per minute whereas outside even the international call rates have dropped to less than Rs 5 per minute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh once again you think it is over eh? Ha think again....its Air India still..
Next morning at 4 AM the free transportation left in confusion with one passenger being left behind in hotel as he was a bit late and driver got confused and got going. Later on he told me that he was asked by the courteous hotel staff to either take a taxi at his cost or wait for the next bus which leaves at 7 AM, just 20 minutes before the flights takes off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Poor fellow spent Rupees 300 to take the taxi promptly remembering what he had gone thru previous day
So is it over now???
Nah, not so soon boys!
Once in Canada I called Air India office and asked when and how can I collect the "cash" for which I had the Denied Boarding Compensation Certificate. What cash was the reply! We dont give out cash, you send certificate to us, we will send to our head office in NY and you will get a cheque in 4 to 6 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( if I am lucky I guess)
4 to 6 weeks ?????????????????????
Now consider this
And this is why I am writing this thread for all of you to be clear of:
KLM also had same problem 2 days later on with a friend of mine. He was offered SIX hundred Euros !!!!! ON THE SPOT !!!!!! AND IN CASH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Plus free stay in Hotel. He was out of the airport in less than an hour !!!
So he ended up getting almost 60% of the ticket price free, got it promptly, in fact on the spot and no hassles.
I paid almost same amount in $$ but will wait and wait and wait for this saga to end but in the end it is my fault anaways. I chose Air India!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now also to let everyone know this compensation is governed by rules but in general European airlines offer 600 Euros for flights over 3500 kms in length. This is thanks to a stringent court ruling that was passed by EU a shrt while ago.
Full details can be found at
http://europa.eu.int/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l24173.htm

In US DOT is responsible for oversseing the rules
But in Canada................. there is no such rule yet as per following link dated 2003
http://www.cta-otc.gc.ca/cta-otc2000/report-rapport/2004/recommend_e.html


Happy Flying Folks!!!!

can be found at following link.
http://www.airlinequality.com/Airports/Airport_forum/del.htm
Comes in handy to know what to expect.

can be found at http://www.airlinequality.com/Airports/Airport_forum/bom.htm

I found it very useful as it suddenly made me realize about the mosquito problem at the airport. I thought there were macchars outside but this alerted me to go fully euipped with bug spray and nets etc. for the kids.
sure enuff the first mosquito started shadowing us within 20 feet of coming out of the aircraft !!

can be read at
http://www.epinions.com/content_115057200772

OMG !
What a royal screw-up by Air India !!

I can tell you that whenever I am flying international from an airport that Air India also flies out of (either in India or abroad), I can always bet my bottom dollar that Air India flights are either delayed or cancelled.

The Air India check-in counters are always adorned by harrassed and hassled passengers who have been delayed, cancelled, routed and re-routed, and in general been treated like dirt.

What a perfect marriage between an incompetent public domain company (Air India) and an apathetic, ineffective and callous Govt. that shuts its eye and refuses to even acknowledge that a problem exists !

It sounds like you have already banged your head against the wall to get some justice out of the system, so there is nothing more I can offer as suggestions.

All I can say is - vote with your feet and swear never to fly Air India again.

BTW, I think Air Canada is fast catching up with the sublime standards of service set by Air India - another case of a perfect marriage between a public domain company and the Govt.

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"Mah deah, there is much more money to be made in the destruction of civilization than in building it up."

-- Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind"

Quote:

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Orginally posted by Gapodi

can be found at http://www.airlinequality.com/Airports/Airport_forum/bom.htm

I found it very useful as it suddenly made me realize about the mosquito problem at the airport. I thought there were macchars outside but this alerted me to go fully euipped with bug spray and nets etc. for the kids.
sure enuff the first mosquito started shadowing us within 20 feet of coming out of the aircraft !!

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Air India always has some backlog it seems.. and if they put you in the next day's flight.. they will have some stranded passengers again who will not get a seat because somebody couldn't find a seat yesterday and needs to go today.. and it will keep going on and on.. specially during the peak season..

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