Indian Students Forced To Buy Tickets For Rs 2 Lakh After Etihad Cancels Bookings On US Flights
Several Indian students who were scheduled to travel to the US on Thursday were in a rude shock after Abu-Dabi-based Etihad Airways cancelled their flight bookings, without giving them alternative options. Several passengers who were to fly on Etihad Airways flights from Mumbai and Bengaluru alleged that their flight bookings were cancelled at the last minute, while they were already in the airport.
Several Indian students who were scheduled to travel to the US on Thursday were in a rude shock after Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways cancelled their flight bookings, without giving them alternative options.
Several passengers who were to fly on Etihad Airways flights from Mumbai and Bengaluru alleged that their flight bookings were cancelled at the last minute, while they were already in the airport.
etihad airways
What the passengers had to go through
"Do you understand what is going on currently at the Mumbai Airport just look at the scenario right now. Have some humanity people are standing past 4 hrs with no answer from the airlines. Over booking and all these things are your customer service seriously?," a Twitter user wrote.
@etihad Do you understand what is going on currently at the Mumbai Airport just look at the scenario right now. Have some humanity people are standing past 4 hrs with no answer from the airlines. Over booking and all these things are your customer service seriously? pic.twitter.com/U91v8igdJS
¡ª MANAN SHAH (@mananshah2203) August 3, 2022
@etihad pathetic service at Mumbai Airport.Our kids have been told that the flight has been canceled from Mumbai to JFK dated August 4th where as website shows the flight is on schedule. Few people have been allowed to proceed for security check. pic.twitter.com/9dtIoKbo4C
¡ª Bhushan Patil (@Bhushanpa76) August 3, 2022
- This was supposed to be my first international flight and I am an aspiring student who will be travelling to USA for higher studies.#etihad #etihadairways
¡ª JeelShah (@JeeelShah) August 4, 2022
- The reason they stated was about some payload issue and asked us to reschedule the flight.
¡ª JeelShah (@JeeelShah) August 4, 2022
- When contacted the customer care, they said that there is no such issue for flights till JFK.
- Around 2 am We don't know how, he says that we are getting you to JFK but not to chicago & Washington and he took our PNR number
¡ª JeelShah (@JeeelShah) August 4, 2022
- The next moment a lady arrives saying that flight has been cancelled to JFK.
- The same scenario repeats 2 times.
*Though All the passengers had the Web check-in done and had received their e-boarding passes. #etihad #etihadairways
¡ª JeelShah (@JeeelShah) August 4, 2022
- Out of 80, 40 are able to - board, 20 either demand refund or reschedule and leave. And remaining 20 students are stopped from from checking in.#etihad #etihadairways
¡ª JeelShah (@JeeelShah) August 4, 2022
Allowing others to check-in.
¡ª JeelShah (@JeeelShah) August 4, 2022
- That lady had no answers for stopping the check-in As usual she got busy with her phone calls till 1 hr (so that we miss our flight) #etihad
*Around 20 Students are not able to board the flight who have their university courses starting from 8thaug
*** IMPORTANT Among all this chaos, the airlines did not even bother to offer us water, food or even any seating arrangements After consistently complaining about the same.#etihad #etihadairways @etihad @EtihadHelp @DGCAIndia @CSMIA_Official@JM_Scindia
¡ª JeelShah (@JeeelShah) August 4, 2022
Offered another flight after four days
Other passengers also shared similar experiences in both Mumbai and Bengaluru airports on Thursday.
A passenger who was travelling with his family alleged that he was asked to vacate the hotel room and was offered a flight only after four days.
Etihad Airways #etihad #etihadairways my 4augflight from BLR to IAD was canceled. Alt option given to flight out after 4 days but Etihad asking us to vacate the hotel by tomorrow. We are not based in Bangalore.. where are we expected to stay? Very poor customer service
¡ª Vishy V (@vishy059) August 4, 2022
Many others also said that they were offered alternative flights after 4-5 days.
New ticket cost around Rs 2 lakh
But since most of them were students, whose classes were about to start, they had no option, but to buy a new ticket on a different airline at a much higher rate.
Their only response to any of my queries is "I'm sorry sir, we will refund you the amount." I don't want a refund as I am just a student going to US for my studies. For the same reason I booked the flight months back to save cost. (2/3)
¡ª Ashutosh Pathak (@4shutoshPathak) August 4, 2022
If you give me a refund I will have to book another flight with 3x the cost. I don't have that kind of money and neither does my friend. We HAVE to fly asap as our classes are about to start. Help us reschedule our flight at the same cost within the next 7 days. @EtihadHelp (3/3)
¡ª Ashutosh Pathak (@4shutoshPathak) August 4, 2022
According to a report by The Times of India, the students had to pay as much as Rs 2 lakh for a one-way ticket to New York on Thursday, which is more than double what many had paid for their Etihad booking.
Reuters
Etihad blames payload restrictions
The airline has blamed payload restrictions for offloading passengers.
"As a result of operational payload restrictions, Etihad has been forced to reduce the number of flyers on flight from Abu Dhabi to New York on August 4,¡± an Etihad spokesperson said.
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways is the second flag carrier airline of the United Arab Emirates after Emirates.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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