Migrant Workers Sold Goat, Ring To Buy Tickets, Only To Be Told That Their Flight Is Cancelled

For over two months life has been tough for the millions of migrant workers from across the country, who have been left with no jobs and income in a big city far from their homes due to the lockdown.

While a lot of them managed to reach homes on buses, trucks, trains, cycles, or even on foot, there are many more who are still desperately trying to reach their homes.

Three migrant labourers however, who pooled all their savings and sold goats to buy airline tickets to Kolkata where in for the shock of their lives when they reached the Mumbai airport on Monday only to be told that their flight has been cancelled and there wouldn¡¯t be any refunds.

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The flight was canceled as the state government of West Bengal imposed restrictions on airline services, due to the damage at the airport from the cyclone. According to The Times of India the three men haven¡¯t earned any income since the end of March.

They had managed to raise Rs 30,600 for the air tickets after the family of one of them sold three goats, another sold a ring, and the third borrowed money.

3 labourers, no income since lockdown, tried repeatedly for train tickets, then heard flights to restart @HardeepSPuri. Family back home in Murshidabad sold cattle, on May 22 paid Rs 30,600 to @IndiGo6E for 3 Mum-Kol May 25 tickets. But flight cancelled, no refund. Stranded. pic.twitter.com/op2vzSYHQR

¡ª Manju V (@ManjuVTOI) May 26, 2020

However, after the video of their plight went viral on social media IndiGo, India¡¯s biggest airline, has agreed to help them and said that they be accommodating them on the next available flight. Later the airline confirmed that the three men have been allocated seats on the flight to Kolkata on June 1.

The last-minute cancellation has been a huge problem from many passengers since domestic flights resumed operations from Monday after being grounded for two months.

BCCL

According to aviation industry sources, around 630 domestic flights scheduled for Monday were cancelled due to the centre's Sunday night announcement that there would be no flights in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, and limited operations at major airports such as Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Consequently, many passengers reached the airports on Monday only to be told by the airline staff that their flights have been cancelled.

On Tuesday 80 flights were cancelled at Delhi alone. Smaller airports like Goa, which had a mere five flights scheduled, too saw cancellations.

BCCL

Meanwhile Air India has said that it has cancelled 92 flights which were scheduled between May 28 and May 31 as limited operations at airports and strict quarantine rules affect services. The flights that operated saw few passengers as many are still concerned about flying due to COVID-19.