Almost 13-hour flight delay leaves SpiceJet’s Delhi-bound flyers stranded in Pune

PUNE: More than 100 passengers of SpiceJet’s Pune-Delhi morning flight (SG937) languished at the city airport almost the entire Friday after it was delayed by almost 13 hours.

The flight was scheduled to depart Pune at 5.55am and arrive in Delhi at 8.30am. The flight was eventually airborne around 6.45pm and was expected to land in Delhi at 9.20pm.

TOI sent a detailed WhatsApp message to SpiceJet seeking its comment. The reply was awaited till going to press.

Several passengers of the flight had reached the Pune airport in the early hours of Friday. Hinjewadi-based IT professional Parth Mehrotra was at the facility as early as 2.30am.

“Just before boarding, we were informed that the flight was rescheduled to 9.30am. We later entered the aircraft as per the revised schedule. After some time, a cabin crew member told us that a minor technical issue was being fixed. We were suddenly told to deboard after waiting for nearly two hours,” Mehrotra said.

Passengers said the flight’s departure time was revised throughout the day. “First, we were told the flight would leave at 1pm, then 3pm and later at 5pm. By then, tempers had flared and arguments broke out. The airline’s ground staff members had no clear information,” Mehrotra said.

According to passengers, the airline eventually offered full refunds after informing flyers that the aircraft would depart at 5.50pm.

Mehrotra said returning home was not practical. “The one-way cab fare to Hinjewadi is Rs 600-700. Going back home and returning again would have cost me around Rs 1,500. Many other passengers also stayed put at the airport. The airline served us lunch around 2pm after repeated requests. For people like me, it was a more than 16-hour wait at the airport,” Mehrotra said.

Several passengers going to Delhi for work or business were forced to book last-minute tickets for Rs 17,000-18,000. One of them, requesting anonymity because of his company policy, said, “I waited till 1pm and booked another ticket after opting for a refund. I had spent Rs8,000 initially, and the refund may take over a week. The new ticket cost me Rs17,000. Airlines are troubling passengers and nobody holds them accountable.”