The flight to Ahmedabad, which was to take off at 11.05pm on Thursday and land around 12.30am on Friday, left Pune only around 4am on Friday and landed in Ahmedabad around 5am, a delay of around 5 hours.An Akasa Air spokesperson said the Goa flight was delayed due to operational reasons. “Our airport teams on the ground kept passengers informed and provided refreshments to minimise inconvenience,” the spokesperson told TOI. Bavdhan resident Leena Rawke said she found out about the delay of the flight to Goa only after reaching the airport. “There was no intimation from the airline. When I checked the status on reaching the airport around 4.30pm, it said it was delayed to 9.55pm. Then, it got delayed to 11.30pm. After we boarded the plane, we were made to sit inside for 45 minutes. There was no explanation. All we were told was that they weren’t getting clearance,” Rawke told TOI.“People plan schedules and pick flights for convenience and shorter travel times. I could have just as easily driven down or taken a bus,” she said. “Some sort of explanation is the bare minimum. I am a diabetic patient; not eating my meals on time or not eating the right meals can affect my health terribly. Why pay exorbitant money for such mismanagement? This is just unacceptable.”Another flyer noted that the cabin crew inside the flight were unclear. “They just kept repeating that they were waiting for clearance, but many of us couldn’t understand it. I had planned a dinner with my family and friends who were already in Goa and waiting for me. All plans went off the roof due to the delay,” he said.Yet another flyer, who was set to fly to Ahmedabad, said, “Delays at times can be understood, but then why don’t airlines provide proper updates or information? In this case too, we were not told the reason behind the delay, which got flyers even more frustrated.” “Most of the flyers were already at the airport when text messages about the delay began. Flyers have every right to know about the reasons and the updates. If the airline provides timely updates, flyers would understand and their frustration levels would be in control. But It rarely happens,” he added.
