IndiGo crisis continues as Bengaluru tour operators fear future problems
Bengaluru: Nearly a week after IndiGo began cancelling the flights, travel agencies and tour operators in Bengaluru say they are still struggling and are unsure how long the situation will continue.
According to a report published by Deccan Herald on Tuesday, some operators said the past few days have been filled with frustrated calls from customers, as they repeatedly rebooking/rescheduling tickets.
Karthik, manager of Nesara Tours LLP, reportedly said for his company, the scale of disruption caused by the crisis has been unprecedented. In the last week, more than 20 flights that we booked were cancelled.
“Some of our customers who were supposed to return to the city on Friday, were stranded after their flight was cancelled. They only managed to get back two days later, that too after we booked them on a different flight,” DH quoted Karthik as saying.
He said that although IndiGo had rescheduled their flight for Tuesday, it wasn’t confirmed
What frustrated agents and passengers is that in most cases of flight cancellations, passengers or operators had to pay for accommodations and other arrangements from their own pockets.
Karthik reportedly said, Bengaluru to Delhi was earlier Rs 9,000–10,000. Now it is Rs 20,000–25,000 on other flights. It is not easy to rebook customers as they have to pay extra.
Another operator, Suhas from Evergreen Tours, reportedly said IndiGo’s customer support has been almost unreachable. He said that they will continue to temporarily pacify their clients by reassuring them that things will be resolved soon as they fear they might lose business.
This week, they were “thankfully” spared major trouble as they had few IndiGo bookings. But the relief, he admits, is temporary. “We have already booked for December-end and January.” “There is anxiety because if this is not rectified, and if it recurs later, it will badly affect us. Entire trips will be cancelled,” DH quoted Shamant, proprietor of Sanman Travels as saying.
As per the report, unlike agencies that only book tickets, Shamant’s firm handles full travel packages including hotels, transport and logistics. If even one flight gets cancelled, the whole plan collapses. We are definitely worried about future bookings, he said.
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Himachal: Three killed, two injured as speeding car dashes against parked truck
Mandi (HP) (PTI): Three people were killed and two others sustained grievous injuries after a speeding car dashed against a stationary truck at Dadour near Nerchowk in Mandi district on Monday late at night, police said on Tuesday.
There were five people in the car when the tragedy struck. Three were declared dead in the hospital while two have been referred to AIIMS Bilaspur.
The deceased were identified as Anil Kumar (28), Rohit Kumar (26) and Subash Kumar (23), all residents of Mandi district, while the injured are Harish and Pankaj.
A case has been registered under relevant sections and investigations are underway, said Superintendent of Police (SP) Mandi Vinod Kumar.
He added that the bodies have been handed over to the family members of the deceased.
In a statement, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed grief over the loss of three lives in a road accident. He directed the district administration to ensure best possible treatment for the injured and wished them a speedy recovery.
