Private airline takes stranded flyers ‘for a ride’

Dozens of Kashmir-bound passengers stranded at the Jammu airport following cancellation of their flights Wednesday accused a private carrier of taking them for a ride.

Taking to Greater Kashmir over phone from Jammu, the passengers said the carrier asked them to claim refund or wait for more than a week to fly home following cancellation of their flight due to bad weather.

   

“We have bought tickets last month for 4000 rupees, but now they are charging us more than 15000 rupees for a flight if we book it for tomorrow or the day after. This is sheer loot,” said Ghulam Jeelani, a stranded passenger.

Another stranded passenger, Riyaz Ahmed, said: “If we don’t opt for refund, they are asking us to wait for more than eight days before they could book us on another flight. We are travelling with kids and there is no hope for the Srinagar-Jammu highway to open anytime soon. How we can spend thousands of rupees on hotel accommodations when we don’t have any money left with us?”

“There are some passengers who have chosen air travel only due to the highway closure. They can’t spend thousands on hotel accommodations for coming days,” he said.

The aggrieved passengers said it is the responsibility of the private carrier to provide them hotel accommodation if they want them to stay in Jammu for eight more days.

When contacted, an official from the Indigo Airlines—the accused carrier in this case—refused to comment.

“I’m not authorised to speak to the media,” he said.

The continued closure of the Srinagar-Jammu highway has resulted in skyrocketing of air ticket prices in the Jammu-Srinagar and Srinagar-Delhi sectors, and vice-versa.

Passengers are unlikely to see any respite as weatherman has predicted heavy spell of snow till Friday which could continue to disrupt surface and air traffic in the state.

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