Kerala: Woman could not meet sick husband before he died due to AI Express flight cancellations

Amrita had booked her tickets to Muscat on May 8 but when she reached the airport she learnt the flight was cancelled. Again, the next day her flight was cancelled and the airline allegedly could not help her

Update: 2024-05-14 09:15 GMT
Last week, AI Express which operates around 380 services daily, had to cancel more than 80 flights last week due to a shortage of cabin crew members, as a large number suddenly reported sick to protest against alleged 'mismanagement' of the airline

A woman from Kerala is distraught about not being able to fly to Muscat to see her hospitalised husband one last time before he died due to the large-scale cancellations of Air India Express flights last week.

Last week, the Tata Group-owned airline, which operates around 380 services daily, had to cancel more than 80 flights last week due to a shortage of cabin crew members, as a large number suddenly reported sick to protest against alleged 'mismanagement' of the airline.

According to media reports, the woman, Amrita, had booked her tickets to Muscat on May 8. However, when she reached the airport in, she was told that the flight was cancelled, reported ANI.

But, she protested citing her emergency situation and demanded that she had to be in Muscat. She managed to get a ticket for the next day on a different Air India Express flight. However, that flight too got cancelled, and Amrita was unable to travel.

Meanwhile, her husband, who had suffered a massive heart attack, passed away on Monday (May 13).

'Unfair'

Amrita's mother told the media that it was “unfair” that she could not see him for one last time. “We begged the airline to accommodate us on some other flight so that we could see him for one last time. But they did not do anything,” she complained.

Further, she pointed out that Amrita's husband was keen to see her and their children. Later, Amrita too spoke to reporters and said that after the second flight was cancelled, the airline allegedly washed their hands off and did not help her in anyway.

She claimed that she had spoken to her husband on the phone and assured him that they will try their best to reach Muscat.

Air India Express strike

Discontent has been brewing among a section of the cabin crew at the low-cost carrier for some time now, especially after the start of the process of merger of AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India, with itself. From May 8 to May 10, Air India Express had to cancel over 260 flights due to cabin crew shortage, an airline source told the media.

Later, on May 10, the strike by a section of thecabin crew was called off and the airline also withdrew termination letters issued to 25 striking cabin crew.

The airline said on May 12 that it is slowly restoring normalcy in its flight schedules and normalcy is expected by May 14.

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