Airport rage after flight returns

Kolkata: Passengers on board a Port Blair-bound Air Deccan flight (DN-697) laid siege to the aircraft on Tuesday at Kolkata airport.
The 105-minute standoff kept airport officials and securitymen on tenterhooks. Over a dozen gun-toting Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel surrounded the plane as it lay immobilised at the parking bay. The impassé finally ended around 1.30 pm.
The passengers were demanding that the aircraft fly them to Port Blair, rejecting the airline's plea that the weather over Andaman and Nicobar Islands made operations unsafe.
The plane had earlier flown to Port Blair but could not land due to inclement weather.
It returned to Kolkata at 12.30 pm.
That's when trouble erupted. Passengers refused to get down, claiming they did not have the money to spend the day in Kolkata. Carriers like Jet and IA offer refunds to passengers. The latter also provides accommodation/compensation to passengers, who are to be flown in subsequent flights. But low-cost carriers like Air Deccan have no such provision.
When the imbroglio persisted beyond an hour, airport officials stepped in. Deft negotiations helped them hammer out a compromise. Some passengers opted for a refund, while 30-odd were offered seats on Wednesday's flight and the rest would be flown to Port Blair via Chennai. Finally, the passengers disembarked at 2.15 pm to everyone's relief.
11/07/07 Times of India

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Categories: Air Deccan Jul 2007, Airports Jul 2007