Chicago-bound AI passengers spend New Year at hotel rooms

New Delhi: About 220 passengers of a Chicago-bound Air India flight were forced to spend the New Year day in hotel rooms after the airline rescheduled their flight by 24 hours due to shortage of cabin crew. Air India flight (AI-127) to Chicago was scheduled to take-off at 1:30 a m but was delayed as passengers from connecting flights was also to be accommodated but those flights arrived late at the IGI airport, sources said.
Due to this, the flight was delayed by several hours and in the meantime the duty hours of the flight crew also came to an end.
Since the national carrier is facing shortage of cabin crew and also many of them being on leave due to Christmas and New Year it did not have spare crew to replace them, they said.
Though the airline management asked them to continue with their work beyond their Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) saying they would get the clearance from the Civil Aviation regulator, the crew refused to violate their FDTL.
Left with no option, the airline cancelled the flight and reschedule it.
"Due to delay in arriving flights and accommodating the passengers into the Chicago flight, the flight got delayed and flight duty time of the crew came was almost over so they refused to operate the flight. Due to this, we have to reschedule to the flight," an Air India official said.
The rescheduling of flight spoiled New Year plans for many as many spent their new year at the hotel rooms, provided by the airline.
01/01/11 Press Trust of India/Hindustan Times

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Categories: Air India - International Jan 2011, Air India Jan 2011, Foreign Jan 2011