Passengers continue to suffer on Day 2 of AI strike

Mumbai: Air India counters at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) were almost deserted on Thursday as pilots’ strike entered the second day. The airline cancelled 39 arrivals, 32 departures, including eight international sector flights, on Thursday.
In an indication that AI was readying for a long haul, it said it will not accept fresh bookings till May 3. Captain Rishab Kapur, general secretary of the striking union, appealed to passengers to not fly the airline to avoid inconvenience. Striking AI pilots demanded pay parity with erstwhile Indian Airlines pilots as well as a CBI inquiry into the airline management’s key decisions over the past two years.
On Thursday, a few passengers were stranded at the airport, over 40 hours after the pilots’ body issued the strike call. Dr Iqbal Ahmed, director of the Maulana Azad National Urdu University, had travelled to Mumbai from Hyderabad to attend an event in Aurangabad. His flight to Aurangabad was cancelled, leaving him with no option but to take the road. “They tried to accommodate us on other airlines, which said there was no flight available today. We can’t wait for a day here, so we decided to take a cab,” he said.
Some passengers paid a premium fare on other airlines. Although the airline was transferring many passengers to other airlines, they had to purchase their own tickets. Passengers like Narayan Sheshadri ended up paying more than Rs 7,000 for a ticket after his AI ticket, booked well in advance, was cancelled. “We got full refunds, but the new fare is almost double of what I paid on AI,” he said.
29/04/11 Indian Express

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Categories: Air India Apr 2011