-------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | Goanetters annual meet in Goa is scheduled for Dec 27, 2005 @ 4pm | | | |The Riviera Opposite Hotel Mandovi, Panjim (near Ferry Jetty/Riverfront)| | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=162622
Stranded in Mumbai, thanks to Delhi fog Flights hit. Passengers demand better coordination, complain of lack of information. Express News Service Mumbai, December 23: RUPESH Sethi (30), a consultant with Siemens, missed the first segment of a four-day business interaction on Friday after his 'early morning' flight landed in Mumbai past noon. ''Facilities are a mess. We circled overhead for more than an hour'' said Sethi, who learnt a lesson. ''Now, I will catch a flight a day in advance to keep my appointments.'' Advertisement With the thick fog cover in Delhi affecting flights to and from the capital, emotions ran high at the airport on Friday. Besides businessmen, vacationers like Bahrain-based Antony and Luiza Fernandes also suffered. In India to celebrate Christmas with their family in Goa, the couple booked tickets on IC-663, scheduled to depart at 5.20 am. They were eventually accommodated on IC-597, a Sharjah-bound flight with a Goa stopover, which was expected to depart at 4 pm. ''We are rushing to the international terminal, we don't want to miss our flight after this 12-hour wait,'' they said, scrambling to gather their baggage. ''Passengers need to realise there's a cascading effect on flights across the board,'' said Airport Director Sudhir Kumar. Twenty arrivals and 21 departures were delayed early in the morning, resulting in delays through the day. While passengers sympathised with airlines about delays due to weather conditions, they failed to comprehend cancellations. ''I respect safety standards, but if airline firms could intimate us in advance, we could make alternative arrangements,'' said a visibly upset Meenakshi Verma (28). Verma was looking forward to spending a day with her US-based father Harsh (58), who was in Amritsar. The Vermas had planned a grand reunion, but the disrupted flight schedules ruined their plans. ''The call centre does not have updated information. There needs to be coordination between the call centre and airport operations,'' she added. While most airline officials attributed the delays to the ripple effect, a source said the situation was compounded by a 30-minute closure of runways for maintenance work. Flights to the northern sectors, especially Delhi, were the worst hit. Jeh Wadia, managing director of GoAir, affirmed: ''We had consciously decided not to commence frequencies to the North during the winter because of fog-related delays.'' For flight status Indian Airlines: Call 1600-180-1407 Jet Airways: SMS 9W flight number to 6388 Air Sahara: Call 30302020 Kingfisher Airlines: SMS King to 6388 Air Deccan: Call 9892577008 Spicejet: Call 1600-180-3333 GoAir: Call 1600-222-111 -- Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London, England -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions | | | | Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages | | Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls | --------------------------------------------------------------------------
