Air India Delhi-Mumbai Flight: Passenger's 20-Hour Ordeal Amid Fog, Crew Shortage, and Data Loss

A passenger endured a grueling 20-hour ordeal on an Air India Delhi-Mumbai flight. Originally scheduled for 3:20 am, the flight faced numerous delays due to dense fog, which initially grounded all operations. Subsequent issues included crew unavailability, an inexplicable flight cancellation followed by revival, an aircraft change, and critical data loss requiring manual re-entry for boarding passes. The journey, marred by poor communication and escalating passenger frustration, finally concluded when the passenger reached home at 9:00 pm, after nearly a full day of travel.

A senior executive recounted a distressing 20-hour journey flying Air India from Delhi to Mumbai. Departing Gurgaon at 1:00 am for a 3:20 am flight (AI 887), the passenger was aboard when dense fog forced disembarkation at 4:30 am. Initial delays were attributed to the fog, with estimated times of departure (ETD) shifting repeatedly. However, as visibility improved, staff revealed a critical crew shortage, escalating passenger frustration.Chaos ensued when a passenger discovered the flight was cancelled online. Amidst shouts and social media live-streaming, the flight was suddenly revived, scheduled for 2:30 pm. Yet, further delays plagued the process, including an aircraft change necessitating luggage transfer and, remarkably, the airline losing all passenger data, requiring manual re-entry for new boarding passes. Crew finally arrived 14 hours after the original departure. After boarding at 4:15 pm, the flight was still grounded at 5:30 pm due to missing passengers and returning fog. The aircraft finally departed Delhi past 6:00 pm, landing in Mumbai at 7:40 pm, and the exhausted passenger reached home at 9:00 pm, questioning Air India's preparedness, communication, and operational efficiency throughout the arduous ordeal.