New Delhi: As I checked in for one of the first flights in India in two months, the baggage-tag dispenser spat out five boarding passes for me. Given the morning I’d had, this latest glitch wasn’t much of a surprise.
I’d received a call around 1 a.m. from IndiGo to say my flight from New Delhi to Mumbai was canceled. That’s it. No explanation. Turns out it was one of at least 80 flights canceled from the Indian capital on Monday, the day flights in the country were supposed to resume. Nobody I spoke to seemed to know what was happening, who needed to go into quarantine, or if planes would even be allowed to land at their destination. People were unsure if their tickets were of any use at all.
I had to come up with another plan to get to Mumbai and then on to see my family for the first time in two months. We had suddenly found ourselves stranded apart because of the nationwide lockdown. I’d booked my ticket the moment rules were relaxed to allow some domestic flights. From Mumbai, I planned to travel to a village where my kids have been staying with their grandparents and my husband since the government abruptly ordered everyone not to leave wherever they were in late March because of the coronavirus.
Some confusion was inevitable given how the Indian government abruptly announced last week that domestic flights would resume in a matter of days. It’s not the first time Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shocked the system with sudden decrees, including imposing the lockdown with just a few hours notice in March. Another example: the surprise removal of high-value banknotes from circulation in 2016.
Also read: India will try to restart international flights before August, says Hardeep Singh Puri
Airlines were only alerted to the plan to restart flights five days ago, giving them little time to arrange matters like staff deployment and protective gear. And some states issued their own directives: Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal extended flight bans, while Assam and Karnataka require arrivals to undergo two weeks of quarantine.
“The whole thing has happened in a very messy fashion,” Sudhakar Reddy, president of Air Passengers Association of India, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. “They seem to have not consulted the states. So each state has come up with different regulations, and many flights were canceled early morning today.”
The central government didn’t comment on the reopening on Monday, though Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Twitter late Sunday night that there’d been “hard negotiations” with state governments. India has nearly 140,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus infections and over 4,000 deaths.
It has been a long day of hard negotiations with various state govts to recommence civil aviation operations in the country.
Except Andhra Pradesh which will start on 26/5 & West Bengal on 28/5, domestic flights will recommence across the country from tomorrow.
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 24, 2020
After my IndiGo flight was canceled, I considered booking a ticket for another day and then taking a car to the village. You need a government permit for that, with details on the driver and vehicle. The permit is only valid for one day, so I’d have to do the red-tape rigmarole all over again. No thanks. Taking the train wasn’t really a viable option either given health and safety concerns.
Thankfully, I managed to buy a ticket on Vistara, the local affiliate of Singapore Airlines Ltd., for another flight on Monday. Going through security, you hold your boarding pass to a screen and a guard looks at it from the other side. At this point, you need to lift your mask so your identity can be verified. An attendant stood nearby, dressed in a full hazmat suit.
Delhi’s airport, operated by GMR Infrastructure Ltd., seemed well-equipped and shops and cafes were open. There were some problems, including the overzealous baggage-tag dispenser. There was another issue at check-in, as I needed to pay for five kilograms of excess baggage, but the airline wouldn’t take cash or credit cards. To transfer the money, I had to download a government payment app, which has been beset by privacy concerns.
We boarded on time and were all given face shields. The cabin crew wore full protective gear. I’m usually a relaxed flier, but my nerves were jangling. The flight was virtually empty, with just 22 passengers aboard an Airbus SE A320neo jet that can seat more than 150. At least I had an entire row to myself — some good news at last. -Bloomberg
Also read: Domestic flights resume with Chennai-Delhi IndiGo flight ferrying 116 passengers
Poor lady. Initially I thought she was going through hassles then I understood it’s 10th class essay writing competition. Off course I understand abrogation of Article 370 has given you shock and don’t know how to react.
“To transfer the money, I had to download a government payment app, which has been beset by privacy concerns.”
Dumb Bimbo doesn’t know how to do online banking from her phone and claims UPI is an “app” which is beset by “privacy concerns”!? Clearly this bimbo has no clue what she is doing or even if the Govt app she has is UPI or Arogya Setu!
Typical example of a FAKE NEWS article dutifully reprinted by the obedient sheep at Print
Even after multiple appeals to carry less luggage our friend managed to carry excess baggage.