Air India Express cuts 40 flights daily till May 13, flyers may have to shell out extra on other airlines

NEW DELHI: Tata Group’s airline merger woes continue unabated. Budget Air India Express – which operates 350-400 flights daily, of which over 250 are domestic and 120 international – is cutting about 40 flights daily till May 13, for now.
In a replay of last month’s trouble at full-service Vistara, which is being merged with Air India, more than 300 AI Express cabin crew members started reporting sick from Tuesday afternoon, forcing cancellation of more than 90 flights till Wednesday evening.The airline on Wednesday started issuing termination letters to the crew who had reported sick.

With over 80% aircraft occupancy these days, about 13,000 passengers were affected by the cancellations.

The airline has asked passengers scheduled to fly Wednesday “to check if their flight is affected before heading” to the airport. “The situation is dynamic as senior cabin crew are reporting sick at the last minute, just before they are to operate flights. While we are proactively cancelling flights till next Monday, the actual number may differ depending on crew turnout. We are minimising international disruptions and less than 20% of the cancellations will be of our overseas flights,” airline sources said.

“Guests may visit the ‘Flight Status’ section on our website for real-time information. If their flight is cancelled, or delayed beyond 3 hours, they may opt for a full refund or reschedule to a later date without any fees on Tia on WhatsApp (+91 6360012345) or on airindiaexpress.com,” a spokesperson said.
AI Express cancellations in peak summer are bound to affect travellers as capacity is already constrained – over 75 IndiGo planes are grounded due to snag-ridden Pratt & Whitney engines, GoAir has shutdown, struggling SpiceJet is operating few flights, and deliveries of new aircraft from Airbus and crisis-ridden Boeing have been slower than expected.

While Air India Express is offering “a full refund or complimentary rescheduling”, affected passengers may need to buy last-minute tickets on other airlines at sky-high spot fares, especially over the weekend.
The aviation ministry has asked the airline to submit a report on the mass cancellation and “resolve issues promptly”. The airline has “been advised to ensure facilities to passengers as per DGCA norms”, said a senior ministry official. The airline said its “teams are (trying) to minimise any inconvenience caused to our guests”. However, passenger complaints are pouring in on social media.