15 Air India passengers miss flight after reaching wrong terminal

Around 15 passengers booked to travel on an Air India flight from Mumbai to Delhi on Saturday missed the flight allegedly because they went to the wrong boarding terminal.

The passengers reached the domestic terminal in Vile Parle on Saturday evening and were allowed to enter the terminal by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel deployed at the entry gates. Once they reached the airline counter at the domestic terminal, the airline staff denied them boarding cards as the flight was being operated from the international terminal in Sahar.

"There was no information about the boarding terminal on the ticket. How can we assume that a domestic flight will be operated from the international terminal?" said Alka Mamgai, a passenger who was travelling with her child and father-in-law, who uses a wheelchair. Mamgai said missing the flight had resulted in missing a doctor's appointment in Delhi for her father-in-law, who is a heart patient.

Passengers alleged that the Air India staff took the incident very casually and were unhelpful. Passengers said despite desperate attempts to reach the international terminal, they missed the flight. "In desperation, I paid Rs. 2,000 to a cab driver because my ticket was too expensive," said another aggrieved passenger, who requested anonymity.

The passengers were stranded at the airport till 9pm. Most of them had to spend up to Rs. 2,500 a ticket as rescheduling charges.

An AI spokesperson denied the allegations. "The boarding terminal is mentioned on AI tickets. These passengers missed the flight because they were late," the spokesperson claimed.