Aakashaniki kuda baaram aina indian students

[Midnightsun]

Etihad unloads US-bound passengers, Indian students pay over two lakhs for new tickets on other airlines India 

[Midnightsun]

Mumbai: Located in Abu Dhabi Etihad Airways On Thursday, passengers booked to fly to the US from cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, largely offloaded or canceled student bookings. The students alleged that the airline refused to rebook them on other flights departing in the coming days. With the semester starting soon, students were left with no option but to spend over Rs two lakh for a last minute, one-way ticket on other carriers. 
One student, requesting anonymity, said, “The Etihad customer care officer said I would have to wait for 20 days to rebook, a waiting time that I cannot afford.” The sudden cancellation has sparked panic among parents and students who have been booked to travel to the US Etihad In the coming days. On Thursday, the cheapest one-way ticket from Mumbai to the US for travel this week started at Rs 1.40 lakh but was offered on flights longer than 27 hours. Most of the tickets cost more than Rs 2 lakh. 
“I was on my way to the airport to board my 2.40 pm flight from Bengaluru Abu Dhabi When I got a mail from Etihad saying that they have canceled my entire ticket booking. i had a front ticket New York,” said another student, who also declined to be quoted. “I had booked an Etihad flight in early June and paid Rs 94,000 for the one-way journey. Today I booked another ticket, this time Air India Whose price is 2.19 lakh rupees. It is for travel on August 10, which is the cheapest I can find,” he said, adding that Etihad said it had refunded his ticket, but it took between 7 and 45 days to transfer the amount to his bank account. It will take time 
An Etihad spokesperson said: “As a result of operational payload restrictions, Etihad Airways has been forced to reduce the number of passengers on flight EY101 from Abu Dhabi to New York (JFK) on Thursday 4 August”. 
A ‘payload restriction’ is a reduction imposed on the amount of passengers (or cargo) carried, in order to reduce the weight of the aircraft and compensate for increased fuel intake, decreased engine performance, etc. A flight that takes longer than a normal route, flying on a high fuel demand or on a particularly hot day, which affects engine performance, would be subject to a ‘payload restriction’. 
On Thursday, Etihad operated its Abu Dhabi-New York flight tracking the normal route, flying the same aircraft type, the A350, with nearly identical flight times. The ground temperature in Abu Dhabi was not above normal. But for the last few days its flights are running late. Etihad’s Abu Dhabi-New York flight EY101 departed five hours late on 2 August and was delayed by two hours on 3 August. Thursday’s flight was delayed by only an hour. 
Aishwarya Nagori tweeted: “You guys are booked and strategizing there. Better reschedule our flights from Mumbai Chicago..” @iamrealvinod tweeted that Bengaluru-Abu Dhabi flight EY-217 was to depart at 4.40 am, but at 4.30 am the airline informed US-bound passengers that the said flight would not take off. “About 300 passengers were waiting.. ground staff had no clue..all night there were many old and kids and Etihad didn’t provide proper help or timely communication…” The flight to Abu Dhabi finally departed at 8am to US The passengers were deboarded. 
parents of an affected student, Bhushan PatiliTweeted: “Pathetic service at Mumbai airport. Our kids have been informed that the Mumbai-New York flight of 04 Aug has been canceled even though the website shows that the flight is on time. Some people have been allowed to proceed for security checks.” @AHaldipurA tweeted that Etihad canceled its flight Washington, “The customer service is terrible, can’t rebook me for 20 days,” the traveler tweeted. 
In the context of the denial of boarding, Etihad said that its teams are reaching out to inform the affected passengers so as to minimize the disruption for them. “We are for any inconvenience caused by this last minute change, and we will provide compensation to those affected,” it said, adding that affected travelers can call their contact center (+971 600 555 666 – UAE number). or visit their website. Mobile app for more details.