Traffic saved me': Student missed Air India flight by just 10 minutes

The 21-year-old biochemistry student, a native of Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu had boarded the flight from Dubai to Chennai

After arriving at the Dubai airport, he was informed that his flight had departed and showed that it had taken off at 8:30 am. He had arrived at the airport at 8:20 am and was shocked to hear this and unable to believe that he had missed the flight by just ten minutes. He was told by the Air India staff to book another flight at his own expense. This incident occurred on June 11 but was highlighted recently in a viral social media post.

Airlines' response

Air India Express, in a statement, said that the departure time of the flight had not been changed and had departed at 8:30 am as scheduled. The statement also said that the boarding closure timing was at 8:10 am and that the passenger was late by 10 minutes and missed the flight. The airline did not comment on the validity of the claim that the student arrived at 8:20 am.

Passenger's claim

The student, however, claims that he had arrived at the airport at 8:15 am and that the flight should have boarded at 8:30 am. He also claims that the airport staff had not informed him that the departure time of the flight had been advanced and that he had been informed at 8:20 am that the flight had taken off. He also claimed that he was the last person to arrive for the flight and that the airline staff did not update him about the change in flight timings.

Flight change policies

Most airlines have a flexible change policy when a flight has to be changed due to unforeseen circumstances. However, if a passenger misses a flight due to their own reasons, most airlines will not provide any compensation and will advise the passenger to book another flight at their own expense. It is also the passenger's responsibility to be informed about the check-in and boarding timing and to ensure that they reach the airport in time to board the flight.

Conclusion

This is indeed a tragic and bizarre incident as the student barely missed his flight by 10 minutes and allegedly was not informed by the airline staff about any change in flight timings. This incident also raises questions about the airline's customer service and change policy when a passenger has to miss a flight. Unfortunately, due to vague terminology in the airline's change policy, the customer will likely experience significant barriers in getting any refund.