In a recent incident, Air India faced significant scrutiny after passengers endured a 30-hour delay on a flight from Delhi to San Francisco. The airline, dealing with technical glitches and operational constraints, issued a formal apology and compensation to affected travelers.
Air India’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Klaus Goersch, addressed passengers in a letter expressing sincere regret for the inconvenience caused. Each passenger was offered a travel voucher worth USD 350 for future use with the airline. Alternatively, passengers could choose to credit the amount instead of redeeming it for travel.
“Please allow me to sincerely apologize, on behalf of Air India, for the extended delay in bringing you to San Francisco, which was caused by several technical delays and other operational constraints. We have endeavored to rectify the technical issues, but clearly, the duration of the delay was long, and the experience was not what we aspire to offer. However, your safety was the highest priority throughout. As a gesture of apology, we would like to offer you a travel voucher worth USD 350, for future travel on Air India. Alternatively, we could credit this amount to you through your source of payment or bank details. Although we cannot change the past, I trust that this gesture conveys our sincere regrets for the disruption and inconvenience,” said Klaus Goersch in the letter.
Reasons Behind the Delay
The Delhi-San Francisco flight, scheduled for departure on Thursday afternoon, faced numerous setbacks. Technical glitches, non-operational air-conditioning systems, and payload issues contributed to the prolonged delay, leaving passengers stranded for over 30 hours.
“We are very sorry for this lapse in our service and the inconvenience caused to you,” the letter emphasized.
Regulatory Scrutiny
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) took notice of the situation, issuing a show-cause notice to Air India. The notice highlighted delays in at least two international flights and the airline’s perceived failure to adequately assist passengers. Specifically, the delays of flight AI 183 from Delhi to San Francisco on May 30 and AI 179 from Mumbai to San Francisco on May 24 were cited in the notice.
