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AI bumps 60 pax on BOM-LHR-ORD - overbooked flight

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AI bumps 60 pax on BOM-LHR-ORD - overbooked flight

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Old Jan 8, 2008, 7:41 pm
  #1  
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AI bumps 60 pax on BOM-LHR-ORD - overbooked flight

.. and of course their legendary ground handling is fully evident.

http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/09/s...0953121500.htm

Mumbai: Sixty passengers of Air India’s Mumbai-London-Chicago flight were offloaded here on Tuesday as the plane was overbooked.

[...]

Some irate passengers got into a tiff with Air India officials as the check-in staff left the counters, keeping them standing in the queue for an hour.

“I could hear people shouting, asking why the line was not moving, but there was no airline official to inform us of anything. After some time, an official informed us that we have been offloaded, and left,” a woman traveller, who requested anonymity, said.

and an AI spokesman says

“In the event of offload, all airlines, including Air India, take care of their passengers. They get to travel on the first available flight, are provided accommodation up to the departure of their flight and get telephone facility to inform their near and dear ones regarding the change in travel plan.”
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Old Jan 8, 2008, 8:51 pm
  #2  
 
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The most believable part of the story?

"“I could hear people shouting, asking why the line was not moving, but there was no airline official to inform us of anything. After some time, an official informed us that we have been offloaded, and left,” a woman traveller, who requested anonymity, said. "
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Old Jan 8, 2008, 9:29 pm
  #3  
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I have heard of being over booked by a few passengers but 60 they must really have a lot of last minute cancellations. I think it was most likely some minister wanting to fly at the last minute with his entourage.
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Old Jan 8, 2008, 9:44 pm
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Or could be an equipment swap?
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Old Jan 8, 2008, 9:54 pm
  #5  
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wonder if mayrhuber is reading this.
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Old Jan 8, 2008, 9:55 pm
  #6  
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for flight of this length by how much would a carrier normally overbook by.
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Old Jan 8, 2008, 10:47 pm
  #7  
 
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Originally Posted by UA Fan
for flight of this length by how much would a carrier normally overbook by.
I have known of Cathay overbooked in Y 40 some pax, LAX HKG on their 744. How ? I used to have friends who worked in their Sales Office in Redondo Beach, before CX moved the office to SFO. I have even heard of instances that CX overbooked in F, for different reasons.
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Old Jan 8, 2008, 11:25 pm
  #8  
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CX has multiple flights daily to the USA and also has oneworld alliance membership so it can punt pax to AA and such.

AI doesnt have that luxury and is quite probably too cheap to rebook people onto (say) BA, that would also fly BOM-LHR and offer onward connections to ORD.
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Old Jan 8, 2008, 11:36 pm
  #9  
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Originally Posted by WASBLR
Or could be an equipment swap?
Flightstats shows that BOM-LHR-ORD on the 8th (still enroute to ORD) is a 744.
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Old Jan 9, 2008, 6:29 am
  #10  
 
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I have been bumped off by Air-India over a decade ago and since then swore not to ever travel by Air-India even if I received a free ticket with spending money. But I do see some fans on this forum, I was never able to comprehend that. Most people will love to travel Air-India till they get caught up in the AI muddle.

Overbooking does exist everywhere, but no where in the numbers that regularly happens by AI. In most cases it is during the Dec/Jan period for flights out of India.
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Old Jan 9, 2008, 9:15 am
  #11  
 
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Originally Posted by hserus
Flightstats shows that BOM-LHR-ORD on the 8th (still enroute to ORD) is a 744.
In that case, wow! What a mess!
It's instances like this that makes one wonder if it is time Air India displayed their motto, "We are like this only!"
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Old Jan 9, 2008, 9:20 am
  #12  
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Originally Posted by hserus
Flightstats shows that BOM-LHR-ORD on the 8th (still enroute to ORD) is a 744.
May be an earlier cancellation caused overbooking on this flight?
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Old Jan 9, 2008, 11:03 am
  #13  
 
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50 confirmed passengers denied boarding on Air India flight

Some news about the newest "star" of the alliance: 50 confirmed passengers denied boarding on Air India flight...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/I...ow/2684685.cms

The most likely explanation is not traditional overbooking but that AI wanted/had to accommodate Indian politicians, government officials, or AI's own offcials.
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Old Jan 9, 2008, 3:46 pm
  #14  
 
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Wow, 50 is really a lot of overbooked passengers. And it looks like there were 60 people denied boarding a few days before.

Better get to the airport early for your next flight on AI! Or better yet, fly SQ or ANA.
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Old Jan 9, 2008, 5:03 pm
  #15  
 
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AI is not *A yet, only an applicant. Perhaps during the integration process they will be upgrading their booking and availability systems.
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