2 SpiceJet flight cancellations in half a day disrupt travel plans of over 100 passengers

Pune: The sudden cancellation of two SpiceJet flights late on Monday evening and on Tuesday morning, respectively, affected more than 100 flyers at the city airport this week.
While Monday's flight was to Ahmedabad, Tuesday's flight was set to go to Bhavnagar.
Working professional and Vimannagar resident Divesh Vora told TOI that he needed to attend his cousin's wedding on Tuesday morning at Mount Abu in Rajasthan. "My plan was to reach Ahmedabad and catch a train ahead at 10pm. My flight (SG-2962) was to take off from Pune at 7.35pm on Monday and reach Ahmedabad at 8.55pm. I reached the airport by 5pm and completed the check-in process. There were around 50-60 passengers, and we all stood in front of the boarding gate, but there was no sign of airline staff," he narrated.
Vora added that around 15 minutes before the actual departure time, they were suddenly informed that the flight would fly at 11.15pm instead. "The staff just said there had been some technical issue. I had everything booked — all my plans crashed. No resolution was provided and ultimately, I couldn't attend my brother's wedding. I checked last-minute tickets, but the fares were extremely high," he said.
SpiceJet, in its response to a query by TOI, said operational reasons had affected the flight. "SpiceJet flight SG-2962 scheduled to operate from Pune to Ahmedabad was initially delayed and later cancelled due to operational reasons. Affected passengers were offered hotel accommodation and moved to an additional commercial flight, which will operate on Feb 18, 2025. Passengers were also offered refreshments at the airport. Inconvenience caused to the passengers is deeply regretted," an airline spokesperson said.
A similar situation awaited around 70 flyers set to travel from Pune to Bhavnagar on Tuesday morning. Mustafa Sadikot, one of these flyers, claimed that they were not informed about the flight cancellation. "Our flight (SG-1079) was to take off at 7.50pm and land in Bhavnagar by 9.15pm. It was only after I came to the airport by 5am that I came to know from other flyers that the flight had been cancelled. There was a flyer and his family who, after finding no resolution from the airline, travelled by road to Mumbai and said that they would catch a train to their destination as their travel was urgent," Sadikot told TOI.
He added that none of the airline ground staff were present, and a third party was coordinating with the flyers. "They were rude and not providing proper answers. Since I had to travel urgently, I finally decided to fly to Ahmedabad and then go to Bhavnagar," he said.
The airline, however, claimed that information about this cancellation was provided in advance to flyers. "SpiceJet flight SG-1079 scheduled to operate from Pune to Bhavnagar at 7.55am on Tuesday was cancelled due to operational reasons. Passengers were informed more than 10 hours in advance about the cancellation. Affected passengers were given an option of travel on the next available flight or a full refund. Inconvenience caused to the passengers is deeply regretted," an airline spokesperson told TOI.