This Article is From Mar 02, 2012

80-year-old woman flier abandoned in wheelchair for 2 hours

80-year-old woman flier abandoned in wheelchair for 2 hours
Mumbai: For the last two months, an 80-year-old woman has been waiting for a reply to one seemingly simple question: why did an attendant -- who had been appointed for the express purpose of wheeling her out of the airport and into the arrivals section -- abandon her in her wheelchair for over two hours in the middle of a sprawling Mumbai airport, with no explanation?

The ordeal began for Bandra resident Hafsa Belgaumwala just minutes after her Jet Airways flight 9W537 touched down at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) on January 5. "I have a severe knee problem, and I had informed the airline in advance to provide me with a wheelchair when I'd arrive. I landed at 11.20 pm, and then the nightmare began."

"The wheelchair arrived half an hour late, after which the flight crew helped me reach the terminal building. From there, an attendant took over the responsibility to wheel me out. He took me forward for about two metres, and then abruptly left, promising to return in a moment. But he never did. I sat there in the middle of the airport, for two hours, with no idea what to do. After a two-hour-long wait, another attendant came, and I finally handed over my passports and tickets, so he could help me clear immigration," said Belgaumwala.

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"I just want to ask the airline why I was made to wait for so long. I have widely travelled with Jet Airways, but this is a nightmare I will never forget. I don't own a cell phone and could not establish contact with my relatives waiting outside the airport. Other travellers who were passing by did not come forward to help me. I had not expected such a setback, so I started getting anxious and restless. I only reached home at 4 am. I was in great pain by then, and couldn't sleep all day," added Belgaumwala.

On January 11, Belgaumwala filed a complaint with Grahak Seva, a Jaago Grahak Jaago initiative undertaken by the Consumer Affairs Ministry, but is yet to receive any response. "I have not received any reply from the consumer agency. I will wait for a few more days, and then decide my next course of action," Belgaumwala said.

The other side
In reply to an e-mail sent to the Jet Airways spokesperson, he said, "We need to check and verify facts and will then revert to you." They did not send any further communication in the next 24 hours.
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