A SpiceJet flight from Pune to Kochi scheduled for 8am on Thursday was cancelled at the last minute, leaving passengers to rearrange their travel and, according to passenger accounts, spend more on alternative tickets. Travellers said they received no advance notice about the cancellation and faced difficulty obtaining assistance from the airline’s customer service channels.
The passengers had booked the Pune-Kochi service for travel to Kerala. One traveller told Loksatta that the ticket had been reserved nearly a month earlier for a planned eight-day trip beginning on November 12. The cancellation disrupted the itinerary and forced the passenger to make alternative arrangements.
The passenger said attempts to contact SpiceJet’s customer service centre did not receive a response. With the scheduled service unavailable, the traveller said another flight had to be booked at an additional cost. The account was provided on condition that the passenger’s name would not be published.
The incident also prompted complaints about repeated inconvenience at Pune Airport. Some passengers expressed anger on social media and alleged that deficiencies in planning were causing continuing problems for travellers using the airport. The report did not establish whether the cancellation was caused by an operational, technical, staffing or commercial issue.
The episode highlights the immediate dependence of air travellers on timely airline communication. When a flight is cancelled close to departure, passengers may have limited options to reach their destination, particularly when replacement fares are higher or alternative services are not readily available. In this case, the affected traveller said the lack of an effective response from customer service added to the disruption.
Pune Airport’s role as a key air connection for passengers travelling to other states makes schedule reliability and advance notification important operational issues. However, the available report does not provide the number of passengers affected, the airline’s explanation for the cancellation, whether refunds or alternate bookings were offered, or whether the flight was rescheduled.
Loksatta reported that Pune Airport director Santosh Dhoké was contacted by telephone for a response, but contact could not be established. No official explanation from SpiceJet or the airport authority was included in the report. Further clarification from the airline and airport authorities is awaited on the reason for the cancellation and the assistance provided to passengers.
