Opinion ‘Your IndiGo flight is cancelled’: The words that nearly derailed my wedding
We all hope for a memorable wedding, I just didn’t expect mine to end up as aviation folklore
The IndiGo counters were so packed that asking a question felt impossible, and the internet lag only intensified the panic. 
Months of preparation had gone into planning the day of my wedding. Nearly a year was spent deciding on the food, the accommodation, the music and every last logistics. By the time December 3 rolled in, the wedding festivities were in full swing. We were set to marry in two days. My fiancé, family, and I were to meet in Delhi and board the same flight to Rajasthan — a symbolic start to our life together and the celebrations around it. But amid the airport’s usual bustle, we heard the words no one setting out for their wedding ever wants to hear: “Your flight is cancelled”.
In the beginning, I didn’t quite understand what was happening. But within minutes, frantic calls poured in from family, friends and vendors saying their flights had been cancelled, too. My parents, unassuming Marwaris who had thought they had taken care of every possible detail, looked devastated. This certainly wasn’t something they had accounted for even in their wildest nightmare.
IndiGo’s famous promise, “On time, every time”, collapsed exactly when it mattered most. To make matters worse, the airport ground staff seemed clueless about what lay in store for hapless passengers. They had no answers to our queries and no alternatives to offer. They seemed as helpless as we were. As people jostled, fought and argued, we were at our wits’ end trying to figure out how to save our celebrations. All our wisecracks about travelling on the national carrier seemed banal at that moment. Like many others we joined the queue seeking alternative reservations. But trouble is a great leveller. When I requested an urgent rescheduling because it was my wedding, I came to know four others had made the same plea. In moments of crisis, we often feel our suffering is unmatched. Suddenly, my problem didn’t feel so unique.
The departure board flickered like a warning signal — one by one, every IndiGo flight slipped into “delayed” and then “cancelled”. The IndiGo counters were so packed that asking a question felt impossible, and the internet lag only intensified the panic. The ticket prices of Air India, Akasa Air and Spice Jet skyrocketed in minutes, instantly deciding who would get to fly and who would remain stranded. In that moment, urgency and purpose meant nothing.
Hours crawled by as we waited for the re-scheduled flight. Passengers hovered over screens, refreshing apps obsessively; some yelled at the crew, some crowded near boarding gates, panic and anger thick in the air. I held onto my fiancé, whose calm helped me keep my cool, reminding me yet again that he was the one for me.
Amid all this, suggestions poured in from every possible acquaintance, exacerbating my parents’ worry: Switch airlines, drive instead, change the wedding venue. None of it was feasible or practical. And yet, amid this chaos, small bonds formed: Fellow brides commiserating, strangers sharing updates and food, a PJ or a meme.
Finally — it seemed like forever but it was only seven hours — we managed to get seats on Air India. It was as if a wave of relief passed through our group: We would make it to our wedding. Air India had saved the day for us.
We all hope for a memorable wedding, I just didn’t expect mine to end up as aviation folklore.
The writer is a sub-editor with indianexpress.com
nikita.mohta@indianexpress.com
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