An Indian-origin man, settled in New Zealand, recently expressed his frustration over a chaotic 52-hour-long travel experience during an emergency trip to India. Hardik Ahuja shared the harrowing details of the incident on LinkedIn. In a lengthy post, Ahuja shared that he had flown to India to visit his grandfather in the intensive care unit (ICU). What was meant to be a brief one-week trip turned into a "nightmare" on his return journey to New Zealand, due to repeated flight delays, fuel shortages, and airport mismanagement. Calling out IndiGo, Qantas, travel agency BYOJet, and Changi Airport, he described the experience as “complete mismanagement and negligence.” “What was supposed to be a one-week emergency trip to see my grandfather, who had been in ICU, turned into a 52-hour nightmare journey back home to NZ – all thanks to the complete mismanagement and negligence of IndiGo (InterGlobe Aviation Ltd), Qantas Qantas Business Rewards, BYOJet (a Flight Centre Travel Group New Zealand Centre subsidiary), Changi Airport Group, and the Civil Aviation Authority,” Ahuja wrote. “I’m not here to rant or defame – but if you’re planning to book with these companies, please read this. This is a call for action, accountability, and decency in how passengers are treated,” he wrote. Ahuja began his journey on April 11, when his grandfather, who had suffered a heart attack, stroke, and pneumonia, was in critical condition in the ICU. "My flights from Christchurch to Melbourne and Melbourne to Singapore were fine," he said. However, things quickly went downhill when his IndiGo flight from Singapore to Delhi was delayed by over 10 hours. During this time, Ahuja says passengers were mistreated, given no support, and left uncertain with no care from the airline. “We had no choice but to book a last-minute flight with Singapore Airlines, spending $2,400 NZD (Rs 1,22,412, approximately) just to get to Delhi in time. We had to pay the price for their chaos,” he said in the post. The return journey was even worse. Ahuja mentioned that BYOJet never confirmed their itinerary. "We didn’t even know we were flying on the 20th instead of the 19th until the day before 11th April," he wrote. Despite arriving four hours early at Delhi airport, they faced long delays. “There were just three counters open for all IndiGo flights. It took us two hours just to check in. The flight was delayed again. We sat in the plane, in uncomfortable seats, without air conditioning, waiting to take off,” Ahuja wrote. The in-flight experience also left much to be desired. "The only meal on a 6+ hour flight? A cucumber and cheese sandwich, mango juice, and a few makhanas. Unbelievable," the LinkedIn post read. Then came the most shocking part of the ordeal. Mid-flight, passengers were informed that they didn’t have Air Traffic Control clearance to land in Singapore and that the aircraft didn’t have enough fuel to keep flying. The flight had to make an emergency landing in Kuala Lumpur. "We were kept on the plane in KL for 2 hours, then flown to Singapore – nearly 9 hours after leaving Delhi. Meanwhile, our Qantas connecting flight to Melbourne had already left. 20+ of us missed it, and it wasn’t held," he wrote. Rebooked for a flight 25 hours later, Ahuja’s problems didn’t end there either. On arriving at the Changi Airport four hours early for the next flight to Sydney, he faced more delays. "On April 21st, we arrived at Changi Airport 4 hours before our new flight to Sydney. After waiting in line for 15 minutes, the Qantas ground staff gave us one final slap in the face," he wrote. They were told that, since they were travelling to New Zealand, they needed a return ticket. Despite showing proof of permanent residency, their passports and tickets were taken away, and they were held until clearance came through. “I broke down. I truly asked myself – why did I ever book with Qantas?” he wrote. “It wasn’t a vacation. This was a medical emergency, and we were failed at every step. This cost us not just money, but mental peace, time off work, and dignity,” he concluded his post. See here. Responding to the post, IndiGo wrote, “Mr Ahuja, we sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to you. Please share your contact details with us via DM so we may get in touch to address this.”
