Tillotama Shome criticises Air India after almost 9-hr delay, airline apologises

New Delhi: Actor Tillotama Shome on Sunday complained that Air India didn't inform passengers that its Mumbai-London flight was late by 8.5 hours, with the airline saying it sent out a notification about the delay on the registered phone number and regretted inconvenience caused.

The actor was travelling with a patient, set to receive treatment at a London hospital, who was at the airport from 2 am for the 5.15 am flight.

Shome, who was last seen in "Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper", accused the airline of "zero accountability" and offering "no solutions".

"AI 129. @airindia flight to Heathrow. Delayed as of now from 5.15 am to 10am. No message, no calls from the airlines to notify passengers of the delay. Upon contacting AI, all they can say is sorry..." she wrote on X.

AI 129. @airindia flight to Heathrow. Delayed as of now from 5.15 am to 10am. No message, no calls from the airlines to notify passengers of the delay. Upon contacting AI, all they can say is sorry. Zero accountability and no solutions offered. India's official airline

— Tillotama Shome (@TillotamaShome) October 6, 2024

"@airindia WHY do you NOT inform your customers that your flight is delayed and that too by 8.5 hours!! Not one message, not one call," she added.

In response, the airline said the staff was doing "everything to minimize the inconvenience".

"For any real time assistance, the passengers are requested to reach out to them." After the check-in, Shome said the passengers were informed that the flight was further delayed by 3.5 hours. The total delay was 8.5 hours.

"Ma'am, the notification about the delay was sent out on the registered phone number. Also, our team on the ground has been actively communicating with the passengers to offer assistance and provide real-time updates about the situation. We regret the inconvenience caused to you," the airline said.

In another post, Shome tagged Air India and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) India, alleging that the passengers were provided no hotel to sleep, no alternative flight options, with luggage checked in.

She also asked the airline to suspend operations "until you get your act together".

"@DGCAIndia what is the way forward? How are we being compensated for this delay? Awaiting your response. Sincerely, A concerned and exhausted citizen," she wrote.