A spike in airfare might result from Vistara’s cancellations

Passengers are either choosing to cancel their tickets with Vistara voluntarily or are compelled to book on other airlines at the last minute after the airline formally announces the cancellation of several flights this week, in addition to the significant delays that travelers are experiencing on the flights that are operating.

According to travelers who posted about their suffering on social media, flying has become a costly proposition these days.

The following flights on Vistara were canceled: Delhi-Srinagar, Delhi-Indore, Mumbai-Kochi, and Bengaluru-Udaipur. Because the airline releases daily information on cancellations, this is subject to change.

Hospital safety expert Ashwin Siddaramaiah, who works out of Bengaluru, said this on social media: “I had to pay Rs 16,000 to arrange a ticket from Delhi to Bangalore since the trip I had paid for at 7500 was canceled by Vistara. I hope everything is ok at @Tatacompanies.

This is the question that a traveler from Delhi, going by the handle Post Master on X, sent to Vistara: Are you guys paying back customers for canceled flights? When, too?”

Ankur Deshmukh, a different passenger, described the terrifying experience he and his companions had on the Vistara UK-864 aircraft on Apil 1 from Bengaluru to Mumbai after the unexpected post-midnight delay and cancelation. He spoke about how they were having financial difficulties since they had to arrange a different ticket with IndiGo.

These are a few examples of people venting their rage at X.

Ajay Prakash, a board member of the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality, said to TNIE that “customer behavior has already changed—passengers are already avoiding Vistara and searching for other options. Although it is too soon to determine the impact on rates, any reduction in capacity would inevitably affect the already high fares. We may see a return to family road trips to closer locations if the problem is not handled quickly, which would not be good for the approaching summer vacation.

“The cancellation has caused disruption and the travelers do get hassled, but as far as the impact on airfares is concerned, that is too early to say,” said Rajiv Mehra, head of the Indian Association of Tour Operators. Only two weeks would pass before the effects were recognized. People’s use of other airlines has affected Vistara’s advance booking business.

He said that because Vistara updates its route itinerary and cancelation policy every day, customers would be wise to visit their website.

“It affected a few domestic Vistara travelers,” said Sandeep Arora, Director of Brightsun Travel. Nonetheless, the airline is managing it well by providing complimentary date adjustments and cancellations for the affected flights. Only internal travel was impacted, especially on routes like Bengaluru-Udaipur, Mumbai-Kochi, Delhi-Indore, and Delhi-Srinagar.”

Capt. Mohan Ranganathan, an aviation specialist, states that “it is the airline’s responsibility to make alternate booking arrangements for the passenger and bear any additional cost when the flight gets cancelled.” Rather, this place is being demolished by passengers, he said.

Regarding specific questions about canceled tickets, Vistara did not reply.

The airline claimed in a statement that it was treating the problem as if it were a war, and that in order to accommodate more passengers on some domestic routes, it has deployed bigger aircraft, including as the B787-9 Dreamliner TM and A321 Neo.

“We are contacting every client who was impacted by the cancellations and delays over the past weekend in order to provide appropriate reimbursements and compensation. Our on-time performance has increased to over 80% over the previous two days, indicating that the issue has already improved. By this weekend, we aim to have stabilized our operations for the remainder of April 2024,” the statement said.