SpiceJet mix-up at IGIA: Srinagar-bound woman lands in Pune | India News

NEW DELHI: A woman passenger booked to fly a SpiceJet Delhi-Srinagar flight Monday morning instead found herself in Pune. This mix-up happened as Wasifa Jan somehow boarded a Pune-bound SpiceJet flight without either the passenger or the airline realising the mistake. They realised the error after landing in Pune. “SpiceJet flew her back to Delhi on an IndiGo flight. And from here, she is being flown to Srinagar on a SpiceJet flight,” said sources.

A SpiceJet spokesperson said: “We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to the passenger. We have personally reached out to the affected passenger to offer our apologies and are arranging for her travel to Srinagar on Monday itself.”
Tagging DGCA, Wasifa Jan’s travel agent Tweeted: “My passenger was (Monday) travelling from Delhi to Srinagar (by) flight number SG 8963 but unfortunately my passenger has been put (on) the wrong flight by SpiceJet which arrived at Pune airport.”

This is at least the second instance of a passenger boarding a wrong domestic flight in the last six months. On January 30, 2023, a passenger booked to fly IndiGo from Delhi to Patna instead boarded a flight to Udaipur and landed in the city of lakes. In that case, boarding was happening via coaches and after scanning his boarding card at the right gate, the passenger boarded a bus taking flyers to the plane going to Udaipur. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation had sought a report from IndiGo in this case.
Officials across airlines wondering how these lapses happen as there are multiple checks to ensure such a thing — people boarding a wrong flight — does not happen. Boarding cards are scanned at the terminal when passengers heads to the aircraft whether by coach or aerobridge. When a coach takes passengers to aircraft, at boarding time the boarding card is re-checked at the ramp. And on aerobridges the same are scanned.