For the fifth consecutive day on Saturday, Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport descended into chaos as IndiGo's continued flight cancellations left thousands of passengers stranded. What started as a major inconvenience rapidly transformed into a costly and frantic scramble for any available mode of transport, with airfares on other carriers reaching astronomical levels.
Skyrocketing Fares and Desperate Alternatives
The immediate fallout of the cancellations was a brutal surge in air ticket prices on other airlines. Routes that typically cost between Rs 4,000 and Rs 6,000 witnessed jaw-dropping increases. Passengers reported fares shooting up to Rs 18,000, Rs 22,000, and even Rs 50,000 for last-minute bookings, putting air travel out of reach for many.
"It felt like the airlines knew we were desperate," shared Priya Raman, a tech professional needing to reach Chennai for an urgent family matter. She saw a ticket priced at Rs 5,500 one day leap to Rs 19,800 the next. With no affordable flights, Raman booked a taxi for Rs 8,000, noting that drivers were charging round-trip rates due to the lack of return passengers.
This exodus from the airports flooded bus stands, taxi counters, and railway stations. Bengaluru's outstation bus services were overwhelmed, with operators quietly hiking fares. Private cab aggregators charged between Rs 8,000 and Rs 15,000 for intercity trips, double the normal rate. Sravya Kondapalli, stranded at the airport for nearly six hours, paid Rs 12,500 for a cab to Hyderabad. "The driver himself told me he had never seen demand like this in his 10 years on the road," she added.
Emotional Toll and Human Stories Amidst the Crisis
The crisis was not just logistical but deeply personal. One of the most heart-wrenching scenes unfolded at the airport, where a young woman sat on the floor clutching a small urn containing her father's ashes. Her IndiGo flight to Haridwar, scheduled for December 5 at 11:45 AM, was cancelled without prior notice when she scanned her ticket at the gate.
"If IndiGo had informed me earlier, I wouldn't have come here like this... carrying my father's ashes," she said, her voice breaking. With rituals planned for Sunday and relatives en route from Rajasthan, she faced alternative flight costs of Rs 60,000 and no available seats for three days. "What do we do now? Do we risk driving from Bengaluru to Haridwar with his ashes?" she asked, as fellow passengers offered comfort.
Overwhelmed Ground Transport and No Clear Resolution
With air travel unaffordable, ground transport systems buckled under the pressure. Trains were packed beyond capacity, with passengers without reservations squeezing into general compartments. A young couple travelling with a toddler stood for four hours on the Kacheguda Express before finding a seat. "We just wanted to leave the city. Anything was better than being stuck at the airport with no clarity," they said, explaining they had to negotiate with railway officials for help.
The situation highlighted a severe lack of contingency planning and communication from the airline, leaving passengers to fend for themselves in a seller's market. The collective sentiment was captured by the grieving daughter: "The people here are showing humanity... but the airline is not responding to anything." As the cancellations stretched into day five, Bengaluru's travel ecosystem remained in disarray, with passengers paying a heavy financial and emotional price.
