'Terrible service, no announcement, no clarity...': Mohandas Pai slams Vistara for last-minute flight delay

Former Infosys Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Mohandas Pai on Monday expressed his outrage over a delayed Vistara flight. In a post on X, Pai accused Vistara of delaying a Bangalore to Ahmedabad flight by two and a half hours, with a complete lack of communication towards passengers.

"@airvistara service sucks. 20mts before departure from BLR to AHMEDABAD . -10-30 am, they change the time of D to 1200 noon. No prior notice. Why did @vistara not message the delay? Terrible service, no announcement, no clarity," Mohandas Pai wrote on X.

According to Pai's post, the departure time for the flight was allegedly shifted by two and a half hours, from a scheduled take-off between 10:00 AM and 10:30 AM to a new noon departure.  He claimed that Vistara provided no prior notification or in-airport announcements regarding the delay, leaving passengers confused and frustrated.

Responding to the allegations, Vistara said that the flight UK574 was delayed due to operational reasons. "Hi Mohandas, we understand the inconvenience the delay has caused you. The flight UK574 was delayed due to operational reasons. No matter how hard we try to operate as scheduled certain delays are unprecedented. Additionally, the respective communications were shared on the registered contact details present on the PNR. We wish to assure you that we are trying our best to expedite the departure," Vistara wrote on X.

Vistara, jointly owned by Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, has experienced several flight delays and cancellations in recent days, the airline announced on Monday. The company assured passengers that its teams are actively working to address and stabilize the situation. 

A lot of irate passengers recently took to social media to complain about the long delays.

"Another Vistara flight delayed by an hour!. They have really adopted the Air India culture well," said Anshu Mor, a stand-up comic.

Historian and writer Vikram Sampath took to social media to express his frustration after his flight was cancelled at the last minute.

"Pathetic @airvistara ... mumbai blore flight 5 pm gets cancelled last min citing "operational reasons".. we change booking to morning 9 am. U announce boarding n then say "operational reason" it now leaves at 11. Do u even care for ur customers, their time, money? As a CV Gold member frustrated by ur poor service," Sampath wrote.

In early March, Vistara faced disruptions in flight operations at Delhi and Mumbai airports primarily due to a shortage of pilots. The airline is currently undergoing a merger with Air India following its privatization, with Singapore Airlines acquiring a 25.1% stake in the formerly state-owned carrier.