Our Air India flight(AI47) from Cochin was scheduled on 3rd April at 8:00pm.
Our complete route was scheduled as Cochin-Delhi-Vienna.
At 1:08pm the same day we got a call from UAE Exchange(our travel agency) to report at the Cochin Airport at 4:00pm as the flight(AI47) was rescheduled to 5:00pm the same day
and we reported the international airport at 3:30pm.One of the Air India’s staff told us we have to report at the domestic airport.They told us the the flight was changed to AI478 and we will be taken to Delhi at 8:00pm and I requested there to check in our luggage directly to Vienna as our connected flight AI6034(Austrian Airlines) scheduled at 1:35am on 4th April,may leave if we reached Delhi late.They told us that it cannot be done as they have no responsibility on us after we reached at Delhi,also they told us that it cannot be done because from Delhi we took a different airline.It is to be noted that the Austrian Airlines tickets we got were booked as Air Indian tickets from which it is clear that they have responsibility on us till we reached Vienna.Later our route was changed as Delhi-Dubai-Vienna because we lost our connected flight at Delhi(It is mentioned later).At Delhi the Air Indian staffs checked in our luggage directly to Vienna.From Delhi we got an Air Indian flight to Dubai.It is to be noted that from Dubai we were to take Austrian Airlines to Vienna.It means at Cochin the staffs could have checked in our luggage directly to Vienna.
After check in at Cochin we waited for boarding which was to be done at 7:00pm.
But it was delayed.After a heated argument on this delay with the Air Indian staffs we told them to call their manager for an explanation.These staffs left and we waited for the manager to arrive.Even after 15 minutes of waiting no one arrived for our help.We requested the security to call the Air Indian staffs.After 5minutes of waiting a staff arrived who told the flight will be delayed further,but we got no explanation on it.So we told the staff to call the manager.He arrived there and told us that the flight had some technical issues and assured us that the flight will surely leave at 8:30pm,which we believed.But we who had the connected flights were afraid whether we would get the connected flights as we would be arriving at Delhi late.To this the staff replied that they had already passed a message to the Air Indian staffs at Delhi to provide support for us at Delhi to get us the flight at the right time, also they told that they passed a message to Austrian Airlines to wait for us ad told us that they got an assurance that the flight would wait for us further a 30 minutes which we believed.The boarding time was changed to 8:00pm and it started only at 8:15pm.we got in the flight by 8:30 and the flight took off only at 9:00pm.
The total travel time was estimated as 3hrs10min.and the journey took only 2hrs50min.So we believed we would get the connected flight easily.But we had to collect the luggage,the luggage started to come out after a 30 minutes waiting,which caused us to miss the connected flight.After the luggage collection we searched for the Austrian Airlines counter for check in.But it was already closed.When we reached there there was no Air Indian Staff to assist us. When we enquired about this at the Air Indian assistance counter ,they told us that they havenot recieved any message from Cochin,then only we understood that we were being played with by the Air Indian staffs and authorities.It is to be noted that we could have got the connected flight if our luggage was checked in direcly to Vienna.This delay and worst service has caused great difficulties for us which made us to stay at Delhi one night and we only got another flight next day at night and we only reached Vienna one day later than it was predetermined.We also experienced similar service from Air Indian authorities at Delhi but a little better than compared to that at Cochin.

At Delhi they arranged a flight to Frankfurt and a connected flight to Vienna .The Frankfurt to Vienna flight was Lufthansa.The Frankfurt flight was scheduled on 1:35pm on 4th April.We got the ticket printout of this flights the night we reached Delhi and got a room booked at a hotel to stay that night.On morning we arrived at the airport at10:00am to check in.When we reached there we were told that the Lufthansa flight cannot be taken as the Lufthansa staffs are on strike.So the Air Indian staffs arranged us another set of flights.They changed our route again as Delhi-Dubai-Vienna.They arranged us an Air Indian flight to Dubai and an Austrian flight
to Vienna and gave us boarding passes.We were told to wait at the lounge and report at 3:00pm.When we reported at 3:00pm they told us to wait another one and a half hour,because the flight was overbooked and our seats aren’t confirmed.Earlier we got our boarding passes and now they are telling that our seats aren’t confirmed.After another heated argument they got us checked in.The flight to Dubai was scheduled at8;45pm.It was also delayed. Passengers were frustrated and got angry towards the staffs.They boarded us to the flight and the flight only started one hour later than its predetermined take off time.

We reached Dubai only one hour prior to the departure time of the Austrian Airlines flight and immediately went for check in.Our Air Indian tickets said we could take 20kg of luggage for one person.As we consisted of three persons we had the right to carry a total luggage of 60kg.We had four pieces of luggage which totally weighed below 60kg.But the Austrian Airlines denied to take the four pieces of luggages,they told us we could only take three piecesof luggages with us and for any extra piece we would have to pay 150 Euros.We hadn,t got that much money with us and when Air indian authorities were called they told that they won,t help us and told pay the amount.
This incidents took much time and the boarding was just about to close.We went to the boarding section of Austrian Airlines and requested them to kindly help us.They immediately called their officials and arranged us seats on the same flight within a matter of minutes.They did a great service for us.They got us on the flights and told us that because we were late,they couldnot send our luggages on that flight and made arrangements to send the luggage on the next flight .But we hadn’t got the luggage till date.All these problems are caused only due to the irresponsibility of Air India.We weren’t told about the piece system of luggage by Air India,this caused the problems at Dubai.If Air India had denied to take the luggage at Cochin itself we could have sent one piece back to our home at that time as it was possible for us at that time and it wasn’t possible for us at Dubai.

Through this mentally and physically sufferings my children got fever.We had to suffer badly due to all this.We ask to take proper action against these worst service and compensate our sufferings and kindly ask to avoid such kind of problems in the future.
Copy to Minister of Pravasi , Aviation,Consumer court.

Yours faithfully,
Kurisunkal Martine.