Passengers scramble for refunds as Go First cancels services
Published: 07:05 AM,May 03,2023 | EDITED : 11:05 AM,May 03,2023
gofirst
India’s leading budget airline, Go First, has cancelled all its flights for three days (May 3-5) due to operational reasons. The airline operates services to Kannur and Mumbai in India from Muscat and all these flights have been cancelled.
“We regret to inform due to operational reasons, Go First flights scheduled for May 3-5 have been cancelled. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the flight cancellations. A full refund will be issued to the original mode of payment shortly. We acknowledge the flight cancellations might have disrupted your travel plans and we are committed to providing all the assistance we can,” the airline said in a statement.
Passengers have been complaining about the lack of response from the airline with its refund and cancellations page not opening for transactions. “You choose to cancel the flight due to operational concerns and besides requesting a refund and using a different airline. I need to rearrange my travel on the same day (urgent situation). Customer service, numbers are busy,” said one passenger seeking a refund.
Apart from cancellations, passengers have been also complaining about last-minute cancellations by the airline. “The helpline numbers are not functional,” said another passenger, while travel agents confirmed they have been getting calls for cancellations for flights even beyond May 5.
The Wadia-owned Go First suspended flights due to pending dues of oil marketing companies. Reports suggest that the airline’s cash flow has been seriously hit as it has grounded more than half of its fleet due to recurrent issues.
However, the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday said that Go First Airlines informed them that all flights will remain cancelled on May 3 and 4.
The non-supply of engines from Pratt & Whitney which powers its Airbus A320 neo aircraft has also led to the grounding of flights.
“We regret to inform due to operational reasons, Go First flights scheduled for May 3-5 have been cancelled. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the flight cancellations. A full refund will be issued to the original mode of payment shortly. We acknowledge the flight cancellations might have disrupted your travel plans and we are committed to providing all the assistance we can,” the airline said in a statement.
Passengers have been complaining about the lack of response from the airline with its refund and cancellations page not opening for transactions. “You choose to cancel the flight due to operational concerns and besides requesting a refund and using a different airline. I need to rearrange my travel on the same day (urgent situation). Customer service, numbers are busy,” said one passenger seeking a refund.
Apart from cancellations, passengers have been also complaining about last-minute cancellations by the airline. “The helpline numbers are not functional,” said another passenger, while travel agents confirmed they have been getting calls for cancellations for flights even beyond May 5.
The Wadia-owned Go First suspended flights due to pending dues of oil marketing companies. Reports suggest that the airline’s cash flow has been seriously hit as it has grounded more than half of its fleet due to recurrent issues.
However, the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday said that Go First Airlines informed them that all flights will remain cancelled on May 3 and 4.
The non-supply of engines from Pratt & Whitney which powers its Airbus A320 neo aircraft has also led to the grounding of flights.