A visually impaired woman, who was traveling solo on a Vistara flight from Delhi to Kolkata, found herself "neglected" and left unattended long after the other passengers had disembarked, as revealed by her son on Sunday.
Ayush Kejriwal took to Instagram to share a video outlining the incident, wherein his mother sounded the alarm after realizing that the cleaning crew had boarded the plane, yet airline officials had seemingly forgotten to assist her in deplaning.
Expressing his discontent towards the airline, Ayush Kejriwal captioned the video with a direct address to Vistara Airlines, questioning their responsibility toward disabled passengers placed under their care and supervision during travel. His caption read, "@vistara Airlines, how could you put my blind mother in danger like this?! Are you not responsible for taking care of disabled passengers who are left under your supervision and assistance whilst traveling?! SHOCKING!"
According to Ayush, upon the flight's arrival in Kolkata, his mother was instructed to await assistance while other passengers disembarked. However, despite waiting for an extended period of around 20 to 25 minutes, no one came to her aid. Her concern deepened when she realized that the cleaning staff had boarded the aircraft. Fearing she might be inadvertently left behind on the flight bound for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, she raised an alarm, ultimately resulting in her safe removal from the aircraft.
Ayush emphasized that this incident occurred despite having opted for an assisted travel plan for his mother. Expressing his disappointment with Vistara's lack of response, he stated that they had contacted the airline seeking an explanation and offering feedback to prevent similar occurrences in the future, but had not received any response. He underlined the gravity of the situation, stressing that it posed a significant danger to his mother, who is scheduled to make a return journey from Kolkata to Delhi in the coming days.
In response to the video, Vistara left a comment on Ayush's Instagram post, expressing deep regret for the ordeal and emphasizing their commitment to high service standards. They assured him that customer well-being, safety, and security were their top priorities, urging him to provide them with case reference numbers and booking details for further investigation.
The video has garnered numerous comments from viewers, with many expressing their sadness and concern over the incident.
