Overbooked GoAir flight delayed by more than an hour

MUMBAI: Bangalore-bound GoAir flight G8 325 was held up for more than an hour on Friday night after several passengers who boarded the flight discovered that the

MUMBAI: Bangalore-bound GoAir flight G8 325 was held up for more than an hour on Friday night after several passengers who boarded the flight discovered that the seats allotted to them were occupied.

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Though overbooking is common, flights are seldom delayed over fliers fighting over seats on board. “The scene was similar to travellers’ brawls seen on long-distance buses or sleeper trains,” said a passenger on board, requesting anonymity.

The crew asked some of the passengers who were allotted the overbooked seats — including two off-duty GoAir pilots — to disembark, said an eye-witness.

“The GoAir staff members travelling on vacation were offloaded to accommodate the passengers. This delayed the flight for 12 minutes. An additional 45-minute delay was due to air traffic control clearance,” said the GoAir spokesperson.

The flight left at 11:05 pm, though it was originally scheduled to leave at 9:45 pm. It reached Bangalore at 12:15 am.

The spokesperson confirmed the delay, but did not explain how its check-in staffers issued boarding cards for seats that were already taken.

“When a flight is overbooked, there are no chances of boarding passes being issued as the system doesn’t process the request. There seems to be a glitch in the system,” said an industry expert.

With 1,873 fliers denied a seat due to overbooking in May, such cases are highest during peak summer months.