Acting on wrong information

Many passengers gathered for flight 401, which departed at eleven o’clock. Around 11:30 I went again to the counter. I said, “Now, tell me, when will the other plane arrive?”

The man said, “What are you saying? Flight 101 leaves from Bombay. Here it is 401.”

I said, “Your colleague told me that flight 101 will be later. Now you are saying he was wrong.”

The man said, “101 is from Bombay.”

I said, “It said 401. Mine was reconfirmed as 101.” I showed them the receipt even.

He said, “It is all over. At 11:00 the plane left for Bombay. From here it was 401. The flight number changes to 101 in Bombay.”

Such wrong information was on my ticket. When my friend called British Airways from Pondicherry, they could have told him at that time. The airport officials were saying to blame British Airways because they issued the ticket.

I said, “Why should I blame British Airways? When I reconfirmed here, at this counter, why did you not check it? When I first showed you my ticket, why did you not tell me that 101 is from Bombay but from here it is 401, even though my ticket says 101?”

Who can deal with these people? They said, “You can go and speak to the duty manager.” The duty manager was a fat lady. I told her everything, and she told me, “It is the fault of British Airways.”

I said, “How can it be? I came to India on British Airways, but I am going back on Air India. When I showed my ticket here at the Air India counter, they told me my flight was later. They could have informed me at that time that flight 401 becomes 101.”

The duty manager insisted, “No, it is not our fault.”

I said, “Somebody has to take the blame. If it is not your fault, then when I came before, at that time why did the man say 101 was later, instead of saying it goes from Bombay?”

She maintained it was not their fault. I said, “What can I do now?”

She said, “Tomorrow morning there is another flight at 7:15 from Bombay to London, but you will miss it. By the time you arrive in Bombay, it will be gone. I can give you a direct flight from here to London. You have to be here tomorrow morning. It leaves at half past seven.”