Mad scramble for seats as US skies clear

CHENNAI: The airlines here have announced normal operations to the airports on the east coast of the US after they reopened to traffic on Monday. The airports were closed ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irene. However, the passengers who were on the cancelled flights during the last three days are scuttling for seats as flights are chock-a-block.When many passengers checked for seat availability on Monday morning, they did not have many options as airlines were yet to decide on whether to operate additional flights. Providing seats for passengers on seat availability basis in the existing flights have left many of those on cancelled flights in a fix. Rekha, a mother of two, was supposed to fly to the US on August 27. But she did not, as the Jet Airways cancelled its flight in the wee hours of the day. “Today when I went to book a ticket again, the supervisor at the Jet Airways’ ticketing office in Egmore informed me that seats were not available. He said I might get a seat if I went to the airport and if I was lucky enough,” she said.Many passengers have been stranded at hub airports of various airlines. “Passengers have been waiting for 10 hours at Brussels airport hoping they could get into the next flight. Similar is the case in Frankfurt, Munich and London airports,” said an airline insider.Sources at the airport said many US-bound passengers have cancelled the tickets, re-booked or taken the rerouting option with the airlines. “That is why airlines are not willing to operate additional aircraft. It is not commercially viable. A lean flight from here and an empty one during return journey — both are not economical,” said a commercial manager with the Jet Airways.Another passenger Rinkoo was offered a tentative booking for September 1 when her August 28 flight was cancelled. However, when she showed the ticket to a sales official at the airline counter, he said it was not confirmed and that she was on the waiting list. “My kids and I are stranded here. I contacted the call centre almost 20 times in the day without any confirmation on the tickets so far,” she said.