03 August 2023 , 08:31
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An airline passenger was shocked to find herself more than 1,000 miles from her planned destination when she got off the plane.
Wasifa Jan had been booked on a flight from the Indian capital New Delhi to Srinagar with SpiceJet. All seemed to be going well until she disembarked and found herself in the western city of Pune, which is just under 100 miles from the city of Mumbai.
Regrettably, it is also 1,066 miles from Srinagar, as the crow flies. Ms Jan was flown back to New Delhi and then travelled to her intended destination, the Times of India reported.
The passenger’s travel agent shared the story on Twitter, dubbing the incident “very unfortunate” and tagging India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation and SpiceJet in the tweet.
The plane passenger ended up in Pune (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Salem Ismail, managing director of Srinagar-based Wachubaaya Tours and Travels that helped Wasifa plan her trip, explained how the misplaced traveller had been taking so far from her original goal.
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“I received a frantic call from Wasifa around 12.30 pm and she told me she had reached Pune instead of Srinagar," he explained.
"She was sitting in front of the original boarding gate despite the flight getting delayed. She told me that a few of the airline’s ground staff approached her after a while and asked her to board the aircraft.
"She also sat in the same seat that was assigned to her on her original flight without realising that she had boarded a different aircraft. It is strange that none of the staff realised the error and allowed her to board."
A spokesperson for SpiceJet said that they had apologised to Wasifa and arranged for her to be flown home. The traveller is not the only person whose found themselves exiting a plane door to an entirely unexpected view.
Earlier this year an IndiGo passenger booked to fly to Patna in east India, but landed on the opposite side of the country having boarding the wrong aircraft. Just three months ago Beverly Ellis-Hebard who was trying to fly from Florida from Philadelphia accidentally ended up in Jamaica.
She had arrived at the Frontier Airlines gate for her flight from Philadelphia to Jackson on November 6, and noted that the board at the gate said PHL to JAX. Still recovering from back surgery and so not able to move as fast as usual, Beverly asked a staff member if she had time to pop to the bathroom before getting on the flight.
She recalled that the agent told he she had "about 20 minutes". But when she returned a short time later she found that the flight was almost fully boarded, with the door about to close. She was rushed through after a boarding agent checked the size of her bag.
Because she didn't have her passport with her - as Americans who travel domestically are not required to do - crew stayed with her in the air bridge before a plane was ready to take her back home.
A spokesperson for Frontier Airlines said they had refunded her original ticket and given her a $600 (£474) flight voucher. They said: "We sincerely regret that the customer was able to board the wrong flight and have extended our apologies. We have provided her with a refund and compensation as well as addressed the matter with airport personnel."