While the visible crowds at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) reduced by Friday night, the traumatic ordeal was far from over for hundreds of stranded flyers. The airport witnessed a systemic collapse in baggage handling, forcing passengers to spend agonising hours, some up to ten, searching through mountains of unclaimed luggage. Even as airline IndiGo continued to cancel flights, promises of refunds provided little solace for the mental stress and physical damage caused.
Passengers Turn Detectives in Sea of Abandoned Luggage
The scene at the baggage reclaim was described by travellers as chaotic and unbelievable for an airport of KIA's stature. UK-bound traveller Prakash Menon called it "an ocean of abandoned bags," with people climbing over piles in a desperate search. There was no functional system, queue management, or helpful announcements from the staff.
Dhanya Ravindhran, a passenger whose flight was cancelled, waited over eight hours for her baggage containing crucial camera gear for a professional shoot. "I kept asking the IndiGo staff, but they had no idea how to retrieve it. They simply said, ‘Madam, please wait' for hours," she recounted. Her persistence led her to discover a small opening near the conveyor tunnel, where she personally pulled out her luggage from a heap she estimated contained easily over 1,000 bags.
For 24-year-old student Anjana Ram, the delay turned into a panic attack. Her checked-in bag contained vital medications, and despite pleading with staff for priority retrieval, she was told they couldn't track individual bags. After a nine-hour wait, her suitcase arrived with the zipper split open, contents spilling out. "It was heartbreaking," she said.
Damaged Belongings and a System in Crisis
The chaos resulted in significant material damage for many. Software engineer Arif Khan, travelling to Jaipur, found his suitcase severely damaged after a seven-hour wait. "My bag looked like it had been thrown around. The wheels were broken, and no staff member could explain what happened," he stated, calling it the worst situation in IndiGo's operational history.
The crisis highlighted a glaring lack of preparedness. Travellers reported a complete breakdown in communication and logistics. Singer Ananya Prakash, whose short flight to Hyderabad was abruptly cancelled, took her frustration to social media. She highlighted the airline's indifference after being told her baggage, containing all her work equipment, might take two days to return. "The airlines are least bothered about passengers," she said, standing amid a sea of confused and tired people.
Calls for Urgent Overhaul of Airport Procedures
As the immediate crowds diminished, the incident left behind serious questions about crisis management. Passengers unanimously called for an urgent overhaul of baggage retrieval and passenger communication systems to prevent a repeat of the week-long disruption.
Refunds are not a solution for the mental trauma or physical loss, emphasised Prakash Menon. The collective experience of travellers like Dhanya, Arif, Anjana, and Ananya paints a clear picture: the system at KIA was utterly unprepared for a crisis of this magnitude, leaving passengers to fend for themselves in an unacceptable scenario.
