A wedding reception in Ranchi turned into a logistical nightmare over the weekend, forcing a newly married couple to undertake an arduous road journey from Delhi after their IndiGo flight was abruptly cancelled. The incident highlights the severe travel disruptions faced by passengers amid ongoing airline operational issues.
From Sky to Highway: A Reception Rescue Mission
The groom's father, Nilkanth Jha, a resident of Karamtoli in Ranchi, recounted the stressful sequence of events. His son and daughter-in-law were scheduled to arrive in Ranchi on Thursday, November 30, via an IndiGo flight from Delhi. Their reception was planned for Saturday, December 2.
However, the family received a last-minute notification that their flight reservation had been cancelled. What followed was a period of extreme confusion and anxiety. The flight schedule kept shifting repeatedly, resulting in a delay that stretched for nearly ten hours. With no clear resolution in sight and the crucial family event looming, the couple made a decisive call.
They hired a car and embarked on the long road journey from the national capital to Jharkhand, finally reaching Ranchi in time for their own reception ceremony.
Guest Travel Plans Also in Disarray
The travel chaos was not limited to the newlyweds. According to family members, several guests who were invited to the celebration faced identical hurdles. Their original flight bookings on IndiGo were also cancelled without any prior notice, forcing them into a frantic search for alternative flights at short notice.
The lack of available tickets on other flights compounded the problem, leaving many struggling to reach Ranchi on time. Despite the immense uncertainty and last-minute scrambling, the determined guests managed to arrive in Ranchi by Saturday afternoon, just in time for the scheduled programme.
"They were supposed to come two days ago, but the cancellations and lack of available tickets created a lot of trouble," rued Nilkanth Jha. He expressed relief that everyone eventually made it, but noted the ordeal had put the family under tremendous tension, especially as guests had to book vehicles and arrived two days later than originally planned.
A Celebration Almost Derailed
The family explained the context of the celebration. The wedding ceremony had already taken place in Delhi on November 26. The reception in Ranchi was specifically planned so that both families and their local communities could celebrate together.
"The reception was planned for Saturday, assuming everyone would arrive smoothly. The delays made us anxious about coordinating everything," Jha added. The entire episode underscores how airline operational failures can have a cascading effect on personal milestones and important family gatherings, turning moments of joy into stressful ordeals.
This incident from Ranchi adds to a growing list of passenger grievances against airlines in recent times, where last-minute cancellations and poor communication have left travelers stranded and forced to seek expensive, inconvenient alternatives.
