For countless Indian families, a wedding is the most meticulously planned and emotionally charged event. However, a wave of flight disruptions from one of the country's largest carriers has turned these joyous occasions into scenes of distress and disappointment. The ongoing operational meltdown at IndiGo airlines has unexpectedly made weddings its most poignant casualty, leading to missed ceremonies, frantic outfit hunts, and a trail of lost luggage containing precious attire and jewellery.
A Trail of Missed Milestones and Missing Bags
The crisis, which began with widespread delays and cancellations, has snowballed into personal disasters for travellers. Mohul Chowdhry, 30, faced a harrowing journey from Bengaluru to Kolkata on December 3 for her cousin's wedding in Naihati. Her flight was cancelled while she was en route to the airport, rescheduled for the next day, and then delayed by nearly 24 hours. She finally flew out on Friday evening, only to realise she had missed the wedding entirely. To compound her misery, her checked-in luggage vanished. "All my expensive clothes and jewellery are there," Chowdhry lamented. With another wedding on December 11, she faces the embarrassing prospect of buying or borrowing everything anew if her bags don't arrive.
Similarly, Sheenu Saini, 24, a Delhi resident, had her December 4 ticket rescheduled three times before she reached Kolkata on Saturday—without her luggage. She missed her sister's wedding on Friday. After spending Sunday searching the airport for her bag, caught between conflicting information from the airline and ground staff, she had to attend the reception in jeans and a T-shirt bought that morning. "I fly back on Monday. I don't know how I'll ever get my bag," she said.
Virtual Receptions and Borrowed Clothes: The Surreal Fallout
The scale of the disruption is magnified by the sheer volume of weddings during the season. An estimated 46 lakh weddings are scheduled across India between November 1 and December 14, involving nearly 92 lakh travellers. The fallout has taken surreal turns. In Hubballi, Karnataka, a newlywed couple stranded in Bhubaneswar was forced to attend their own reception virtually, leaving guests to celebrate with a screen instead of the couple on stage.
Pre-wedding celebrations have not been spared either. Rimisha Das, a student from Kolkata, missed her best friend's bachelorette in Goa and even the actual wedding on Saturday, while friends from other cities managed to arrive. For Tilak Ganguly, 67, from Ahmedabad, a delayed flight from Bengaluru to Kolkata meant attending a wedding in borrowed clothes after his, his daughter's, and son-in-law's luggage failed to arrive.
A National Headache During the Busiest Season
The situation highlights a severe breakdown in airline operations during the country's peak travel period. The consequences extend beyond inconvenience, striking at the heart of familial and cultural obligations. Passengers are left dealing with:
- Missed once-in-a-lifetime events like sibling's weddings.
- Significant financial loss from missing expensive wedding outfits and jewellery.
- Emotional distress and embarrassment at having to borrow clothes, sometimes even from the bride and groom.
- A frustrating lack of clear communication and accountability from the airline regarding lost luggage.
As the wedding season peaks, the ripple effects of these flight disruptions continue to spread, turning what should be a time of celebration into one of anxiety and logistical nightmares for families across India.
