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First of all let me thank Mr. Chopra for creating this platform where we can share our experiences of that troubled flight.

The entire incident, in general, has already been summarized in the previous posts. While we understand that a technical failure may happen at any time and that nothing can be done about it, the way the airlines authority responded to the situation is bound to raise a few eyebrows, to put it mildly. The lack of a well-thought of contingency plan was evident.

Firstly, the representatives seemed clueless about a solution to the crisis and could not guarantee anything when they were asked whether the flight would even take off the next day. While some of them appeared to be putting in their best efforts to help the stranded passengers and fix connecting flights, some did seem unconcerened and aloof. Then again, there was no point in releasing all our luggage in the middle of the night since we would be again checking them in the next day. It cost us a couple of hours to get hold of those suitcases thanks to a conveyor that kept on getting stuck. The shuttle service to the hotel was mediocre to say the least; and there were not enough shuttles plying to and fro. Once it so happened that the shuttle came, stopped for a few seconds and took off without picking up anybody, even though there was a bunch of people waiting for it outside in the cold. I was in the last shuttle to the hotel and we reached there at 5:30 in the morning.

The next day, even though they knew beforehand that effectively passengers of two flights would turn up for check-in in the afternoon, they seemed unprepared for the task. They had asked us to be there by 1:00 PM (we arrived before 12:30) but started checking us in after 2 o' clock. A lack of manpower was coupled with technical failures (a printer wasn't working, as was a computer) and inefficiency on the part of some of the personnels. They took a very long time to fix our connecting flights (for those whose final destination wasn't Delhi but somewhere else; mine for instance, was Calcutta) and many of us didn't even get any confirmation on those connecting flights. All this contributed to a further delay. Again, it was initially stated that all the passengers are being taken to Delhi through Brussels; but at Brussels it turned out that some (probably those who pressed hard enough) were granted direct flights to their respective destinations (Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai) directly from Brussels. This, surely was unfair to many other passengers who were travelling to the same places but were made to touch Delhi and take subsequent flights from there.

Having said all this, it would be unfair not to say a word of praise for those Jet representatives who put up a sincere effort in minimizing our trouble; Mr. Atul Joshi, for instance. Also, I, personally was satisfied with the treatment received at Delhi; and the delightful buffet dinner that was provided at 2:00 in the morning, after we arrived at the hotel (my connecting flight was the next morning). All in all, it was an interesting experience (though not of the kind which one would crave for) and the bright side was that we got to meet many people and made some nice new friends.