‘What is going on?’: Sam Dalrymple slams Air India over cancellation chaos at Delhi airport

For thousands of air travelers in India, flight cancellations are no longer just an inconvenience – they have become a test of patience, endurance and access to essential information. While airlines often cite fog, weather disturbances or operational problems, passengers say the real crisis begins after a flight is delayed or cancelled, when communication from airline staff simply disappears.

The recent travel chaos in major hubs like Delhi has exposed a deeper systemic problem across Indian airlines: a failure to inform passengers in a timely and transparent manner, leaving them stranded, confused and harassed for hours.

“I found out through the app”

To shed light on this debacle, historian, author and filmmaker Sam Dalrymple, based between Delhi and London, shared his ordeal with Air India in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Dalymple said he woke up at 3 a.m. for a 6 a.m. Air India flight from Delhi to Hyderabad (AI 2513), only to see the departure delayed repeatedly — one hour each time — over a 12-hour period. Ultimately, the trip was canceled completely.

He said that what shocked passengers most was the lack of airline staff to officially announce the cancellation.

“There was no staff to inform passengers that the flight was cancelled—we discovered this when someone logged into the app,” Dalrymple wrote. According to him, a lone female employee later tried to help passengers but equally appeared in the dark, because “higher officials did not tell her” what was happening.

From delays to luggage chaos

The ordeal did not end with the cancellation. Even 14 hours after the scheduled departure time, passengers were directed to the baggage claim area — only to face another layer of confusion, Dalymple said.

“Air India has somehow lost its plane… and we don’t know where our bags are,” he wrote, adding that some passengers were already waiting just four hours to get their luggage back.

In its response, Air India wrote: “Dear Mr. Dalrymple, We realize that turbulence is never ideal. The flight schedule has been affected due to poor visibility caused by dense fog in Delhi this morning. Please let us know if we can contact you to assist with the alternative flight subject to availability.”

In response to the airline, Dalrymple wrote: “The problem of seeing the flight at midday is over since all the other flights have been operated. The problem is that your ground staff have no idea what is going on and it has now taken about six hours to deliver our bags.”

Passengers left to find out

What frustrates travelers most is not the delay itself, but the lack of reliable information. Many passengers now rely on airline apps, social media or other travelers rather than official announcements.

The result is crowded stations, emotional turmoil, lost connections, elderly passengers without assistance, and families stuck overnight with no clarity on refunds, rebooking, or accommodations.

As Dalymple asked in his post, echoing a sentiment shared by countless travelers through Indian airports: “What’s going on?”

While IndiGo, India’s largest airline, has faced repeated criticism for mass cancellations and long delays during fog-thick winter mornings, passenger accounts suggest a lack of disruption to connections across airlines, including both full-service and budget airlines.

Aviation experts point out that although delays due to weather or air traffic congestion are inevitable, failure to inform passengers violates basic service expectations and regulatory guidelines. Civil aviation standards require airlines to clearly report delays, cancellations and alternative arrangements – but enforcement remains weak.