The newly modernised international terminal may be swanky, but a few old issues continue to plague flyers. Passengers said the prolonged wait to collect their baggage after a long-haul flight had become a tiresome exercise.
Usually, when flights are parked away from the terminal (in the remote bay), there is a delay in collecting the baggage at the arrival hall. P. Rajendra Kumar, who often travels abroad, said he had faced this issue twice last month when he returned to the city. “I waited for almost an hour to collect my baggage. It is taxing to stand for such a long time to pick up baggage. The terminal looks new and has a nice feel to it, but these issues need to be fixed,” he added.
Officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said there are three baggage handling services available currently, equipped with the latest equipment to facilitate quick delivery of baggage. “These instances of delays are very rare and happens only when the flight gets parked in the remote bay. But we are planning the schedule better to ensure that there is no bunching of flights (flights arriving around the same time). We are looking at feedback constantly and taking measures to avoid issues for passengers,” an official said.
S. Venkat, a frequent flyer, said he faced this issue in the domestic terminal too, especially when he takes an evening flight. “When a few flights land at the same time, I have seen this happen to me. I have received my baggage after waiting for nearly half an hour to sometimes forty-five minutes for a domestic flight. This is unfair and has to change,” he added.
Some passengers posted about the issue on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter). Shyam Arunachalam, a passenger, posted: “@MaaAirport17042 @aaichnairport @AAI_Official baggage delivery is consistently delayed in Chennai Airport. It takes anywhere between 40-50 minutes from the time of arrival. Immigration at Chennai is super efficient while the baggage delivery is the opposite.”
Published - November 03, 2023 07:35 pm IST
