Flight de;ays are quite common because the airlines are too busy raking in the increased revenue.
PESHAWAR: Why is it that year after year, umrah passengers from Pakistan continue to get a raw deal? Not only from their own airline but also the Saudi-based one that flies them to the Holy Land? This year was no different with news channels running tickers for almost two days highlighting the plight of passengers stuck in Jeddah because of mismanagement on the part of the Saudi-based airline. Every year, because of the spike in the number of passengers and due to increased fares, the airlines involved in taking the umrah visitors to the Holy Land make a considerable amount of money.
Delays on flights are quite common, and can last as much as 12 hours and this continues every year because the passengers do not have an effective lobby and the airlines are too busy raking in the increased revenue.
Gull Zaman
Published in The Express Tribune, September 5th, 2011.
