Last month, comedian and political satirist Kunal Kamra was banned by four domestic airlines for heckling a TV news anchor onboard a flight. However, it turns out that he is not the only one suffering due to the airline ban.
On February 3, Air India, one of those who suspended the comedian from flying with them, mistakenly cancelled the ticket of another Kunal Kamra, a resident of Boston who was in India to visit friends and family.
According to an India Today report, Kamra went through a harrowing experience while trying to fly from Jaipur to Mumbai with the airline. He was at the check-in counter of the Jaipur airport to catch an Air India flight to Mumbai, when he learnt that his ticket has been cancelled.
“I was told that my PNR was cancelled and when I asked them why, they said that my name had been blacklisted. I knew why the other Kunal Kamra was blacklisted, but I did not understand why particularly I was blacklisted,” he said.
Kamra said that though the Air India ground crew helped him sort out the issue, it was an ordeal nonetheless, and something that could have been averted. Kamra added: “I had ample time before the flight, so everything was sorted out eventually. Another ticket was issued to me quickly, but it was still annoying to prove my identity and establish that I am not the blacklisted comedian.”
Kamra had to produce two identity cards to prove his identity. He said that the entire situation was confusing as he had to seek clearance from both Jaipur airport security staff and Air India staff before boarding the flight.
"While the airline was satisfied with a copy of my Aadhaar card, the security staff were convinced only when I displayed my American ID," said Kamra.
The harrowed flyer also mentioned that he was not notified about the cancellation nor did anyone explain to him why his ticket got cancelled. The report went on to say that it would be problematic if the airlines start cancelling peoples’ tickets just by virtue of their name, because there might be several people by the same name.
The report quoted Air India spokesperson Dhananjay Kumar, who clarified that his name was auto rejected because of the ban on his namesake.
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