A passenger at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on Tuesday claimed to have reached the terminal nearly two-and-a-half hours before departure, but missed his scheduled flight due to procedural delays at the airport. A video of the incident, showing the passenger's heated argument with an airline staff member at the check-in counter, is viral on social media.
In the video, addressing the airline staff, the passenger says, "He will not let us go even if we are ready to pay 4 kg allowance. Please take urgent action against this guy, and he needs to be behind bars."
The staff member appeared aggressive during the exchange and asked the passenger, "What will you do? You will find me outside and do what?" Other airport employees had to intervene to de-escalate the situation. The person recording the video claimed the staff asked them to lower the camera while the argument continued. The clip, shared by Karnataka Portfolio on X, has since sparked widespread discussion.
Frequent flyers flag growing congestion
Several users on X echoed concerns about peak-hour chaos at Bengaluru airport. One wrote:
"I have missed the flight too on Monday morning and was told by security staff to reach 4 hours before boarding time. Wow. Now I have to reach airport for 2 hrs and then 4 hrs before all this for my 2.5 hr flight journey. Realised BLR has traffic until you reach your seat."
Others cited long queues, slow security checks, and traffic snarls outside the airport as contributing factors. "Arriving 2.5 hours early and still missing a flight is unacceptable. If congestion and procedural delays are becoming routine, the airport needs to step up crowd management and communication," a second user said.
Divided opinions on accountability
While some criticised the staff’s behaviour, questioning airline training, others suggested the passenger may have been partly at fault. "Could this just be an absent-minded passenger who was late on his fault?" one comment read. Another called it “a fight over excess baggage.”
Airport authorities have not issued an official statement yet.
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