Man reaches Mumbai airport 2 hours before SpiceJet flight, still misses it

A SpiceJet passenger claimed that a sudden timing change left him stranded at Mumbai airport. The incident raised questions over passenger communication and ground management.A SpiceJet was preponed on such short notice that a passenger who came early missed it. (representational image from Pexels)New Delhi,Nov 2, 2026 16:04 ISTArriving at the airport well before departure is usually enough to avoid a last-minute travel nightmare. But one SpiceJet passenger claimed he did everything right, only to find himself stranded after his Mumbai-Delhi flight was preponed at short notice and he was marked a no-show. The passenger named Sarthak Choudhary blamed the airline’s handling of the situation, pointing to long queues, inadequate ground staff and a mere 35 minutes’ notice about the change in departure time.In a detailed post on X, Sarthak said he reached Mumbai airport at 9 pm for his scheduled 11:20 pm flight to Delhi. “Security refused entry, citing issues with SpiceJet flights, and directed passengers to the ticket counter. No explanation was provided,” he wrote. What followed, according to Sarthak, was a long wait at the counter, where hundreds of passengers were queuing up, with only one staff member attending to them. The situation became more frustrating when he received an SMS and email of the change.“At 9:45 PM, I received an SMS/email that my flight had been preponed to 10:20 PM. Just 35 minutes’ notice!” he said. By the time Sarthak reached the counter, he claimed, boarding had already begun, and the staff refused to help him. He further alleged that the counter was shut five minutes later, with the staff member leaving without offering an explanation.The ordeal did not stop there. At 11.50 pm, Choudhary said he received a notification from SpiceJet informing him that he had been marked as a “No-show”, despite having reached the airport before his originally scheduled departure.See the post here:The post triggered a debate on social media. While some users questioned why he had booked a SpiceJet flight in the first place, others criticised the airline over the alleged lack of communication and ground staff support. The incident also raised questions about how passengers are expected to respond to sudden changes in departure timings, particularly when they are already at the airport and trying to reach the counter.- Ends