From March 1, Air India to stop non-stops to San Francisco from Mumbai, Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Air India will discontinue non-stop San Francisco services from Bengaluru and Mumbai from March 1, citing aircraft deployment challenges and higher costs due to airspace restrictions. The move has triggered confusion and concern among passengers from the two cities who have made bookings, particularly for travel beyond Feb 28.The Tatas-owned airline will, however, scale up its services from Delhi to San Francisco and Toronto to 10 flights a week. While the expanded Delhi services are expected to absorb some of the displaced demand, withdrawal of direct connectivity from Bengaluru and Mumbai is likely to inconvenience tech professionals and business travellers who rely heavily on non-stop links to the US West Coast.“The airline has made changes to its North America schedule to better deploy capacity and manage rising costs linked to ongoing airspace restrictions,” an AI spokesperson told TOI. Increase in Delhi-San Francisco and Delhi-Toronto flights are a part of the rejig.Passengers affected by withdrawal of Bengaluru-San Francisco and Mumbai-San Francisco routes will be re-accommodated on alternative services or offered full refunds. AI indicated the two services could be restored later. “Air India will seek to reinstate non-stop service from Bengaluru and Mumbai should airspace restrictions ease,” the spokesperson said.The words failed to allay worries. “I have flights booked on BLR-SFO (with return) in May and DEL-SFO (with return) on May 26. What do I do?” a passenger wrote on X.Others questioned the rationale behind the move, noting Bengaluru-San Francisco route is largely operated using Boeing’s long-range 777-300ER aircraft. “We booked months ago to avoid last-minute hassles – now, everything is uncertain,” said Nakul Tirtha, a Bengaluru-based techie. Another flyer posted: “I have family travel planned for May. What happens to our return tickets?” An AI official said they will reach out to affected flyers.