New Delhi/Mumbai, April 27 (IANS) Hundreds of passengers were left high and dry as at least 46 Air India flights were cancelled after 600 Air India pilots, who were with the erstwhile Indian Airlines, went on strike demanding better pay and working conditions.
"I had to leave for an official engagement to New Delhi early this morning. My Air India flight was cancelled due to the pilots' strike. I had no option but to pay the last minute fare for another airline as it was important to attend the meeting," said Anukul Bhavsar, a communications professional in Mumbai.
 
 At least 36 flights from New Delhi and 10 from Mumbai were cancelled due to shortage of pilots to fly them.
 
 Another Mumbai passenger who had promised his parents a pilgrimage to Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh missed his flight to Hyderabad.
 
 "My flight to Hyderabad was cancelled, because of which we eventually missed the flight to Tirupati," said Yashesh Mehta, an administration professional.
 
 "We are trying to figure out a way and might have to postpone the plan," he added.
 
 Several others going on vacations were seen making frantic enquiries for tickets with other airlines.
 
 It was an equally messy scene at the swanky T3 terminal in Delhi from where Air India flights operate.
 
 Anuj Razdan, a professional, said he was to go to Jammu Wednesday for an official assignment and had no idea that his flight has been cancelled until he reached the airport.
 
 "I was given no information about the cancellation of my flight or any alternate arrangement by the airlines. Obviously, I was taken aback when I reached the airport and was told that my flight is cancelled," Razdan said.
 
 "After waiting for some time, an official told me that I need to go to the other terminal where some kind of alternate arrangement will be made. I have already missed an important meeting because of all the confusion but I hope that I can at least reach Jammu today so that I can get some work done," he added.
 
 Similarly 24-year-old Nithi Nigam, who had to travel from Delhi to Mumbai on AI 659, said that there was no information from the airlines about the cancellations.
 
 "It's shocking. There was no information from the airline. I arrived here at T3 and got to know that the flight has been cancelled. There are others as well who had to face a similar situation," she said.
 
 Similarly, scores of passengers bound for various destinations were compelled to cancel their travel plans.
 
 Two Air India flights from Bangalore, one to Hyderabad and the other to Thiruvananthapuram, were also cancelled, a spokesperson said. However all the 182 passengers were accommodated in other airlines.
 
 Air India operates 17 flights out of Bangalore. 
 
 The pilots' strike was called Tuesday midnight. Till Wednesday morning, Air India had managed to operate 10 flights from Mumbai by roping in the services of executive pilots.
 
 The pilots, owing allegiance to the Indian Commercial Pilots Association of the former Indian Airlines which merged with Air India, have struck work demanding parity in pay with the Air India pilots and issues related to working conditions.