My uncle and aunt were part of 26 members(sponsored by a company for those who's sales target reached, ) Group trip to Europe(Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and France) from July 20 to 31, 2024. (Onward from HYD to DEL to VIENNA(20th July))
The visa process was assigned to a travel company and the trip cost per person was around 6 Lacs. Visas were applied to each and everyone by the travel company and they got Schengen visas for 3 months with multiple entry and exit.
Long story ahead:
July 4th 2024: Visas got delivered to their respective addresses and my uncle and aunt visas got delivered to our maternal uncle address in Hyderabad coz Bluedart don't deliver to our village. Unfortunately my maternal uncle didn't check if everything is correctly printed on the passport(Who would expect that this blunder would happen to us?)
July 17th 2024, 9PM: They found that Husbands visa got printed in Wife's passport and vice versa(maybe due to same Surname, I guess)
Note: Remember the travel date is 20th July.
They informed the same to the tour operator, sponsoring company, me and others.
July 18th 2024, by 8.30AM they rushed to Hyderabad with preparations for visit to the embassy in Delhi(just in case) to get the issue rectified as the trip is just in 2 days.(i.e. 20th July 2024, morning 10AM flight to Austria via Delhi)
Before night(17th July), I tweeted, emailed the Austrian Embassy (the country that issued Schengen Visa) explaining the issue.
By 9 AM, we reached VFS global(from where the visa process was initiated)Hyderabad office and explained them the issue. Luckily we got the Austrian Manager, he understood the issue and called the Delhi Head office of VFS global and asked them if they can help here.(Remember we only have one working day before the trip i.e. July 19th), if something has to be done, it's to be done in a day.
By 10.30 or 11AM, 18th July we received a revert from the Austrian Embassy that to send the Passports back to Delhi to rectify the issue. Also, the info from the Austrian Manager came that the issue can be rectified, and for that the Passports need to be sent to Delhi. I asked them that I'll take them by flight(just to skip logistical challenges), they agreed for that.
I immediately booked a flight ticket to Delhi and tried to reach there by 5.30pm, unfortunately my flight got late(actually, the VFS Team from Delhi told that they can wait until 6PM same day) and I reached delhi at 6.30pm, July 19th.
I stayed at a friends room and the next day(July 19th 2024) I visited the VFS global head office in Delhi which is at Shivaji stadium metro station. If something is to be done the visa need to be corrected only in one day.
I along with the official from the VFS global head office visited Austrian embassy and submitted the passports in the Austrian embassy. They told it will take 2 hours. I waited outside for 2 hours till 12PM. No one came to me with an update. After sometime, I asked them about the status. No reply.
I went and talked to the under secretary there who informed me that it will take sometime. They took time until 4.30PM evening and said that the passports are ready to be collected.
Now the embassy team created a new issue stating that the passports can't be given to me(Huh, It's me who came all the way from Hyderabad and got them here to Delhi. They know this). And the passports need to be given to the holders of it only.
After some arguments, they said they need an authorisation letter from my uncle and aunt(we share same surname, coz my uncle is my father's brother). Luckily I got both their signatures on an A4 sheet before my travel only.
They verified those with the ones on the passport and handed the passports to me at around 6PM. Now the biggest task is to get them to Hyderabad (since their travel itinerary begins there).
Then came another obstacle.( In the meanwhile, when I was in embassy, My scooty was taken by Municipal corporation of Delhi due to wrong parking, which I recovered by paying 500Rs Fine)
If you remember, on 19th July 2024, there was mayhem in all the airports across the world due to Microsoft Update and Delhi airport was one of the affected airport.
I didn't book my return tickets to Hyderabad until the passports were given to me. After the passports were given to me, when I tried to book the tickets, the price from DEL to HYD is around 70.5k with Spicejet and 92.3k with Airindia while Indigo is the worst affected and no tickets with them.
I, immediately packed to airport from my friends room to get the tickets at the airport counter, and there was all chaos at the airport due to flight delays and cancellations.(Remember, I have to reach Hyderabad by next day morning at any cost to save the trip).
Finally my turn came at the spicejet and Air India counters at airport at 9PM, 19th July 2024. Spicejet said the only flight at 11.55PM was overbooked. AirIndia told the same.
I explained the Airindia team the situation and asked if they can send the passports to Hyderabad. They denied and told that 1 business class ticket was available for Rs. 61k at 2.30AM next day which will reach by 4.30AM 20th July 2024. I immediately told yes considering the situation.
I went inside the airport with this ticket some how, but hit an other obstacle that USA and Australia were cleared of the Microsoft error and India will be cleared in the next 4 hours and flights may get delayed by 4-6 hours.
I searched online and checked if there are any flights to Hyderabad and delayed. Saw one flight by Vistara which was supposed to leave from Delhi by 8.55PM was late and still unboarded.
I immediately went to that Vistara Gate and searched if someone can help me in carrying those passports to Hyderabad where our people are ready to collect them.
Found a person, who understood the situation and offered to help me. I handed over the passports to him(he's Sales head of AP and TG for a big international airline). He delivered the passports safely at 2AM, 20th July 2024.
My original flight, as expected delayed and I reached Hyderabad by 11AM, and by this time my uncle and aunt already left for their trip to Europe.
I enjoyed the whole night at the Delhi airport from Lounge to SPA(1 foot massage, 1 back massage and 1 head massage using my ICICI Emerald card).
That's how hectic it went for me for that two days all due to Austrian Embassy's mistake.
Thanks for reading till here.
