Calcutta: Activist Ruchira Gupta on Thursday missed a flight to Patna and was late for a meeting there because an automated text from IndiGo informed her that take-off would be delayed. She timed her arrival at the airport based on that communication, only to be told that the gates had closed and the flight was ready for departure.

Gupta, the founder of Apne Aap Women Worldwide, was to travel by flight 6E 811, scheduled to depart at 11.45 am. "Since I was travelling with a guest, I had checked in online and also ordered a special meal," she told Metro.

Her guest, Harvard professor Catharine Mackinnon, did not receive any text from IndiGo and so was able to board the flight. The two were to meet at the airport.

Gupta, who lives in New Alipore, had started for the airport at 9.15am. "Around 10am, I received a message from IndiGo that my flight had been rescheduled to 12.30pm because of bad weather in Raipur," she said.

She was near Hyatt Regency on the Bypass at the time and so decided to stop for a cup of coffee. Soon after, a second message from IndiGo said that boarding would be from Gate 18. "I finished my coffee and reached the airport by 11.30am, an hour before the rescheduled departure time, or so I thought," she said.

When she reached one of the airline counters to deposit her luggage, Gupta was told that her flight was ready to leave.

"My guest Catharine called me at that point to say that she was already on the flight. She had got no message about the delay," Gupta said.

IndiGo staff put her on a GoAir flight to Patna at 1.45pm.

IndiGo expressed "regret" over the incident. "We regret the inconvenience caused to our passenger Ms. Ruchira Gupta at Calcutta airport. The said flight (scheduled time of departure: 11.45 am) was delayed by 45 minutes due to late arrival of incoming flight 6E-973 (Port Blair-Calcutta). The same was notified (to) the passenger via SMS and email. However, it was later observed that flight 6E-973 arrived early," a spokesperson said.

"In order to reduce the overall delay, the delay on 6E-811 was recalled and the timings were revised to noon. IndiGo staff ensured to inform all the passengers of the same and were also instructed to accept the passenger even if reporting late at the counters. However, our staff missed calling her during the boarding process, which led to her missing the flight."

The statement said IndiGo would be "refunding her original itinerary with IndiGo".