Airlines Unhappy About New Air Passenger Charter!

A few days back the government proposed a new passenger charter for changes in the rights of air travellers in India.

Airlines in India, however, have shown their displeasure towards these proposed changes saying that if new rules are implemented, it will lead to a rise in airfares.

According to experts, these rules will have a massive impact on air ticket prices since airfares in India are already at a lower level as compared to other countries. They have said that the government has to decide whether they want air travel to be accessible to the common man or treat aviation as a luxury sector.

Airlines are opposed to the rules regarding relaxation in cancellation charges. Currently, every airline has a cancellation policy of their own. For example –

• IndiGo charges its passengers a minimum of Rs 3000 on cancelling flight tickets
• In case of GoAir, a passenger has to pay Rs 2950 for cancelling the ticket within 2 hours of the flight’s departure time.

Airlines like Vistara and Jet Airways allow their passengers to modify or make cancellations for free within 24 hours of booking the ticket, but the government is looking to make this a standard rule across all airlines in India.

Airlines have come out strongly against the proposed changes in compensation for loss or damage of passenger baggage as well. According to the government’s proposal –

• The airline has to pay Rs 3000 Per Kg for loss of baggage.
• For damaged baggage, the airline has to compensate Rs 2000 per kg.

Airlines claim that the compensation for loss is 10 times that of what a passenger pays for excess luggage and these rules may lead to scams. It may lead to a situation where a passenger can tell another person to pick up their bag and claim it as lost.

This latest development can slow down the government’s plan to empower air travellers and safeguard their rights against flight cancellations, delays or other inconveniences caused by the airline.

The passenger charter has been published on ministry’s website for public consultation. The public has a 30-day window to put in their recommendations and the new norms will be released by 15^th July 2018.