Air India

Ministry To Remove Cancellation Fee For Air Tickets Cancelled Within 24 Hours Of Booking

AirWhizzJul 13, 2018 No Comments

Ministry To Remove Cancellation Fee For Air Tickets Cancelled Within 24 Hours Of Booking

Aviation Insider

Civil Aviation Ministry will soon introduce a new reform for the convenience of air travellers.

Passengers travelling by airlines in India will not have to pay any cancellation fee if they cancel their tickets within 24 hours of booking it.

Here are the details about the new cancellation fee rules-

  • The customer will not have to pay cancellation charges on the sole condition that the air ticket is bought 96 hours prior to the flights departure time.
  • In case the passenger is informed about a cancelled flight between 2 weeks to 24 hours before the scheduled departure, the airline has to offer an alternative flight within 2 hours of the departure time.
  • The cancellation fees and rules regarding it have to be printed on the air ticket.

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.

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.

The Minister of State of Civil Aviation, Mr Jayant Sinha, has said that the ministry will look into all these arguments before they implement these reforms.

The ministry will put these rules into effect from 15th July 2018 if the proposed air passenger charter is approved.

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Air India Puts Restriction On ‘Powder-Like Substances’ In Carry-On Bags!

AirWhizzJul 10, 2018 No Comments

Air India Puts Restriction On ‘Powder-Like Substances’ In Carry-On Bags!

Aviation Insider

Air India has upped its security measures for USA bound flights!

The state-owned international airline has restricted passengers, flying to America, from carrying ‘powder-like substances’ in carry-on bags.

Here are the details of the new rule –

  • Passengers cannot carry more than 350 grams of powdered substances in carry-on bags.
  • These include items like sugar, ground coffee, cosmetics, flour etc.
  • Medically prescribed powder-like substances such as baby formula or cremated remains can be carried, however, they have to be packed in sealed containers.
  • Air India has already started implementing this rule and has advised passengers to pack such items in check-in luggage.

Last month the US Department Of Homeland Security wrote a directive to the airline asking them to implement this rule for security purposes.

In 2017, the US Transportation Security Administration(TSA) enacted this rule after a failed terrorist attack on an Australia bound Gulf airline. Reports say that the terrorists used an improvised explosive device using powdered explosives.

Flyers boarding Air India from UAE and other Gulf nations will also have to comply with this rule. In fact, Dubai based Emirates Airlines has issued a notice saying that powder like substances have to be checked-in and won’t be permitted in carry-on bags.

Air India is the only India-based airline which operates non-stop flights from Delhi and Mumbai to American cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington DC. Along with them, US-based United airlines also operates direct flights between the 2 countries.

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Emirates Brings Back “Hindu Meal” Option On Their Food Menu!

AirWhizzJul 06, 2018 No Comments

Emirates Brings Back “Hindu Meal” Option On Their Food Menu!

Aviation Insider

Dubai based airline, Emirates, has decided to bring back the “Hindu Meal” option, 24 hours after it had decided to scrap the food category from its menu.

On 3rd July 2018, the airline had announced that they will remove the “Hindu Meal” option for their passengers in the economy class while retaining it for those in the business and first class. They had done this based on the reviews and feedback they had previously received.

However, once the airline announced that they were going to remove the ‘Hindu Meal’ from their menus, they got a lot of customer feedback saying that they should not scrap it. This made the airline reverse its decision and decided to bring back the meal category the very next day.

On 4th July 2018 the airline released a statement saying that they have always provided a variety of special meals that can be ordered at least 24 hours in advance to cater to their customers with medical or religious dietary requirements, including Hindu customers. This is why they will bring back the ‘Hindu Meal’ option.

For Emirates, food and drinks form an important part of their flying experience and their chefs carefully choose a menu based on the cultures & preferences of the airline’s wide customer base.

For their Indian passengers, the airline provides food options like Vegetarian Jain Meal, Indian Vegetarian Meal, Kosher Meal and Non-beef Non-Vegetarian Meal.

The ‘Hindu Meal’ is a popular option that many international airlines offer their passengers. Airlines like Singapore Airlines and Air India offer such ‘religious meals’ to their guests.

Emirates is the largest international airline operating in India, in terms of flights. The airline operates flights to Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kochi. Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram.

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Civil Aviation Ministry May Reform Airline Ticket Cancellation Policy!

AirWhizzJul 02, 2018 No Comments

Civil Aviation Ministry May Reform Airline Ticket Cancellation Policy!

Aviation Insider

In May 2018, the Civil Aviation Ministry had submitted a passenger draft to change the rules regarding cancellation of airline tickets.

The rules say that passengers can cancel a ticket for free within 24 hours of booking a flight and travel agents/airlines cannot levy cancellation charges which are more than the base price plus fuel surcharge.

The airline fraternity has pointed out a few shortcomings in these rules and is asking the ministry to reconsider the passenger draft.

Mr. Biji Eapen, National President of IATA Agents Association Of India, has written to the ministry saying that fuel charges cannot be a part of the cancellation charges. Any attempt to include this cost in the basic price, without merging both base fare and fuel charges together, is illegal and a violation of the law.

In fact, according to the “Aircraft Rules 1937”, base fare is the price of the airline ticket before adding the tax, fees and surcharge.

This is why Mr. Eapen has asked the ministry to review and amend the draft to specify that, airline ticket cancellation charges, under any circumstances, shouldn’t be more than the base fare.

Aviation analysts say that charging a cancellation fee more than the basic fare is quite illogical. This is because, the aircraft is not burning any fuel on the account of the passenger who has cancelled their ticket and only the basic price of the ticket should be refunded.

Airlines in India started adding fuel surcharge to basic airfares in 2005 on account of volatile fuel prices. Most airlines in the world include fuel cost in the original price of a ticket and add a fuel surcharge during the booking process.

The new norms are expected to be notified by 15th July 2018, after the ministry analyses the public comments on the proposed charter.

Read more about the “Changes Proposed By Civil Aviation Ministry In New Passenger Charter”

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Airlines Go Eco-Friendly After Ban On Plastic In Maharashtra!

AirWhizzJun 27, 2018 No Comments

Airlines Go Eco-Friendly After Ban On Plastic In Maharashtra!

Aviation Insider

Plastic cutlery and bottles may become a thing of the past on airplanes, as airlines in India go eco-friendly.

The decision to cut down on plastic has been taken by airlines to comply with Maharashtra government’s rule of banning plastic in the state.

There is still a grey area as to whether the state government’s decision is applicable to airplanes, however, airlines are doing their part.

Use of plastic cutlery is a common practice on flights , especially in economy cabins and low-cost airlines. Other plastic items used on flights include water bottles, food wrappers, trash bags and covers of headphones/blankets.

The government has banned the use of single disposable plastic items such as spoons, forks ,cups and glasses. Items such as plastic bags and wrappers are also included in the ban.

Here’s what domestic airlines are doing to go eco-friendly-

  • GoAir has stopped using plastic cutlery on their flights.
  • Air India is replacing plastic cups onboard with those made of bone china or paper.
  • Vistara will reduce the use of plastic on their flights by 50% this year by replacing plastic casseroles with aluminum dishes, plastic straws and stirrers with paper or wooden ones and disposable bowls in economy class with reusable containers.

According to Vistara, the airline is actively in touch with its vendors and considering alternative ways for packaging water, to avoid the use of plastic. In fact, Vistara is the first airline in India to use ‘Oxo-Biodegradable’ cutlery and serve meals in  Forest Stewardship Council(FSC) certified meal boxes.

Jet Airways has also come out with a statement saying that most equipment onboard is reusable and the airline has been doing its part to minimize environmental impact. They have been using paper cups , bio-degradable bags and insulated boxes for hot and cold items to be served on their flights.

With airlines going green, the ban on plastic items will not only benefit Maharashtra but also have a positive domino effect on other states in India.

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Flights Will Be Rescheduled At The Chennai Airport For Taxiway Work

AirWhizzJun 26, 2018 No Comments

Flights Will Be Rescheduled At The Chennai Airport For Taxiway Work

Aviation Insider

In a bid to improve operations at the Chennai Airport, Airports Authority of India(AAI) has started the construction of new taxiways.

Airport authorities have announced that due to this construction, 2 international flights will be rescheduled and many domestic flights will have to use the second runway.

Here are all the details about it-

  • 4 exit taxiways have been under construction and the work to link them to the main runway will begin next month.
  • AAI is also making a parallel taxiway on the north side of the main runway.
  • For this purpose, the main runway will be closed for a few hours every day, for about 9 months.
  • The runway will be closed in 2 phases – from 12:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in July and August, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from September.
  • The departure of a Saudi Airlines flight has been rescheduled from 12:30 p.m. to 11:15 a.m. The airline will be given a different schedule during winters.
  • Air India flights and a Cathay Pacific flight will also be rescheduled however the timings have not been specified for now.

According to an AAI official, they have selected non-peak hours to do this construction work because wide-bodied aircrafts generally don’t operate during this time.

He also said that AAI has done all the assessments and discussions. All airlines have agreed to use the second runway and reschedule flights that fall within this closure period.

The rapid exit taxiways and the parallel taxiway are being constructed to reduce the time taken by the airplane to move out of the runway after landing. It will help airplanes to move out in less than 70 seconds after landing.

With new taxiways, Chennai Airport, which currently handles 450 flights daily, will be able to handle 500 airplanes per day.

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Airlines In India Hike Excess Baggage Fees!

AirWhizzJun 25, 2018 No Comments

Airlines In India Hike Excess Baggage Fees!

Aviation Insider

Make sure you double check the weight of your luggage the next time you fly!

Airlines in India announced on Saturday that they have hiked the fees for excess luggage.

IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir will now charge Rs 400 per kg extra for every kilo beyond 15 Kg, which was previously priced at Rs 300 per kg. These airlines have also increased their charges for pre-booked excess baggage by almost 33%.

Here are the details of the price hike for different airlines –

IndiGo/GoAir –  The 2 airlines will now charge Rs 1900 for extra 5kg , Rs 3800 for extra 10kg, Rs 5700 for extra 15Kg and Rs 11,400 for extra 30 kg ‘pre-booked’ luggage.

SpiceJet – The airline has increased the price to Rs 1600 for extra 5kg , Rs 3200 for extra 10kg, Rs 4800 for extra 15kg, Rs 6400 for extra 20 kg and Rs 9600 for extra 30 kg ‘pre-booked’ luggage.

Air India – The airline, which allows passengers to carry up to 25kg of free luggage, had earlier this month increased excess baggage charges from Rs 400 to Rs 500 per kg.

Jet Airways – The airline announced last week that they will be changing their baggage policy from the ‘Weight’ concept to ‘Piece’ concept for check-in luggage on all their domestic flights.

* Read More About The Revised Excess Baggage Rules For Jet Airways.

Aviation experts say that since airlines cannot increase the price on their tickets, they have to increase their ancillary revenue.

Ancillary revenue is the airline’s earning from non-ticketing resources such as excess baggage fees, onboard sale of food and beverages, cancellation fees etc.

Experts also suggest that the hike in excess baggage fee is a way of discouraging passengers from carrying more luggage, as a lighter load would mean less fuel burn for airplanes.

With the increase in jet fuel prices globally and the value of rupee going down, airlines are finding it difficult to maintain their profits. While airfares have largely remained the same, the price of jet fuel has risen by 22% and the rupee has depreciated by 6% since January 2018.

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Government Asks Air India To Submit A Plan To Fund Their Debt!

AirWhizzJun 22, 2018 No Comments

Government Asks Air India To Submit A Plan To Fund Their Debt!

Aviation Insider

The government has asked Air India to submit a plan of funds needed to support the airline, after the sale of the national carrier failed last month.

A committee of airline directors has been set up within Air India to make this plan, which will be headed by Air India Chairman and Managing Director, Mr. Pradeep Singh Kharola.

This committee, will also take a call on the airline’s fleet requirement for the future. For now, all the existing orders have been fulfilled and the airline does not have any pending orders for airplanes.

The airline has recently received a short-term loan of Rs 2200 crores from the government to meet its working capital requirements after Air India failed to pay its employees for the 3rd month in a row in May.

Apart from this, Air India-Specific Alternate Mechanism(AISAM) has been set up by the government to review the airline’s operations and its disinvestment process. This committee will be headed by Finance Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley.

Mr Jayant Sinha, Minister Of State For Civil Aviation, told the reporters on Wednesday, that they will not be selling the airline for now, however, the government is dedicated to the strategic disinvestment of the airline, which may happen in the future.

This was the first time since May 31st , that a minister had spoken in an open forum about the status of Air India disinvestment.

Both, Mr. Sinha and Union Civil Aviation Minister Mr. Suresh Prabhu, felt that the airline is suffering from legacy issues in terms of the huge debt burden that the airline has to cater to.

Pointing out that Air India is the national flag carrier and has an important role to play in the nation’s aviation sector, Mr. Prabhu said that the government will do everything to ensure its success and progress.

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