airlines

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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Everything You Need To Know About Airline Baggage Rules In India!

AirWhizzJun 04, 2018 No Comments

Everything You Need To Know About Airline Baggage Rules In India!

Travel Like a Pro

Air travel In India has grown exponentially, and in recent years airlines have started cashing in on this.

Airlines have started charging a fee to bring extra luggage on flights.

With baggage fee rules becoming more complex and the fees getting expensive, It can be quite a task to keep a track of hand baggage sizes and weights for each airline.

To help you understand this, here is everything you need to know about baggage policies that most airlines follow.

Check-In Baggage

A)Baggage Allowance Rules

In line with international regulations, your baggage allowances will either be set by how many pieces or the total weight of luggage you can travel with.

The rules depend on where you’re travelling to.

1.Weight Concept

Passengers travelling from India to Far East(Except Japan)/Southeast Asia and Gulf/Middle East countries are allowed free baggage allowances based on the weight of the baggage and the class they are travelling in.

Usually, a passenger is allowed to carry up to –

  • 40 Kgs of check-in baggage in First Class
  • 30 Kgs of check-in baggage in Business Class
  • 20 Kgs of check-in baggage in Economy Class
2.Piece Concept

Under this concept, the airline allows free baggage allowance based on how many pieces of luggage you can travel with, its maximum weight and dimension.

Here are the rules-

  • A person can get 2 pieces of luggage checked-in for free.
  • Each bag has a weight limit of 32kgs
  • The total of all dimensions (Length, Breadth &Height) of each bag cannot be more than 158cm (62 inches)

Airlines that fly from India to Europe, North America, South America , Australia & Africa follow these rules for free baggage allowance.

B) Excess Baggage

Airlines charge you Excess-Baggage fees if your check-in luggage weight exceeds the limit. There is no standard price for excess luggage and it’s up to the airline to set the prices.

  • You will have to pay anywhere between Rs 300 to Rs 500 per kg for domestic flights.
  • You will have to pay anywhere between Rs 500 to Rs 800 per kg for International flights
  • There is no cap on the number of bags you can check-in, but their combined weight should be below the limit.

You do have an option to pay less for excess baggage. If you join different membership programs offered by airlines, you can carry more luggage with you without paying any fee.

For example, If you are a ‘GOLD’ or ‘MAHARJAH’ member of Air India’s “Flying Returns” program you can carry 20 kg of extra luggage with you.

Carry-on Baggage

A)Baggage Allowance Rules

With the growing emphasis on airline safety worldwide and to avoid overcrowding of overhead bins in the cabin, airlines are becoming stringent with rules regarding carry-on baggage.

Here are the rules for Carry-on baggage in India

  • Most airlines allow only 1 piece of hand baggage per person.
  • You can carry anywhere between 7-8 kgs of hand baggage, depending on the airline.
  • The length, breadth & height of the bag have to be less than 55x35x25 centimeters respectively and the overall total of the dimensions should not be more than 115 cm.
B) Excess Baggage

As mentioned above, most airlines only allow one piece of hand baggage per person, however, some airlines allow you to carry more than one bag depending on the weight dimensions and airline rules.

In addition to your carry-on bag, you can bring along the following items-

  • Handbag
  • Laptop bag
  • Rug/Blanket
  • Camera Bag
  • Collapsible wheelchair
  • Walking Sticks
  • Umbrella
  • Infant’s Carry Basket
  • Duty-Free Items (carry the invoice)

Airlines such as SpiceJet And IndiGo charge you a fee of Rs 350 – Rs 400  if the combined weight of the items mentioned above and your carry-on luggage is more than 8 kgs.

Special Baggage

If your luggage is not of the standard size & weight and if it requires special handling then you might have to pay more depending on the airline. These type of items are called Out Of Gauge (OOG) baggage.

OOG baggage is the luggage that is very heavy, too large, very light, fragile, does not have at least 1 flat surface or can damage or slow down the baggage handling management system.

Baggage that is outside the standard dimensions for airport luggage and cannot be sorted out by normal conveyor belts come under this category.

Here are a few examples –

  • Sports Equipment
  • Flat Screen Television
  • Extra Large Carpets or Blankets
  • Musical Instruments

So, if you want to know more about your airline’s baggage policy, look no further. Simply download the AirWhizz App to get information regarding different airline policies/regulations to plan your trip on the move and Fly Stress-Free!

*Please note that all weights, prices and specifications mentioned here are only indicative. They are meant to give you a general idea of baggage policies. For the actual price and baggage allowance details please refer to your ticket or the rules of the airline you are flying with.

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Air India Might Have To Compensate USD $8.8 Million To Passengers On Delhi-Chicago Flight!

AirWhizzMay 18, 2018 No Comments

Air India Might Have To Compensate USD $8.8 Million To Passengers On Delhi-Chicago Flight!

Aviation Insider

Following an incident that happened on a Delhi-Chicago Flight on 9th May, Air India may have to pay its 323 passengers onboard a compensation of $8.8 million.

The flight was delayed due to Directorate General Of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) order to restrict variations or changes in flight duty time limitation(FDTL) of the flight’s crew.

Here are the details of the incident that took place on 9th May 2018 –

  • Air India flight AI 127 was to depart from Delhi and reach Chicago in 16 hours.
  • The Flight was diverted to Milwaukee, due to bad weather conditions.
  • The duration of a flight from Milwaukee to Chicago is around 19 minutes.
  • The flight could have taken off after the weather cleared up, however, the flight crew was exhausted after travelling for 16 hours and waiting for 2 hours for the weather to settle down.
  • The crew was permitted to only one landing due to the DGCA’s decision to restrict variations in FDTL.
  • The Airline had no choice but to arrange for a new crew.
  • This change in crew caused the flight to be delayed by 6 hours at the Milwaukee airport. Passengers stayed onboard during this time.
  • Milwaukee airport itself was in distress due to diverted flights and did not have a gate available for the passengers to proceed to and get some rest.
  • Amongst the 323 passengers, there were 41 people in wheelchairs, 2 infants and an autistic kid onboard.
  • According to US guidelines, if passengers are onboard for more than four hours for international flights, the airline has to compensate travellers.
  • This delay affected passengers at the Chicago airport waiting for the Air India flight which was to travel back to Delhi.

In such cases, the airline has to pay $ 27,500 per passenger. If Air India is given the order to compensate for this delay, they will have to pay all the 323 passengers, which amounts to $ 8.8 Million.

Air India and The Federation Of Indian Airlines, represented by IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and GoAir, submitted a plea on May 15th to reverse DGCA’s decision to not permit variations in the FDTL. The High court has asked the government and the DGCA for their take on the incident and what should be done to solve this situation.

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Iceland’s WOW Air Will Start The ‘Cheapest Flights’ From India To North America!

AirWhizzMay 17, 2018 No Comments

Iceland’s WOW Air Will Start The ‘Cheapest Flights’ From India To North America!

Aviation Insider

There is some good news for air travellers in India. Iceland’s low-cost airline, WOW Air, announced that it will start flying from Delhi to various cities in North America and Europe via Iceland’s capital Reykjavik.

Here are the details about the services being offered by WOW Air –

  • The airline will start its services from December 2018
  • The passenger will just have to pay Rs 13,499 to fly from Delhi International Airport to Keflavik airport located in Reykjavik.
  • From there the flights will take passengers to other North American and European destinations.
  • This fare is inclusive of all taxes. However, the passenger will have to pay for in-flight meals and check-in baggage.
  • The airline will be charging Rs 49,599 for its seats in the premium segment which is inclusive of all taxes.
  • The airline will be flying to 15 North American destinations which include Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Boston, Toronto and San Francisco.
  • Passengers will also be able to fly to destinations such as Paris, Iceland and London with the airline.
  • The airline will use wide-bodied Airbus A330 Neo’s to fly in India.
  • There will be 5 direct flights a week from India to Iceland and may offer daily services in the future.

The services by WOW Air will reduce the travel time from India to USA to just 20 hours which includes a 2-hour layover in Iceland.

Founder of WOW Air, Mr. Skuli Mogensen, is very excited about this opportunity to operate his airlines in India. According to him, this would be the shortest one-stop layover airline from India to North America.

On a daily basis, more than 20000 passengers travel from India to North America. This move will surely make the airline take advantage of the ever-increasing air passenger traffic in the country and will allow Indian travellers to fly to fly at a lesser cost to new international destinations in a shorter time.

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IndiGo Plans To Expand Its Operations To 24 New International Destinations!

AirWhizzMay 16, 2018 No Comments

IndiGo Plans To Expand Its Operations To 24 New International Destinations!

Aviation Insider

IndiGo Airlines is all set to increase its market-leading share of 39.5% by expanding its flight operations to 24 international destinations in the next 18 months.

Here are all the details of the expansion process –

  • The Airline will order wide-bodied aircraft at the Farnborough air show which will happen in July 2018.
  • The airline will start flying to 18 new destinations in the Middle East, China and Southeast Asia.
  • They will also start 6 long haul flights which will fly to airports in Germany, United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Switzerland.
  • Between October 2018 and March 2019, the airline will start flying to countries like Germany, Iran, Maldives, Afghanistan, France, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and United Kingdom
  • Between March 2019 and October 2019, IndiGo plans to start flight operations to Italy, Myanmar, Switzerland, Belgium and China.

This move is part of IndiGo’s second phase of expansion.

According to an interview conducted by Economic Times with IndiGo’s founder, Rahul Bhatia, expansion of flight operations and fleet size is the airline’s main priority. He also said that the airline is planning to further introduce medium and Long haul flights in the coming few years and increase its fleet size to 200 by the end of 2018.

Currently, the airline boasts of a fleet size of 163 aircraft which fly to 42 domestic and 8 international destinations which include Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, Oman, Dubai and Sharjah.

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Government Will Look Into Air Ticket Pricing Practices!

AirWhizzMay 12, 2018 No Comments

The Competition Commission Of India(CCI) has announced that it will asses the algorithms used by domestic airlines on the ticket pricing. This is being done to check as to why there is a sharp rise in airfares during peak demand.

CCI is the governing body which keeps a check on unfair business practices across different sectors.

They started investigating when the issue of sharp rise in air ticket pricing came to light during the Jat agitation in early 2016. Rail and road connectivity were severely affected by this incident because of which, ticket prices on Chandigarh to Delhi flights shot up sharply.

At a conference organized by The Associated Chambers Of Commerce of India(ASSOCHAM), CCI chairperson D K Sikri addressed this matter. Here’s what he had to say –

  • Secret/collusion cooperation between digital players with the help of self-learning algorithms is one of the biggest challenges the CCI faces.
  • This issue caught the CCI’s attention when there was a sudden rise in airfares for flights between Chandigarh and Delhi during the Jat agitation.
  • When they asked the airlines about this issue, the airline officials said that the algorithms were driving up the prices and they had no clue as to why this was happening.

At the conference, Mr. Sikri also highlighted the fact that algorithms are not systems that are developed on their own and that somebody has put logic into its design.

CCI is in talks with technical experts to understand the indicators & variables used and the weightage given by the algorithm used by airlines. The governing body is looking to develop its own algorithm to look into this issue but that will require a huge investment.

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PIL filed in High Court to Cap Airfares!

AirWhizzMay 10, 2018 No Comments

PIL filed in High Court to Cap Airfares!

Aviation Insider

The Delhi High Court has asked the Ministry Of Civil Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to look into the high airfares charged by Airlines in India.

Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar have issued a notice to the ministry and DGCA, based on a Public Interest Litigation(PIL) asking airlines in India to cap airfares charged to the passengers.

Here are the details of the Case –

  • Consumer rights activist, Bejon K Misra, has alleged that authorities are acting as ‘Silent Spectators’ to the random or ‘arbitrary’ fixing of airfares by the airlines.
  • He has claimed that airlines charge 10 times higher than the fixed price when there is a shortage of seats.
  • To stop this practice he has asked the airlines to put a cap on the airfare.
  • The court has asked authorities for a response before the next date of hearing on 8th

To support his case, Mr. Misra has given the example of a recent incident, where Indigo passengers had to book last minute tickets at High rates on other airlines, after several Indigo A320 Neo airplanes were grounded due to engine trouble.

He has also said that it is necessary to put a cap on airfares to ensure greater transparency for the passengers and accountability on part of the airline. Capping on airfares will also discourage airlines and other stakeholders to benefit and make profits from unfair means.

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Telecom Commission Permits Use of Mobile Phones To Make Calls On Flights!

AirWhizzMay 02, 2018 No Comments

Telecom Commission Permits Use of Mobile Phones To Make Calls On Flights!

Aviation Insider

Air travellers in India will now be able to use the internet and make calls on the flight. This is due to the Telecom Commission approving the proposal for In-flight connectivity on Tuesday.

While mobile phone usage will still be restricted during take-off and landing, the Telecom Commission has lifted the ban on the use mobile phones and internet services on the airplane while cruising in the sky.

The in-flight connectivity facility is expected to be rolled out in 3-4 months, once the licenses and back-end agreements are worked out. The telecom department will now have to create a separate category of licensees called In-Flight Connectivity(IFC) provider.

In an article published by us last month, we mentioned how Telecom Regulatory Authority Of India(TRAI) had recommended to the government that in-flight mobile usage and internet services should be allowed under certain conditions.

Here are the highlights of the conditions sent by TRAI –

  • Wi-fi onboard should be provided once boarding is complete.
  • Mobile communication on aircraft be allowed at a minimum altitude of 3,000 metres.
  • Passengers should use internet services in airplane mode.
  • Foreign satellites and gateways should be permitted for IFC providers to operate in-flight wi-fi.

Telecom Commission has accepted all recommendations of TRAI except the use of foreign satellites and gateways because the telecom department wants IFC providers to use Indian satellites for In-flight services and the gateway to be in India.

The prices on which in-flight Wi-Fi will be provided to the passengers will be worked out on a mutual agreement between the service provider and the airline. Passengers may have to pay Rs 200-300 for a 2-3 hour flight and more for international flights.

Major airlines, including Air India and Vistara welcomed the Telecom Commission’s decision, with Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu saying he will ensure “earliest implementation” of the proposal.

Globally, many airlines are already offering wi-fi for passengers, but they currently have to switch off the facility when they enter the Indian airspace.

AirAsia, Air France, British Airways, Egypt Air, Emirates, Air New Zealand, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways and Virgin Atlantic are amongst 30 airlines that allow mobile phone use on the aircraft.

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