A recent press release from the Ministry of Civil Aviation says that the
DGCA has been asked to look into the high prices being charged for air
tickets to people who make last minute bookings during the vacation
season. The ministry has also apparently asked the DGCA to look into the
cancellation charges being levied by airlines for passengers who are
unable to undertake their journey at the last minute.
The controversy on cancellation fees has come into the limelight in recent times because airlines have started charging a ‘minimum fee’ of Rs 1500 per passenger as the charges for a cancellation of an air ticket. This is a 100 per cent rise over the cancellation fee a few months ago, which was Rs 750 per passenger. There is now talk of ‘graded cancellation fees’ which will rise as the passenger cancels a ticket closer to the departure time.
Several questions come to the fore while discussing this vexatious issue. Airlines go overboard to woo passengers, with ‘special rates’ starting from as low as Rs 1500 per passenger, in various schemes, which ask consumers to make their travel plans weeks and months in advance. There is an inherent risk in making such bookings, because, as they say ‘there’s many a slip between the cup and the lip.’ Any event which causes a postponement, change of plans or cancellation, leads to an almost 100 per cent loss to the poor consumer. So much for the airline ad line, ‘great deal available for a few days only!’
Read news in full 01/06/15 Manohar S Kamath/Deccan Herald
The controversy on cancellation fees has come into the limelight in recent times because airlines have started charging a ‘minimum fee’ of Rs 1500 per passenger as the charges for a cancellation of an air ticket. This is a 100 per cent rise over the cancellation fee a few months ago, which was Rs 750 per passenger. There is now talk of ‘graded cancellation fees’ which will rise as the passenger cancels a ticket closer to the departure time.
Several questions come to the fore while discussing this vexatious issue. Airlines go overboard to woo passengers, with ‘special rates’ starting from as low as Rs 1500 per passenger, in various schemes, which ask consumers to make their travel plans weeks and months in advance. There is an inherent risk in making such bookings, because, as they say ‘there’s many a slip between the cup and the lip.’ Any event which causes a postponement, change of plans or cancellation, leads to an almost 100 per cent loss to the poor consumer. So much for the airline ad line, ‘great deal available for a few days only!’
Read news in full 01/06/15 Manohar S Kamath/Deccan Herald
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