India’s leading airlines including IndiGo, SpiceJet and Jet Airways have termed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)’s rule to reduce fee for carrying five-kg baggage on flights as “illegal.”
The airlines have also opposed most of the other proposed ‘passenger-centric’ norms such as enhanced compensation for denying boarding and flight delays and demanded a higher cap on ticket cancellation fee. Additionally, the airlines have requested the government to allow them to charge a fee for providing equipment such as wheelchair for people with reduced mobility.
“…Airlines follow a lenient policy towards passengers carrying nominal excess baggage. In cases when customers come with nominal excess baggage, our staffs are trained to adjust the same against any unutilized hand baggage allowance of the customers,” according to a letter sent by Ujjwal Dey, Associate Director, Federation of India Airlines (FIA) – a body which represents IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and GoAir — to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) earlier last week.
The airlines also threatened to increase the airfares as the move may impact their operating viability due to consumption of more fuel by carrying excess baggage, they said.
The FIA had recently moved the Delhi High Court opposing this move. Although the High Court refused to stay DGCA’s directive, it will hear the matter on July 8 after getting the replies from Civil Aviation Ministry and the DGCA.
A DGCA directive, effective from July 1, had allowed passengers to carry five kilos extra baggage over the free allowance of 15 kg on a flight, by paying Rs.100 a kg to the airline. Private airlines presently charge passengers Rs.250-Rs.350 for each extra kg.
08/07/16 Somesh Jha/The Hindu
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The airlines have also opposed most of the other proposed ‘passenger-centric’ norms such as enhanced compensation for denying boarding and flight delays and demanded a higher cap on ticket cancellation fee. Additionally, the airlines have requested the government to allow them to charge a fee for providing equipment such as wheelchair for people with reduced mobility.
“…Airlines follow a lenient policy towards passengers carrying nominal excess baggage. In cases when customers come with nominal excess baggage, our staffs are trained to adjust the same against any unutilized hand baggage allowance of the customers,” according to a letter sent by Ujjwal Dey, Associate Director, Federation of India Airlines (FIA) – a body which represents IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and GoAir — to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) earlier last week.
The airlines also threatened to increase the airfares as the move may impact their operating viability due to consumption of more fuel by carrying excess baggage, they said.
The FIA had recently moved the Delhi High Court opposing this move. Although the High Court refused to stay DGCA’s directive, it will hear the matter on July 8 after getting the replies from Civil Aviation Ministry and the DGCA.
A DGCA directive, effective from July 1, had allowed passengers to carry five kilos extra baggage over the free allowance of 15 kg on a flight, by paying Rs.100 a kg to the airline. Private airlines presently charge passengers Rs.250-Rs.350 for each extra kg.
08/07/16 Somesh Jha/The Hindu
