The central government has temporarily put on hold the directive allowing airlines to choose 60% of the seats in flights without extra charges. News agency PTI quoted sources as saying that this rule was to come into effect from April 20, but now it has been postponed till further orders. The Civil Aviation Ministry had said 15 days ago on March 18 that DGCA has been instructed to make a minimum of 60% seats available free of charge for seat selection in any flight. Its objective was said to be to provide equal opportunities to passengers in choosing seats. According to the ministry, objections were sent by the Federation of Indian Airlines during the review of the issue. Issues like operational impact, impact on fares and synergy with the existing deregulated tariff regime were raised. The ministry said that the provision of giving 60% seats free will not be implemented until the comprehensive investigation is completed. The current rule applies only to 20% seats. Under the current rules, only 20% seats can be booked for passengers without paying extra charges, while the remaining seats have to be paid for. According to reports, currently airlines charge Rs 500 to Rs 3000 extra for choosing preferred seats. Airlines will not be able to charge extra in the name of ‘preferred seat’. It is often seen that when passengers do web check-in after ticket booking, they get only 20% options in the name of free seat. For the remaining seats, companies charge heavily in the name of ‘preferred seats’. DGCA’s 15-day-old order had said that 60% of the seats in every flight should be such that passengers can choose without any extra charge. However, this will not be applicable yet. Union Minister said – India is the third largest domestic aviation market in the world. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said that India has become the third largest domestic aviation market in the world. Indian airports are now handling more than 5 lakh passengers every day. With the UDAN scheme, air travel in India has now become accessible to everyone, not just the rich. Continuous efforts are being made to make air travel even easier in the country, such as Udaan Yatri Café, where affordable food is available, free reading of books in Flybrary and free Wi-Fi at the terminal. —————- Also read this news… If air ticket booking is canceled within 48 hours, full refund: Booking is necessary 7 days before the flight, new rules of DGCA; Know the changes: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday changed the rules related to refund and cancellation of air travel tickets. According to the new rules, now there will be no extra charge for cancellation or change within 48 hours of booking the ticket, that is, the entire amount of the ticket will be refunded. This decision has been taken after increasing complaints from passengers and recent problems in IndiGo flights. Read the full news…
Source link
[ad_3]
Stopping on the decision of giving 60% seats free in flights: Government changed the decision in 15 days, many airlines had raised objections.
