FLIER PLAINTS OF BAGGAGE LOSS, DAMAGE RISE IN 2018

Mumbai:passengers’ complaints to airlines of lost or tampered baggage have been on the rise, data from the ministry of civil aviation (MOCA) revealed. Till October this year, 1,771 passengers complained of baggage-related issues – the highest since 2016. In 2017, 1,321 passengers complained of baggage-related issues, while there were 1,633 complaints in 2016.

According to data submitted by the ministry to the Lok Sabha on Thursday, 2018 has seen the most number of flight-related complaints. There has also been an increase in the number of complaints regarding flight delays, cancellations and customer service. This year, 1,944 passengers complained of flight delays and cancellation, while 1,788 passengers complained of the airlines’ poor customer service.

Other categories which saw a large number of passenger complaints include flight fares and refunds, facilities for the differently abled, staff behaviour and catering. D Sudhakara Reddy, founder and national president, Air Passengers Association of India (APAI), said, “Complaints related to baggage issues mainly occur owing to severe delay in baggage collection after landing at airports, damage or loss of baggage. Such instances take place largely because of inadequate or under-trained counter staff.”

Vipul Saxena, ex Airforce pilot and aviation expert, said, “As the passenger traffic in India is increasing, infrastructure and technical services need to be made more efficient.”