‘Compensate fliers delayed beyond 2 hours in absence of 24hour notice’

MUMBAI:AFTER the aviation ministry set out a draft charter defining rights of the passengers in May this year, the Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) submitted a list of suggestions to Jayant Sinha, minister of state (MOS), stating that any delay beyond two hours from the scheduled departure time of a flight, unless notified 24 hours before, must be compensated.

They also said that the ticket cancellation charges must be confined to the base fare since all other costs, such as fuel surcharge, are incurred by the airline only if a passenger travels.

The rights of airline passengers in India were not defined, unlike some western countries. Hence, the aviation ministry came up with the draft charter after passengers complained about various issues faced by them.

The association suggested that any delay to the in-flight passengers beyond 30 minutes, while an aircraft lines up to take off, should be de-boarded and offered snacks. It further said that since it is important to give a time frame for resolving all the passengers’ complaints, an authorised representative of the airlines should be appointed to keep a track of all complaints.

It suggested that the compensation payable to a passenger must have a time frame from seven to 15 days from the date of claiming the compensation. However, this should be done only if it complies with all the requirements as per the proposed passenger charter.

One of their suggestions read that ‘it is important to consolidate the existing rights along with the proposed rights that even a layman can understand what he is eligible for.’