New Delhi: Air passengers will have to wait longer for a waiver on ticket cancellation fees and other rights that the civil aviation ministry promised in a draft rights charter in May as it has been put up for review in light of the stress in the aviation business. The move comes as a big relief to airlines struggling with increased fuel costs in a price sensitive market.
Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey said in response to a question that the government would take into account factors affecting the airline industry’s health while finalising the charter.
The charter, which proposed relief to consumers on cancellation charges and steep penalties to airlines for poor service, was to come into force by July, but is facing review as carriers are struggling with high jet fuel prices, a weaker rupee and a 5% import duty on fuel.
Choubey said the intention of the charter was to make it known to consumers their rights and obligations. He said that mere collation of passenger rights that were in different places into one document would not necessarily result in increased cost for airlines. “However, we will take into account the condition that airlines are in at present in due to increased fuel cost etc., and take an appropriate view on this, “ Choubey said here.
The passenger charter had proposed full refund on cancellation or modification of tickets within 24 hours of booking, option of full refund for flights delayed beyond four hours, hotel accommodation if delay is more than 24 hours, and compensation ranging from Rs 5,000-20,000 for missing connecting flights due to flight delays. The draft charter had also proposed that the limit of liability of an airline to pay in case of injury onboard or loss of luggage had to be the same for domestic and international flights.
The ministry on Thursday announced the plan to make airports paperless by using face recognition technology for identification. The ‘digi yatra’ scheme will first be introduced in the Bangalore and Hyderabad airports and will eventually be extended to other airports. The idea is to reduce the time spent at checking counters and make travel smoother. It will also help in lowering costs for airlines and airports. Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said using face recognition for identification would be voluntary for passengers.