This story is from June 1, 2016

Centre plans to limit air fare surge

Domestic air travellers may soon be protected from the sharp surges in fares during peak travel seasons or in times of calamities, both natural and man-made.
Centre plans to limit air fare surge
New Delhi: Domestic air travellers may soon be protected from the sharp surges in fares during peak travel seasons or in times of calamities, both natural and man-made. Aviation secretary R N Choubey has told TOI that the government is examining putting "limited restrictions on domestic fares that can be charged under some circumstances".
While Choubey did not elaborate on the 'circumstances', he said the idea is to provide relief to flyers.
Airlines routinely hike fares during peak demand seasons, like festivals, and also during times when some areas are cut off due to man-made problems (like fares on flights from Delhi to Jaipur, Chandigarh and Amritsar during a recent reservation agitation that saw many highways and rail tracks in north India being occupied by protestors) or natural calamities. Recently when Chennai was cut off by floods, fares to airports near the city had shot up.
Choubey said some other "consumer-friendly" moves are in the works. "Airlines allow domestic flyers to take up to 15 kg of check-in baggage without any extra charge, beyond which they charge for excess baggage. We are working on a system where one or two extra kg (beyond the 15-kg limit) will invite a lower than usual charge," he said. Airlines, on an average, charge domestic flyers about Rs 300 per kg for extra baggage.
Also, airlines allow domestic flyers to take a cabin bag along with a laptop bag or ladies purse weighing up to 7 kg inside the aircraft with them. "We are examining whether within this weight limit we need to restrict passengers to one bag, or we could be flexible... like allowing a grandparent to take a stuffed toy along with his cabin bag and laptop/purse within the limit of 7 kg," the secretary said.
These passenger-friendly initiatives will be made public within the next fortnight and public comments will be invited on the same before the final set of rules if laid down and implemented.
"We are working on a host of areas to enhance the consumer experience. We are identifying the responsibilities of airlines and fixing their accountability," he said.
While the ministry promises to implement these new rules quickly, a major issue troubling passengers for a long time has been hanging fire due to the continued inaction by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Domestic airlines have been constantly hiking cancellation charges for the last two years. The DGCA says it has been 'studying' the issue for many months now but has been unable to give any ruling on the same, this despite the fact that a detailed report was submitted to the regulator long time back. The current DG, senior IAS officer M Sathiyavathy, has been empanelled as secretary and is likely to be given a ministry very soon.
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