7 out of 10 passengers face cancellations and rescheduling due to airlines’ functioning, demand direct refunds

A survey by LocalCircles said that almost 7 out of 10 passengers surveyed faced a cancellation or rescheduling at least once in the last 12 months due to “internal operational reasons” of the airline.

While 20% of the 11,296 respondents to the question said they had faced such cancellations or rescheduling “4-6 times”, 30% of the respondents said they had found themselves in the situation “2-3 times”. About 20% of respondents faced cancellations and rescheduling due to “one-time” airline operations. Nearly 20% of respondents said they had never faced such cancellations or rescheduling.

Nearly nine in 10 fliers said they want the government to order airlines to refund 25-30% of the ticket price as penalties if flights are canceled or rescheduled due to internal reasons.

“The main issue cited by passengers is the unfair playing field where airlines deny boarding to passengers arriving at the check-in counter even a few minutes late and charge additional amount in fare difference, while at the same time delaying, rescheduling or No penalty is imposed for delay. Cancellation of flights due to internal airline reasons,” the survey report said.

“The regulator needs to step in here and impose appropriate penalties for airlines in such scenarios as it may motivate airlines to ensure that they are better prepared with appropriate resources and thus avoid internal issues Delays can be reduced. This is likely to improve the on-time performance of the entire aviation ecosystem and increase air passenger satisfaction levels in India.”

Aviation regulator DGCA had recently imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh each on Air India and SpiceJet for lapses in rostering of pilots for operating flights in low visibility conditions. An official said, “After analyzing the flight delay/cancellation/diversion-related data submitted by scheduled airlines for December 2023, the DGCA found that Air India and SpiceJet have not issued CAT II/III and LVTO qualified pilots for some flights. Was not rostered.”

CAT II/III deals with operations of flights in low visibility conditions. LVTO stands for low visibility take-off.

According to two orders issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), a fine of Rs 30 lakh each has been imposed on Air India and SpiceJet. Following diversion of various flights amid dense fog at Delhi airport in late December, DGCA earlier this month pulled Air India and SpiceJet to account for not deploying trained pilots to operate in low visibility conditions. Tell me notice was issued.

Flight operations at Delhi airport were significantly affected due to dense fog during December 25-28 last year and around 60 flights of various airlines were diverted.