Ombudsman for Flight commuters | Flyer’s redressal in india

We have seen many flight delays , flight cancellations, poor quality of service in Airline industry where in passengers are taken for a jolly ride but not there seems to be some relief for Airline passengers.

Flight delays may be an account of natural factor and may be due to human factor but you will have some one to listen to your complaints.

 Flyers may soon get a one-stop redressal mechanism for all their woes with the government planning to have several aviation ombudsmen across the country. Delhi may have the first ombudsman, to be followed by other metros and the states.

“The plan is to set up the office this year itself, first at the Centre and then on a state or at least regional level. This quasi-judicial authority will have the authority to resolve passenger complaints against airlines or airports, without them running around to be heard,” aviation minister Praful Patel said.

Patel also added that the ministry is working on a plan to simplify airline fares. “The working group constituted for this purpose has given some recommendations. We are soon going to take a call on how maximum transparency in fares can be ensured so that spot fares turning unreasonable in crunch times can be avoided,” he said.

According to aviation ministry sources, the government will take a holistic view on the issue of fares. The working group on fares is learnt to have given suggestions like opening up the closed airports in Hyderabad and Bangalore for low cost carriers at a reasonable charge. Similarly, the panel is in favour of continuing to use the excess capacity in Delhi (in form of terminal 1D) if everything is to be moved to T3.

It has also sought a strict adherence to all-inclusive fares so that passengers are not conned by a deceptively low-priced ticket on which several hidden charges are added on later. Panel members have also asked for speedy addition to capacity for new airlines, subject to their meeting all safety norms, so that supply-side issues can be addressed.

“Supply-side issues and airport charges will also have to be considered while ensuring fair fares. Airlines can’t be the whipping boy and other stake holders’ cooperation is mandatory to ensure reasonable fares,” said the sources.

A sharp growth in the number of passengers has led the government to look at the options of an ombudsman and transparent fares. Last year, India saw 5 crore domestic flyers, a number that is expected to grow four-fold in the next decade. At present there’s no real mechanism to resolve passenger complaints as airlines are not known to be too responsive. “But the size of passenger numbers we are looking at in coming years makes it imperative to have a simple institutionalized mechanism in place for this job. Passengers can’t be left at the mercy of airlines or airports,” a senior official said.

Source: Times of india