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In November, airlines compensated 2.69 lakh passengers for delays and nearly 40 thousand passengers for cancellations. Social media has recently been filled with videos of passengers expressing frustration with ground staff at certain airports in the country. Delays are attributed to various reasons, including a shortage of planes, weather conditions, and crew shortages. Often, the reasons for delays are not transparently communicated to passengers, leading to a more challenging situation at airports. In the same month, 2.69 lakh passengers received compensation for delays, almost 40 thousand for cancellations, and 1231 for denied boarding.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has established specific Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) to address delayed flights, cancelled flights, and overbooking. Airlines are obligated to comply, whether operating the flight themselves or through wet-leased aircraft.

Denied Boarding

If an airline overbooks a flight, it must first seek volunteers to give up their seats, offering benefits at the airline's discretion. If boarding is denied against a passenger's will, the airline must arrange an alternate flight within one hour or compensate the passenger with an amount equal to 200% of the booked one-way fare plus airline fuel charge, capped at INR 10,000 if an alternate flight is provided within 24 hours. The penalty increases to 400% if the alternate flight is more than 24 hours later, capped at INR 20,000. If the passenger opts for a refund instead, the airline must refund the full ticket value and compensate with 400% of the booked one-way basic fare plus airline charge, capped at INR 20,000. The regulator expects the airline to inform passengers of cancellations at least two weeks before the travel date.

Flight delays

For flight delays, airlines are expected to offer refreshments or meals for delays beyond two hours (up to two and a half hours for block times) and provide accommodation for delays exceeding 24 hours or for flights departing between 2000 hrs and 0300 hours. Despite efforts to cover various considerations in the regulations, loopholes exist, allowing airlines to avoid compensation in cases of delays due to factors like Air Traffic Control, security, natural disasters, and political issues. Transparency issues persist, with some airlines delaying flights incrementally instead of providing upfront information about longer delays.

 24 घंटे में 5 कोविड मौतें, 529 नए मामले सूची गईं।