AIR TRAVEL IN INDIA: THE WORST OPTION

AIR TRAVEL IN INDIA: THE WORST OPTION
I visited Ranchi to deliver a lecture in the most prestigious Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi. I was to travel from Ranchi to Lucknow via New Delhi on June 15, 2006. I was confident to reach Lucknow same day as I had taken Jetlite flight from Ranchi to New Delhi and connecting flight from New Delhi to Lucknow also was of jetlite. When I reached Ranchi airport, counter staff assured me to give me both the boarding passes in Ranchi itself. I was very relaxed as flight was only one hour delayed but still I had one hour to catch New Delhi-Lucknow flight so I was not much stressed/bothered.
Suddenly the counter staff said to me “Sir! your New Delhi-Lucknow flight is cancelled”. I was shocked as I took this flight so that I can reach Lucknow same day. I calculated from there and could guess that by the time I will land up in New Delhi all the Lucknow bound flights must have left. The Jetlitre staff told me better you go to New Delhi and then see what best can be done. I arrived at around 7 PM and any how I went inside to talk to Jetlite supervisor who very nicely said “Sir we are sorry”.
I requested her that can I go by the next available Jetlite flight in the early morning next day, then she again said it is totally full. I was totally in a mess. What to do? In the mean time few more passengers arrived everybody has one or the other important meeting or work so people were really very angry, upset and helpless. Being summer time it was not sure that we can get any ticket to go to Lucknow by train.
But air line staff has one word to say “Sir we are sorry”. That’s all and they leave the passengers to go to hell. This is one example only but this same story is repeated very now and then and nobody has any concern about the passengers who pay a heavy airfare so as to reach in and on time and attend some urgent work, some have connecting flight both domestic and international and how much they are suffering, getting harassed and humiliated.
Another story is of Indian airlines flight IC-411 going from New Delhi to Lucknow on June 16, 2008. Flight was on time and passengers boarded the plane also at around 8.45 AM and were thinking to reach Lucknow by 10.15 AM. But one hour passed and no announcement by any staff in the flight. When we asked one airhostess very badly and rudely said “We are not supposed to make any announcements”. When few passengers got furious after 1.5 hrs, an announcement was made “cabin crew for this flight is arriving from Kolkata and they are stuck up due to traffic congestion (A very clever word to fool us as if all the buses in Delhi and metro train also leaves from airport runway), but their flight has landed and within 15 minutes we will leave. Again 2.5 hours passed. All passengers are ion the flight and fell really tortured/humiliated as no one was telling where those pilots have gone. After much hue and cry announcement was made it will take further 25-30 minutes before flight takes off. Finally flight landed at Lucknow more than 3 hours late.
Now I wish to say that we have to very seriously think:

1. The mental torture due to this is really very, very serious and upsetting.

2. When any flight is cancelled/delayed, and you buy a fresh ticket, the cost will be very high as compare to when you had purchased the ticket few days back.

3. You have to manage a hotel, guest house for you if your next onward journey by other airline, than you are coming from.

4. In spite of the fact that DGCA has given written instructions to all the airlines for cash payment of refund to the passenger even for E-tickets, most of the airline staff never follow it and harass and misguide the passengers.

5. If you don’t have a credit card then you are simply gone as how to manage such huge amount of airfare that too instant one which is very expensive.

WHY IT HAPPENS IN INDIA AND WHAT IS THE REMEDY:
Thousands of Indian and foreigner who take air travel in India are daily victimized and exploited by these airlines and people are so helpless that they think it is a part of their life and they accept it. They also avoid going for legal battle in India may be too long. Passengers pay a very heavy price for this and if any estimation is done it would be in crores of rupees. Now what to do?
The answer is very simple: We the Indians never complain properly and keep quiet after few arguments by the airline staffs, who many times are expert in nicely and very politely misguiding you and telling all the lies. One or two airlines may be exception.
Therefore I request all those authorities who are concerned that if they really want to stop this daily nuisance and exploitation/ harassment of people travelling by air in India then please ensure and make such rules that:

1. If any airline is delayed more than 30 minutes, for every next thirty minutes delay, passengers should be paid the compensation at the rate of Rs. 500/= per thirty minutes. That means if a flight is delayed by 3 hours, a passenger must be paid in cash Rs 3000/= by the airlines on the spot.

2. If any flight is cancelled, the double amount of the actual fare paid by the passengers must be paid to him on the spot by the airlines.

3. A list of such defaulter airlines should be made public so that people can avoid using those airlines.