New aircraft rules bring fare transparency, but no relief from soaring festive prices
Ranchi: For passengers planning to return home for Diwali and Chhath Puja , the govt’s new aircraft rules may bring clarity to air tickets but little relief from soaring fares.
Notified on Oct 31, the rules require airlines to provide passengers with a detailed break-up of the ticket price at the time of booking. The disclosure must include charges such as the cancellation fee and should be available on the airline’s booking website and the ticket issued to the passenger.
The move has been welcomed by stakeholders as a step towards transparency. However, they said it does not address the immediate concern confronting passengers — exorbitant airfares during the festive season.
Air tickets to Ranchi from several cities have nearly doubled ahead of Diwali and Chhath Puja, putting an additional burden on people travelling home. Passengers tied to fixed dates often have little choice but to pay the fare quoted by airlines.
Under the new rules, the civil aviation ministry can intervene in airfares during an “extraordinary situation”. However, the rules do not clearly define what would qualify as one, leaving passengers uncertain about when it could intervene.
Srawan Rajgarhia , chairperson of the aviation sub-committee of the Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI), said the disclosure requirements would help passengers understand what they were paying for.
“Passengers will now know every component of the air ticket price. However, the rules offer no direct financial relief. There should have been a mechanism to regulate fares during periods of high demand,” he said.
Rajgarhia said airfares had been rising sharply for the past six months. “Ahead of Diwali, a one-way ticket from Pune to Ranchi is priced at around Rs 25,000, against the usual Rs 9,000. Passengers are left with no option but to pay the high fare,” he said.
FJCCI treasurer Navjot Alang said multiple airlines and online booking platforms had not helped passengers travelling on fixed dates, particularly during festivals or emergencies.
For Ranchi resident Pratik Kumar, the fare, however, was worth the family reunion. His brother, who works in Delhi, paid Rs 12,000 for a ticket to Ranchi after missing the Durga Puja break. “He decided to spend the money to celebrate the festival with family,” Kumar said.
Notified on Oct 31, the rules require airlines to provide passengers with a detailed break-up of the ticket price at the time of booking. The disclosure must include charges such as the cancellation fee and should be available on the airline’s booking website and the ticket issued to the passenger.
The move has been welcomed by stakeholders as a step towards transparency. However, they said it does not address the immediate concern confronting passengers — exorbitant airfares during the festive season.
Air tickets to Ranchi from several cities have nearly doubled ahead of Diwali and Chhath Puja, putting an additional burden on people travelling home. Passengers tied to fixed dates often have little choice but to pay the fare quoted by airlines.
Under the new rules, the civil aviation ministry can intervene in airfares during an “extraordinary situation”. However, the rules do not clearly define what would qualify as one, leaving passengers uncertain about when it could intervene.
Srawan Rajgarhia , chairperson of the aviation sub-committee of the Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI), said the disclosure requirements would help passengers understand what they were paying for.
“Passengers will now know every component of the air ticket price. However, the rules offer no direct financial relief. There should have been a mechanism to regulate fares during periods of high demand,” he said.
Rajgarhia said airfares had been rising sharply for the past six months. “Ahead of Diwali, a one-way ticket from Pune to Ranchi is priced at around Rs 25,000, against the usual Rs 9,000. Passengers are left with no option but to pay the high fare,” he said.
FJCCI treasurer Navjot Alang said multiple airlines and online booking platforms had not helped passengers travelling on fixed dates, particularly during festivals or emergencies.
For Ranchi resident Pratik Kumar, the fare, however, was worth the family reunion. His brother, who works in Delhi, paid Rs 12,000 for a ticket to Ranchi after missing the Durga Puja break. “He decided to spend the money to celebrate the festival with family,” Kumar said.
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