festivals Airline companies, which had increased fares excessively in the past, have now come under the radar of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court can now give a good account of the airline companies that take advantage of the helplessness of the common people. In fact, the Supreme Court expressed concern over the huge increase in air fares during festivals and said on Monday that the court will intervene in this matter regarding “unexpected fluctuations”. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, hearing a PIL, termed the huge increase in air fares by airline companies as “exploitation”. Along with this, the court has also sought answers from the Central Government and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in this matter.
Supreme Court will definitely intervene in the matter
The petition has requested binding regulatory guidelines to control unpredictable fluctuations in airfares and residual fees of private airline companies. The bench told Additional Solicitor General Anil Kaushik, appearing for the Centre, “We will definitely intervene. Just look at the exploitation of passengers during Kumbh and other festivals. Look at the fares from Delhi to Prayagraj and Jodhpur.” Justice Mehta told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta present in the court that there may not have been an increase in the air fares to Ahmedabad, but there was a huge increase in the fares to other places like Jodhpur. Is.
Next hearing will be on 23 February
Following Kaushik’s request for time to file a reply on behalf of the Centre, the Supreme Court has fixed February 23 for further hearing in the matter. Let us tell you that on November 17 last year, the Supreme Court had ordered social worker S. The plea sought response from the Center and others on Lakshminarayanan’s plea, which requested the establishment of a strong and independent regulator that ensures transparency and passenger safety in the civil aviation sector. The court has issued notices to the Central Government, DGCA and Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India seeking response on the petition.
Common passengers are being robbed in various ways.
The petition claimed that all private airline companies have reduced the free ‘check-in baggage’ for ‘economy class’ passengers from 25 kg to 15 kg without any solid reason, “which has converted what was earlier a part of the ticketing service into a new source of revenue.” It said that “the new policy of allowing only one piece of luggage for check-in and not giving any discount, compensation or benefit to passengers who do not avail check-in baggage reflects the arbitrary and discriminatory nature of this measure.”
No power to cap air fares or other charges
The petition said that currently, no authority has the power to review or curb airfares or other charges, allowing companies to exploit consumers through hidden charges and unpredictable pricing. Lack of regulatory control leads to arbitrary fare hikes, especially during festivals or special situations, causing harm to poor and last-minute travelers. Rich people can plan and book tickets in advance, while economically weaker citizens are forced to buy tickets at exorbitant prices.
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