After buses, now overcrowded planes!

Panjim: While passengers have already begun jostling for seats while boarding low cost airlines at Dabolim airport, the urge to accommodate extra passengers during a flight has led some airlines to adopt illegal and perilous methods.
In one such recent incident, some parents on a Mumbai-bound Air Deccan flight were reportedly enticed to allow their young children sit on their laps, after the airlines ran out of seats and tried to accommodate extra passengers in the plane.
The incident occurred when four passengers with confirmed air tickets went to the check-in counter, only to be told that there were no vacant seats in the aircraft.
The four angry passengers created a ruckus at the check-in counter, prompting Air Deccan officials to accommodate the four extra passengers by flouting civil aviation rules.
An Air Deccan official allegedly requested some passengers travelling with young children to accommodate their children on their laps. In return, the airlines refunded the child’s ticket.
The vacant seats were then allotted to the four ‘extra’ passengers.
When contacted, Air Deccan Airport Manager Elfrige Lobo denied any knowledge of the incident and said he was out of station for a few days.
17/06/07 Herald Publications

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Categories: Air Deccan Jun 2007, Safety Jun 2007