Ticket to fly, grounded by SMS

“Every week, passengers come to us complaining of no information about delays and cancellations. The airlines need to device a fool-proof system,” said Anil Punjabi, the chairman (east) of Travel Agents Federation of India.
Airlines, in turn, blame it on tour operators and passengers. “In many cases the phone numbers are wrong or the numbers are not properly fed into our system,” claimed airline sources. Once the passenger’s cell number is registered, an SMS about flight delay or cancellation is automatically generated.
This SMS has become increasingly vital for those flying the crowded Indian skies as airport authorities reveal an average of 10 to 12 per cent flights are either delayed or cancelled. According to aviation sources, the SMS system often malfunctions.
The norm is to inform passengers on their mobile phones or landline numbers. When the passenger’s contact number is unavailable, the travel agent is alerted.
19/11/07 Sanjay Mandal/The Telegraph

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Categories: General Aviation Nov 2007