'Make errant airlines pay'

Mumbai: While happy with the decision to refuse take-off permission to flights that don't stick to schedule, fliers have demanded that the airlines also be made to compensate them for delays. A draft policy making it mandatory for tardy airlines to compensate fliers was tabled about a month ago, and the
Air Passenger Association of India (APAI) demanded on Monday that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) clear it immediately. Going by procedure, suggestions and objections would have to be invited, after which the draft would go to the Law Ministry for checking. The policy would be enforced only once the Law Ministry clears it.
The APAI demand came soon after Mumbai's Air Traffic Control (ATC) denied take-off clearance to more than 60 flights for late start-ups. It was the first time air traffic managers put an eight-month-old DGCA rule into effect. The rule empowers controllers to temporarily ground a flight if the pilot is not prepared for take-off 15 minutes before the scheduled departure.
"The move will streamline traffic, but ultimately it's the passengers who suffer. It will be more effective if airlines are made to pay compensation for delays," said Milan Zatakia, APAI national vice-president. The passenger body has taken up the matter with the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.
20/07/10 Soubhik Mitra/Hindustan Times

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Airports Jul 2010