New Delhi: A parliamentary panel has suggested that the government make it mandatory for domestic airlines to set aside some seats on every flight so that passengers with emergency travel needs can fly at "affordable" rates.
In a report tabled in the Rajya Sabha today, the parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture recommended that "adequate seats should be reserved for last-minute booking with affordable fares for people travelling in medical emergency".
The committee also suggested that the quota be extended to persons accompanying a body or to the next of kin of someone who has died.
Sources in the government said Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju had come up with a similar proposal earlier this year. "The idea was there would be two or three emergency-quota seats on every flight reserved for people who need to fly for reasons such as the sickness of a close relative or the last rites of a family member," said a director in the ministry.
Another official said the proposal followed complaints from flyers who had to pay through their nose during emergencies under the system of dynamic pricing, where tickets get costlier as the travel date and time nears.
02/12/15 Sumi Sukanya/Telegraph
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In a report tabled in the Rajya Sabha today, the parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture recommended that "adequate seats should be reserved for last-minute booking with affordable fares for people travelling in medical emergency".
The committee also suggested that the quota be extended to persons accompanying a body or to the next of kin of someone who has died.
Sources in the government said Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju had come up with a similar proposal earlier this year. "The idea was there would be two or three emergency-quota seats on every flight reserved for people who need to fly for reasons such as the sickness of a close relative or the last rites of a family member," said a director in the ministry.
Another official said the proposal followed complaints from flyers who had to pay through their nose during emergencies under the system of dynamic pricing, where tickets get costlier as the travel date and time nears.
02/12/15 Sumi Sukanya/Telegraph
