DGCA reports record air passenger complaints in 2024 amid flight cancellations and delays

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In a first, the number of air passengers' complaints with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) crossed the 1,000-mark in July 2024, and then again in August. As per DGCA data, till June, the numbers were limited to 800. The DGCA received 1,097 complaints in July, and in August, it got 1,031 grievances.

Last-minute flight cancellations remain one of the primary reasons for passengers' frustration. A frequent flyer anonymously told mid-day, "My job requires me to hop across India, mostly by air. At any airport, the first thing I do is check the departure schedule. At least one flight is always delayed. Passengers waiting for hours [to get on a flight] is a common sight at airports across India."

He added, "If I am late by even five minutes, I am not allowed to board, but if the flight is delayed for hours, no action is taken against the airline. I have flown Kingfisher and Jet Airways, too. Delays happened back then also, but it wasn't as bad. Air passengers have increased today, but this doesn't mean the travel experience should deteriorate."

Air travellers are still a minority in India. The cost of food at the airports adds to journey expenses, and airport lounges cater to a select few. Ideally, affected passengers should be provided with refreshments and accommodation as per DGCA guidelines. However, it has been reported in these columns that when flights are delayed, passengers are left to fend for themselves.

Aviation rights activist, advocate Yashwant Shenoy, told mid-day, "Communication gap is a major reason for passengers' frustration. Passengers arrive on time, only to realise their flight is delayed or cancelled. There have been multiple instances when flights were diverted, but passengers were left unattended, and to figure out an alternate route for themselves."

Captain Mohan Ranganathan, a senior industry expert, said, "Once a boarding pass is issued to a passenger, it is a contract between the passenger and the airline, and it is the latter's responsibility to take care of all the expenses, like arranging for an alternate flight, along with providing refreshments in cases of delays, diversions and cancellations. The Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs) are never enforced. Airlines are the ones controlling the DGCA, which is why no stringent action has been taken."

Air travellers' lack of awareness about DGCA norms and the Passengers Charter often results in airlines exploiting them. The Passengers Charter outlines passengers' rights in a simplified manner, while the CAR is detailed guidelines set by the DGCA to ensure passenger care. An industry analyst, on condition of anonymity, stated, "The DGCA and the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) have set up several rules, norms, and guidelines that help passengers understand their rights. Filing an official complaint is another way out, but that is a timely process. Informed passengers will always have an upper hand." According to experts, the ground staff's curt attitude has also caused dissatisfaction among passengers. "As per my observation, " Ranganathan said, "airline staff has become rude. In a customer-oriented industry, one cannot afford to do this."

Lamenting on the status of regulatory bodies, Shenoy said, "In India, passengers are the ones who suffer. The DGCA is controlled by airlines and will never come to their rescue. No passenger would fight a decade-long legal battle to claim a few thousand (Rupees). They (DGCA) are regulators only on paper, not by action. History will prove that DGCA worked only for the airlines. The biggest bidder (read: dominant airline) controls DGCA. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the DGCA regulated airfares, saying that price wars would take out small companies, but it never interfered when airfares soared. The levying of fines that we have seen of late is not action, but an exemption given to safe practices. In other countries, an airline is grounded for unsafe practices. In India, they are penalised financially. This means the lives of passengers can be put at risk by paying penalties."

He also said, "Both the DGCA and the MoCA know that affected passengers will not approach the judiciary because it is so slow. Pursuing a lawsuit is more expensive than the amount they are fighting for..." Ranganathan added, "Refund rules are designed to benefit airlines. The rules have several grey areas which the airlines can exploit to deny repayments or refunds."

The increasing frustration among passengers is a vast topic," senior DGCA official, on condition of anonymity, said, "Often, we (DGCA) remain, or are kept in the dark about occurrences because passengers or airlines never report them. Lack of awareness is another big issue. Passenger needs to be educated about their rights so that any incident is promptly reported and strict action is taken against the airlines. Often the airlines take advantage of this lack of awareness."
The official also stated, "When the gap between the passenger and the regulatory bodies is decreased, the frustration will reduce while the number of complaints will rise, prompting us to act against the airlines." The industry analyst who spoke to mid-day requesting anonymity also echoed the same sentiment about the possible rise in the number of complaints filed with the DGCA if the passengers are more informed.

However, the DGCA official also said passengers may be at fault, too. "There are two cases - either a passenger is not aware of his or her rights and is unable to fight back, or the passenger is at fault and the airlines act against them, resulting in conflict. The regulatory bodies some time back penalised the Mumbai Airport and IndiGo when a video of passengers eating on the tarmac went viral. In this case, the passengers were at fault as they were not aware that they were not supposed to be sitting on the tarmac, but the penalty was levied upon the airline and the airport, too, as they were the ones who failed to make sure the passengers didn't act this way."

Know your rights as air passengers

>> If a domestic flight is expected to be delayed beyond six hours, the rescheduled time should be communicated 24 hours before the originally scheduled departure time, and the airline shall offer the option of either an alternate flight within six hours or a full refund.

>> If the airline experiences a delay in flight departure, which is communicated more than 24 hours before its original scheduled time, and if the delay is more than 24 hours or more than six hours for flights scheduled to depart between 8 PM and 3 AM, the airline must provide free accommodation

>> If the passenger is informed of the flight cancellation between two weeks and 24 hours before scheduled departure time, the airline must offer an alternate flight or refund the tickets, as preferred by the passenger

>> In case of denied boarding due to the flight being overbooked, the airline must arrange an alternate flight scheduled to depart within one hour of the original scheduled departure time.

In case the airline fails to do so, the airline must provide compensation

>> In case the airline loses or damages baggage, it is liable for compensation of up to R20,000 per passenger

>> All airports must be well-equipped to provide free Wi-Fi service so that passengers stay connected while they check in and wait for boarding to commence

Website: www.dgca.gov.in