Govt call airlines, travel portals to discuss consumer grievances on Nov 8

About half of the complaints are related to "ticket cancelled but no refund received from airlines"

Amidst rising complaints from air travelers, the Centre has scheduled a meeting for November 8 with officials of airlines and travel portals that offer airline bookings to discuss issues faced by consumers.

This step has been taken due to the increasing number of complaints during the festive season. Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh highlighted that "About 10,000 complaints related to the airline sector have been received through the government's National Consumer Helpline in the last year.

Additionally, there have been several tweets, emails, and other forms of communication through which people are expressing their issues. The 10,000 complaints seem to be just the tip of the iceberg."

According to the department's data, out of the 10,000 complaints received, approximately half are related to "tickets being canceled, but no refunds received from airlines." Some major grievances also involve airlines displaying all seats as paid, even with mandatory free web check-in.

Elaborating on why these issues concern the department, Singh explained, "We do not intervene in the prices airlines set for tickets. However, selling goods or services is a package deal. Adding costs without upfront disclosure after a service has been purchased is unfair."

He further stated, "Airlines advertise 'free web check-in' but charge for seats. Once a traveler has paid the fare and the airline has issued a confirmed ticket, all services must be fair and advantageous to consumers. Exploiting consumers is not acceptable."

Nonetheless, the department will withhold any action until they have heard the perspectives of airlines and portals.

"We want to provide them with an opportunity to explain their reasoning to us. Our concern is with unfair trade practices. This meeting is aimed at seeking explanations," he added.

"We hope that we can persuade and convince airlines and travel companies to refrain from unfair practices," he concluded.

The secretary also drew a parallel between unfair charges imposed by airlines for booking window or aisle seats and service charges levied by restaurants. He stated, "Any misleading or deceptive charges revealed only at the end of a transaction are unfair. The same applies to restaurants adding service charges to the bill. If there are additional costs, raise the prices of goods and services, but do not surprise unsuspecting customers at the end."