Air India to pay Rs 10 lakh for denying boarding to passengers with valid tickets
"To say the least, it is deeply concerning and inappropriate. After reviewing AI responses in the specific circumstances listed in the show cause notice, the competent authority imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh as part of the enforcement action," it was observed.
FollowThe Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) fined Air India Rs 10 lakh for rejecting boarding to customers with valid tickets and then failing to provide them with the required compensation. It stated in a statement that many instances of the airline failing to follow regulations had been detected.
"Thereafter, DGCA conducted a series of checks and during our surveillance at Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi, there were specific instances, in the case of Air India, where the regulation (regarding compensation to passengers) is not being followed and thus, a show cause notice was issued to the airline and also a personal hearing was afforded," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement.
According to the authority, Air India does not have a policy in place and does not compensate passengers.
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"To say the least, it is deeply concerning and inappropriate. After reviewing AI responses in the specific circumstances listed in the show cause notice, the competent authority imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh as part of the enforcement action," it was observed.
"In addition, the Airline has been urged to promptly put the mechanisms in place to remedy the issue, failing which further action by the DGCA would be taken," it continued.
The move follows many complaints of passengers being denied boarding by a variety of airlines despite having legitimate tickets and being on time. Despite having standards in place, several airlines were not following them, according to the DGCA after performing a series of checks in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi. Laying down guidelines for denying boarding to a passenger despite a valid ticket, the DGCA said in case, an airline is able to arrange an alternate flight for the said passenger within an hour, no compensation is to be paid.
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(With inputs from PTI)
