Mumbai: Mumbai Grahak Panchayat wrote to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs complaining about the steep air fare hike by domestic airlines during the festival season. Highlighting 300% fare hike, it alleged that all the airlines are taking undue advantage and demanded an investigation into the fare hike and to direct the airlines to charge normal fares.
Mumbai Grahak Panchayat (MGP), a non-profit organisation working to protect consumer rights, wrote to the chief commissioner of Central Consumer Protection Authority under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, complaining about the steep air fare hike during the festival season. According to MGP, air travellers have raised concerns about two-fold and three-fold hike in the air fares by all airlines including budget airlines.
Through the letter, MGP mentioned several Indigo, Air India, Akasa Air and Spice Jet flights flying between Mumbai, Delhi and Lucknow, which have raised the fare ranging from Rs 6,000 to Rs 13,000 in September and October to Rs 12,100 to Rs 27,800 during the first week of December. According to MGP, the air fares have increased by as high as 206.25% in some cases.
MGP alleged that air fares of budget airlines like Indigo are much higher compared to Air India for the same sector on the same date and for same time departure flights. It claimed that the air fares have tripled on some sectors between Lucknow and Bombay, and called it an “intolerable hike” by the airlines.
“Such unilateral, steep and unjustified air fare hikes amount to adoption of Unfair Trade Practice by all these airlines and it causes consumer exploitation on a massive scale. CPA, 2019 empowers the CCPA to intervene in such matter and prevent adoption of such Unfair Trade Practice by all these airlines,” read the letter.
The letter written by MGP’s chairman Shirish Deshpande also mentioned that there has been capacity shortage due to closure of Jet Airways and Go Air in the last couple of years, and increase in demand at the same time. It said that it had expected the Civil Aviation ministry would monitor air fares with a view to prevent consumer exploitation during festive seasons like Diwali and Christmas.
However, it said that it had to reach out to the Central Consumer Protection Authority as the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has no authority to regulate and control air fares. MGP demanded investigation into their complaint against the alleged unfair trade practice by the airlines and ensure that the air fares are brought back to the normal rates.
“We request an immediate investigation into our complaint of Unfair Trade Practice by all airlines. It should be ensured that all these airlines are prevented from charging such exorbitant air fares with immediate effect. Pending the investigation, all the airlines should be directed to charge, with immediate effect, the normal air fares that prevailed in September or October,” said Deshpande.
