Airlines told to display fares properly on net

That attractive airfare that you see on an airline's website or a travel portal hides more than what it shows. In a recent review of websites of domestic airlines and travel portals, civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) found that airlines are not transparent when it comes to showing the total amount payable by passengers and the break-up of the tariff.
The regulator has asked all s domestic airlines to become s transparent in displaying tariffs by August 15 or face action. It s also wants the 70-odd foreign l airlines to follow this rule. DGCA chief Naseem Zaidi met representatives of these - airlines on Wednesday to discuss the issue. In an amendment of rule 135 of the Aircraft Rules on April 16, 2009, airlines were made to display tariff in a conspicuous manner to show the total amount with complete break-up.
The break-up should have had indicated the fare, tax, fees or any other charge separately. The airlines had also been asked to advise their travel agents to act accordingly. The airlines were given a deadline up to June 30 to comply with the rule. "(But) Instead of showing the total amount as one figure, the airlines split the basic fare and misled passengers," said a senior DGCA official who is not authorised to talk to the media.
"The fuel surcharge, for instance, is shown separately and it seems it is a charge levied by the government even when it is not," the official said. "We are pursuing the airlines to follow the law and plan to take serious action if they keep on doing this even after August 15. We can stop their flights right now but that would only inconvenience passengers," he said.
The DGCA has also asked airlines to stop using jargon that confuses passengers. "There is no uniformity of airfare display on websites and they are not fully in accordance with the rule," he said. The regulator has found 33 travel agents/portals book air tickets through their websites but are not following the rules.

Source:
Hindustan Times
Date-31 July 2009
Edition- New Delhi