India
oi-Ashish Rana
Air
India
has
begun
implementing
revised
ticket
prices
after
the
government
directed
all
airlines
to
monitor
fares
in
the
wake
of
massive
IndiGo
cancellations.
India
new
Price
Caps
Air
India
is
implementing
revised
ticket
prices
following
government
directives
to
monitor
fares
after
massive
IndiGo
cancellations,
and
will
refund
customers
who
paid
above
the
prescribed
caps
during
the
transition.
The
civil
aviation
ministry
has
instructed
all
carriers
to
control
airfares
to
maintain
pricing
discipline
and
protect
passengers,
including
students
and
senior
citizens.
The
move
comes
as
passengers
faced
unusually
high
ticket
prices
across
several
carriers
while
trying
to
rebook
flights
during
the
disruption.
Air
India
Begins
Phased
Rollout
of
Revised
Fares
In
a
statement
released
shortly
after
midnight,
Air
India
said
Air
India
Express
had
already
completed
the
application
of
revised
fares
across
its
systems,
while
Air
India
would
finish
the
process
within
a
few
hours.
“As
the
process
involves
third
party
system
dependencies,
a
phased
rollout
is
required
to
ensure
accuracy
and
stability
without
disrupting
guest
bookings,” the
airline
said.
Air
India
also
announced
that
customers
who
purchased
Economy
Class
tickets
at
prices
higher
than
the
prescribed
caps
during
the
transition
period
would
receive
refunds
for
the
difference.
Government
Steps
In
After
Heavy
Fare
Surge
The
IndiGo
crisis,
now
in
its
sixth
day,
has
caused
more
than
one
thousand
cancellations
as
of
Friday.
With
travellers
scrambling
for
alternative
flights,
fares
on
Akasa
Air,
Air
India
and
SpiceJet
surged
sharply.
In
response,
the
civil
aviation
ministry
invoked
its
regulatory
powers
on
Saturday,
issuing
a
directive
to
all
carriers
asking
them
to
monitor
and
control
airfares.
“These
caps
will
remain
in
force
until
the
situation
fully
stabilises.
The
objective
of
this
directive
is
to
maintain
pricing
discipline
in
the
market,
prevent
any
exploitation
of
passengers
in
distress,
and
ensure
that
citizens
who
urgently
need
to
travel,
including
senior
citizens,
students,
and
patients,
are
not
subjected
to
financial
hardship
during
this
period,” the
ministry
said.
IndiGo
Operations
Showing
Signs
of
Improvement
IndiGo
operations
showed
early
signs
of
recovery
on
Sunday,
with
the
number
of
cancellations
declining.
The
airline
has
also
refunded
more
than
six
hundred
ten
crore
rupees
to
affected
passengers,
as
directed
by
the
government.
Refund
Relief
and
Market
Stabilisation
Efforts
Continue
As
airlines
adjust
their
fare
structures
to
comply
with
the
temporary
caps,
authorities
expect
pricing
to
stabilise
gradually.
Air
India’s
decision
to
offer
refunds
for
excess
fares
aims
to
provide
immediate
relief
to
passengers
who
booked
tickets
during
the
volatile
period.
