The Indian government has decided to extend the ban on domestic and international flights in India till the midnight of May 3. Earlier, the ban was till the midnight of April 14. However, domestic airlines had begun taking bookings after April 14 even though there was no clarity on when flights would resume.

This decision by the domestic carriers can best be described as being ethically wrong and angry flyers have taken to Twitter and other social media to express their anger against these airlines. The only Indian carrier which did not take any bookings till April 30 is Air India.

According to industry watchers, domestic airlines interpreted the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s circular which stated that no flights would be allowed till 11.59 pm on April 14 to mean that flights would be started after that and decided to open bookings from the midnight of April 14.

Former officials also blame the government for not stopping these airlines from taking bookings. Former civil aviation officials told BusinessLine that deregulation did not imply absence of regulations and the responsibility of protecting the interests of consumers or passengers squarely fell on the government. They also point out that when, in the past, private carriers increased fares during emergencies like natural calamities, the government had stepped in; so, why couldn’t it this time?

Late on Tuesday evening, IndiGo announced that it will start operations in a phased manner from May 4.

The issue of airlines taking bookings after April 14, even with no clarity on when flights would resume, was first flagged by aviation advisory CAPA. It had said that the decision to allow opening of advance bookings from April 14 without a decision on lifting of the lockdown and likely structure of the transition period post the lockdown needed to be immediately reviewed as this was unfair to consumers.

For flyers, this move by the domestic airlines has come as a big blow, as their money is now stuck with the airlines which will release it in the form of vouchers which they can use for travel within a year.

Flyers who have booked tickets after April 14 have little choice except to wait till flights start operating again or as some are suggesting moving the consumer courts which invariably give judgments in favour of consumers.

Besides wanting to collect cash by opening bookings, why the domestic airlines resorted to this move is puzzling. Their move to issue vouchers can only harm the reputation that these airlines enjoyed, as they are now being seen as having duped their flyers.

Further, airlines should have been well aware that restarting operations is not going to be an overnight process. First, conditions across the country have to be lockdown-free for flights to operate. Airports too, need to put in place procedures for the new rules that will come into play after the lockdown ends.

There are still no clear guidelines on the social distancing norms to be maintained at airports. Authorities also have to decide on whether a self-declaration by a passenger saying that he/she is well enough to travel is enough or will a flyer be required to get a certificate from a doctor saying that he/she is free of corona symptoms, and hence, is not a health-risk for others.

Further, airlines too need to work out how to maintain social distancing. Will the middle seat on the aircraft be empty? Will there be one flyer per row of three seats? There is no clarity on any of these right now.

However, whatever the airlines’ reasoning for opening bookings, the loser yet again is the flying public.

Late on Tuesday evening, IndiGo announced that it would start operations in a phased manner from May 4.

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