Airline alerts

Expectedly, the annual ritual of delayed flights played out on January 1 when Delhi airport saw over 300 flights being delayed. Who is to blame for harried and hassled passengers reaching the airport only to be told they don’t know when their flights will take off?

Airlines need be more proactive about informing flyers about delays. They know the routing early enough so they would also know flights are not going to be able to land and hence not take off on time for the next leg. Moreover, since fog and weather disruptions are a part of life every winter in North India, airlines are expected to factor in delays when they plan their schedules. So why can’t the passengers be informed ? All it will take is an SMS, WhatsApp message or email. Passengers travel long distances to reach the airport on time; therefore information regarding flight delays becomes all the more important. Timely information will also make operations at the airport more streamlined.

Another suggestion is to make all the stakeholders — airport, and airline, and possibly even the met department — take collaborative decisions. Perhaps it is time to concretise this further. Possibly a small beginning has been made this year with IndiGo sending out alerts to the media whenever there is a possibility of weather conditions affecting operations. The mail also provides information on when the conditions are likely to improve. Sending out these alerts to flyers will probably make more of a difference. This should not be too difficult for others to follow . What is needed is a more concerned and proactive approach by the airlines.

Senior Deputy Editor

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