India
‘Economy class is no longer economical’: Raghav Chadha highlights air traffic problems in Rajya Sabha | India News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party Raghav Chadha on Wednesday raised issues related to air travel in the country and said the government has not fulfilled its promise to make domestic air tickets affordable to common people.
During a discussion on Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak in Rajya Sabha, Chadha raised eight issues faced by passengers while traveling including expensive airfares, crowded airportsand frequent flight cancellations, among others.
“Economy class is no longer economical. Before I came to the debate in this house today, I checked the air fares on my phone. If I have to go from Delhi to Mumbai tomorrow, the ticket will cost 14,000 rupees. Cheapest one way flight from Delhi to Patna costs 12,000 rupees, and from Delhi to Bangalore it is 16,000 rupees. And forget that the day before yesterday I traveled from my region Punjab to Delhi Mohali Airport to Chandigarh Airport and reached Delhi. The ticket for that flight cost Rs 14,500 as MPs get flight allowance prices,” Chadha said.
“The second struggle faced by the common man in this country is the congested airports. Nowadays, our country’s airports have become a kind of bus stations. Go to Terminal One, Terminal Two in Delhi, and check the conditions. From the security line to the control line People are queuing, even missing their flights,” he added.
Chadha also said that baggage charges are being levied at airports and urged the government to create a procedure to standardize baggage carousels.
“The seventh problem is baggage fees and delays. If your luggage is just one kilo overweight, airlines charge excessive fees. Some people even leave their belongings at the airport because the items are not worth the baggage fee. The wait for luggage at the airport The belt is long and sometimes the belt is not even available. The government should create a procedure to standardize this,” Chadha said.
“The eighth problem is the high parking fees at airports. Parking contracts are given to one company, which charges exorbitant rates, especially at small airports. At Delhi airport the cost is 220 rupees per hour. If you book a taxi, the bill will be high because the taxi driver will pass on the expensive parking charges,” he added.
