Sunday's debacle at the delhiairport, and its ramifications across the country, reminded me of a similar incident nearly two decades before. On february 14, 2007, the American airline JetBlue experienced a similar breakdown at its JFK New York hub due to an ice storm. Similar to delhi, dozens of passengers were left stuck onboard planes, on the runway, and at airports around the country, and the airline was able to depart little more than 10% of its planned flights that day.
Passengers are rightfully questioning, "Who is to blame?". Simply expressed, it represents the complete system. However, the entire problem is the result of a few basic causes.
First, there is a lack of transparency. Everyone in the aviation industry, from travel agents to airlines, airports, and Digiyatra, wants to "own" passenger data. This silo approach assures that the system does not function in the integrated manner that an aviation ecosystem requires.
This lack of transparency in data exchange exacerbates the second underlying cause: archaic procedures, laws, and regulations from the past century.
Topping it all off, aviation authorities, who should be in charge of ensuring that ground and air facilities are in good working order, have failed to develop and implement a clear and unified policy. Effective passenger protection rules, such as EU261 in the european union, are also in short supply.
Let me clarify.
Passenger Data Less than 10% of travellers buy their tickets directly from the airline. The rest utilise travel websites and agencies. The vast majority of sites or agents will not share passenger contact information with airlines. SMS is used to transmit delay information to the number specified in the reservation. I advise impacted flyers to double-check their contact information as displayed on their tickets.
Similarly, airlines do not like to share passenger information with the airport. A senior airline official astonished me by telling me that no one at the DigiYatra foundation is responsible or liable for our data privacy. This happened in a government-sponsored group. The government should mandate that all bookings must provide the passenger's Aadhaar number. Automatically, all the information will flow through the channels in a transparent and secure manner.
Infrastructure Woes Delhi is one of the world's largest airports and serves as a hub for nearly all indian carriers. Any disruption at this mega-hub causes nationwide problems. Despite years of practice dealing with fog, the airport only had one runway operating. Knowing the dangers of winter fog, why haven't the regulatory and airport authorities taken proactive steps to guarantee that the airport is ready? After all, we passengers get charged in the form of UDF for all of this infrastructure.
Strange airport procedures Many of our security and other procedures simply defy logic. A few examples.
Reverse Boarding Just as passengers are not allowed to leave the airport terminal once they arrive, if airlines deboard passengers, they cannot simply be transported back to the departure lounge and re-boarded. New boarding permits must be printed, and travellers must walk through the security checkpoint again.
Transit Security Any traveller passing through a hub must go through security procedures all over again. For example, amritsar to Bangalore is connected via Delhi. These out-of-date processes must be discontinued.
Indiscipline All of these outmoded protocols drive airlines and airports to use bypass strategies in order to keep the wheels turning. Almost every ticket has a CUTE fee. Airports charge a fee to supply airlines with Common User Terminals (shared terminals) rather than the former dedicated system. Unfortunately, most indian airports' common terminals are restricted to the check-in section.
Global security measures include baggage reconciliation, which ensures that no luggage flies without its person on board. This is to avert another Kanishka or Pan Am-style bombing. Unlike international airports, most indian airports lack gate-side printers, forcing airlines to rely on manual check-in for big or extra carry-on luggage, which many of our entitled fellow passengers like carrying. This just collapses the automated baggage reconciliation systems that airlines and airports utilise, necessitating the irrational security measures in place.
Passenger (lack of) rights I'm not letting the airlines off easy. They behave the way they do because they are permitted to. The Ministry of Civil Aviation's website has a document named "Passenger Charter of Rights".
Unfortunately, this Charter is a far worse fake than the famous "Hawa Mahal". A casual scan of this paper indicates that airlines are allowed every conceivable exception, including delays caused by ATC "congestion," which is equivalent to a traffic gridlock. Try informing an airline that you arrived at the airport late due to traffic.
This shaky Charter becomes much worse. In the limited circumstances when airlines have requirements, such as timely notice or payment of compensation, there is no stated manner of action or time range within which it must be completed, and there is no penalty if the needed action is not taken.
Is it any surprise that airlines behave the way they do. They understand that the government is not with the traveller, whose memory is already limited. Who recalls the heavy fog we experienced around two weeks ago? What promises did they make at the time? Both to and from us.
Passengers Too to Blame Finally, we must get off our high horse and demonstrate understanding and patience. Unlike a storm, which is fairly predictable, fog cannot be correctly foreseen in both its onset and length. A bollywood star said on TV, "Why are" Bangalore to Mumbai" flights delayed if the weather here is clear?"
Great observation, sir: nevertheless, the aircraft must arrive from delhi, which is fogged in, and must be flown by attentive pilots who are not fatigued from working above their flying duty time limit.
A few days after their 2007 collapse, JetBlue's then-CEO, David Neeleman, released a "Customer Bill of Rights" that included precise criteria such as delays, time a passenger is detained on board an aircraft or on the ground, compensation amounts, and so on.
Can we expect a similar response from indian airlines? While you finish laughing, I'd like to point out that the media is the people's voice.
I implore them to utilise this situation to lead a rally for change. Keep challenging the powers that be, and remind them of their responsibilities to the passengers, the economy, and the citizens.
The government must lead a serious effort to fix the entire system. No more half-hearted initiatives or weak declarations. Create a foolproof, exemption-proof passenger charter modelled after EU261, the european union passenger rights statute, that really safeguards passengers' rights.
Draw a "Lakshman Dhara" in the sand and make airlines, airports, and other parties legally liable. Any investor who breaches it faces such severe financial consequences that they will be unwilling to cross it.
Please remember to book directly with airlines and provide proper contact information. Vote using your pocketbook. Show the non-caring airlines that you, too, do not care about them. Move your business elsewhere. You may pay a few rupees extra, but your self-esteem is absolutely worth it.
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