Ref : E&R/Press/04/Senior.30/sam-dG

Conditions for Senior Citizens’ Air Travel Unreasonable : CERC

Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC), Ahmedabad, has resented the “unreasonable conditions” imposed by the Department of Civil Aviation on senior citizens’ concessional travel by Indian Airlines and Jet Airways.

CERC has, in its representation, drawn the attention of Mr. Praful Patel, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, to the recent revision in the terms and conditions for discount to senior citizens for air travel.

The revised scheme disallows discount for a one-way journey, and makes a minimum of two nights’ stay at destination compulsory for discount. Senior citizens are also required to purchase confirmed tickets seven days in advance to be eligible to any concession.

CERC has described the condition of ‘minimum stay of two nights at a destination’ as ‘impractical’ and added that in effect the revised scheme would benefit only leisure travellers. The scheme has not considered exigencies like medical needs, death of family member/s or relative/s, for which senior citizens would always be travelling for a shorter period at a short notice, CERC added.

The imposition of such terms and conditions is a retrogade step, not in consonance with the scheme of discount followed by Government undertakings abroad such as Alitalia Airlines, CERC has said.

CERC has further pointed out that some airlines have gone a step further, i.e. they have unilaterally decided on the quota of seats to be allotted to senior citizens. Even after a passenger has fulfilled the conditions, he or she may still not get a seat on grounds that the quota has exhausted even though vacant seats may be available and may remain unoccupied along the journey. CERC’s information is that some flights do not even allot any quota for senior citizens.

On behalf of senior citizens, CERC has requested the Minister to investigate the quota issue and withdraw the unreasonable terms and conditions.

Date : 06/07/2004
Place : Ahmedabad

Pritee Shah
Editor
INSIGHT - The Consumer Magazine

————————————————————————————————
Opinions, test results and research findings issued through this Press Release cannot be used in any form directly or indirectly for advertising, promotional or commercial purpose.

CONSUMER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CENTRE
“Suraksha Sankool”, Thaltej, Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway, Ahmedabad- 380 054 (INDIA)
Phone: 079-27489945-46 Fax: 079-27489947
E-mail: cerc@wilnetonline.net
Web Site: http://www.cercindia.org
————————————————————————————————-