Know Your Rights While Taking A Flight

Even with a confirmed flight ticket, you may be denied boarding. But the rules clearly say that this can be done only in exchange of certain benefits.

- Shaikh Zoaib Saleem

United Airlines is in the news again. Some years ago, a Canadian musician wrote a song, alleging that the airline broke his guitar. Hear the song here: bit.ly/1p6Adjq. This time, a passenger was forcibly de-boarded from a United flight, and nobody is amused.

Ramesh Pathania

Airlines regularly deny boarding to passengers as they overbook flights during peak times and most travellers know that de-boarding can happen to anyone. It is so common, there are rules about it and they are regularly updated too. In India, a new set of rules kicked in from August 2016.

"Consumer protection vis-a-vis air passengers and airlines is an evolving subject in the Indian context," said Mahesh Y. Reddy, secretary general, Air Passengers Association of India. Here are some scenarios is which you may be denied boarding, and your rights if you face this ordeal.

Denial of boarding

Airlines often overbook flights because they don't want empty seats due to no show-people who have confirmed tickets but don't show up by the stipulated time. But what happens when airline's calculations go awry and more passengers turn upwell within the stipulated time, than the number of seats on a plane? Section 3, Series M, Part IV of Civil Aviation Requirements-as issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in July 2016 and came in to force in August 2016-says that the airline must first ask for volunteers to give up their seats.

While the rules allow denial of boarding, it is up to the airlines to decide how and who should be denied. An airline official, who declined to be named, said that airlines first approach the non-frequent fliers. If no one volunteers, they allow boarding on 'first come first served' basis at the airline counters, however, they usually give preference to frequent fliers.