Sarvapriya Sangwan@DrSarvapriya
Read till the end:
SpiceJet cancelled my Delhi to Srinagar flight (PNR: H8FKMY) today. It was at 11:15 am, and they informed me only at 9:20 am. I was taking my 60+ old parents to Kashmir for their anniversary. They travelled all the way from Rohtak, reached the airport on time, only to be told there’s no flight today. Their entire plan for the next 5 days is ruined.
When I tried to rebook for today, fares were already higher. And the moment I clicked “pay,” the price jumped another 40%.
So, I booked for tomorrow, but it cost way more than the SpiceJet tickets I paid for. SpiceJet says they’ll refund the cancelled flight but what about the extra money I had to pay? What about hotels refusing refunds for the lost day? What about the taxi costs and the stress my old parents had to go through?
Just for my own curiosity, I tried cancelling the Indigo flight I booked for tomorrow. Guess what? They wanted more than ₹5,000 per ticket as cancellation fee, just 10 minutes after booking.
All this in the name of “base fare” and “fuel surcharge.” Base fare they’ll recover anyway by selling the seat at a higher price to someone else. And fuel surcharge? Is fuel price fluctuating every single minute?
Airlines and apps happily charge “convenience fees,” but when they ruin your plans, there’s no inconvenience fee for passengers. No cancellation fees for passengers. Just a cold “write mail to us.” You may get a voucher from their airline.
The staff at the counter have no power, yet they’re the ones who face all the anger. The real decision-makers sit on annual packages worth crores, but don’t lift a finger when it comes to fixing anything real.
FYI: At European airports, airlines are required to give a full refund and pay up to £600 to passengers when they cancel a flight. Even if it’s an Indian airline operating there, the same rule applies. These airlines pay compensation there, even for a flight delay. But what about Indian Janta?
We’re not flying for free, we pay taxes on every single ticket we buy. GST, User development fees, airport charges and even for our security.
Anyway, DGCA rules say 24 hours’ notice is required before cancelling. Why was this ignored? Staff claimed “technical fault” in the plane, but I doubt it. I want SpiceJet to share how many seats were actually booked for this flight. Was the flight only 30-40% full and cancelled for that reason? I didn’t see many passengers stranded there.
These airlines keep sinking and government keeps negotiating. Aviation minister, where are you? Ministers fight for cabinet seats, they take one, enjoy the power and go, but ordinary people keep suffering because of government’s policies. At least one minister has to set an example.
I want answers. And I want real compensation, not just vouchers or empty apologies.
@RamMNK @DGCAIndia @flyspicejet
