28 April,2011 08:10 AM IST | | Surender Sharma
Private airlines raise prices up to 50 per cent on major sectors
Within hours of a section of Air India pilots announcing the strike, private airlines jacked up their fares on all the major sectors within the country. A Delhi-Mumbai ticket which cost Rs 8000-9000, is now costing Rs 12,000. "There has been an increase of up to 50 percent in the air fare," said, a travel agent in Delhi who wished not to be identified.
No work: Members of ICPA sitting on dharna at Delhi airport demanding
higher wages on Wednesday. Pic/Mid Day
The Spice Jet Mumbai-Delhi ticket was selling at Rs 6,255 on Wednesday above the normal range of Rs 3,000-4,000. While low cost carrier Indigo is said to be charging Rs 6,234 for its Delhi- Mumbai sector, Jetlite fares for the same route stood at Rs 5,784. Kingfisher and Jet Airways also followed suit charging Rs 8,798 while Jet Airways hiked the ticket price to Rs 6,785 on Mumbai-Delhi sector.
When contacted, the airlines however denied any such move. "The Spice Jet denies any fare hike. We are accommodating Air India passengers on our flights, "an official from Spice Jet said. Jet Airways also denied any hike. "There has not been any hike in the fares due to the Air India crisis," said the airline spokesperson. A section of pilots affiliated to Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) had gone on a sudden strike from Tuesday midnight affecting the operations of Air India.
No penalty
Meanwhile Air India, announced that it would not levy any cancellation or refund fee on passengers affected by the ongoing strike by a section of its pilots. "In the event of flight disruptions/cancellation/ combination/delay of over an hour, full refund will be given to passengers, irrespective of the fare rules," the state-run airline said in on Wednesday evening. Till 8 pm on Wednesday, 24 flights had been cancelled across the country, the Air
India spokesman said.
Six pilots sacked
Air India has sacked six members of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), who are on strike since Tuesday midnight demanding pay parity and better working conditions, officials said Wednesday.
"Six members of the ICPA have been terminated from Air India while two more have been suspended," an airline official said. According to the official, the sacked pilots include ICPA's general secretary Captain Rishab Kapoor and other prominent leaders of the group.
Passengers' plight
Scores of passengers were left stranded on Wednesday at Delhi airport due to chaos following the strike call.u00a0
Anuj Razdan, a professional, who had to go to Jammu on official trip said, "My flight has been cancelled. I was given no information about the cancellation or any alternate arrangement made by the airline. Obviously, I was taken aback when I reached the airport and was told that my flight was cancelled," Razdan added.
