Airlines can’t charge additional fee for boarding pass, orders Civil Aviation Ministry

New Delhi: The Civil Aviation Ministry came to the rescue of ‘harassed’ passengers who are made to loosen their purse strings for getting boarding passes at the check-in counters and directed airlines that extra payment can’t be collected from travellers for this service.

The Aviation Ministry stepped into the ‘inflated’ ticket fare row as some airlines were charging extra payment for issuing boarding passes at the check-in counters.

The matter of airlines levying extra charge was raised in the Upper House by Rajya Sabha MP ND Gupta. Replying to Mr Gupta’s query, the Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that airfares are market driven & government has no role in regulating it

The MoCA also informed the House that COVID restrictions necessitated some changes in flying pattern, however, curently passengers do have a provision of drawing free boarding pass within a stipulated time frame, as set by the Airline.

In a statement, the MoCA said that the additional amount is not in accordance with the instructions according to the provisions of Aircraft Rules, 1937.

Industry experts believe that the record high jet fuel prices & plunging rupee might have forced airlines to find a way to cushion the impact, however, no justification has been given by any of the airlines for exorbitantly charging the flyers.

Currently, IndiGo, India’s largest airline carrier levies a fee if a passenger asks for a boarding pass at the check-in counter.

“It has come to the notice of MoCA (Ministry of Civil Aviation) that airlines are charging additional amount for issuing boarding passes from the passengers seeking check-in at airport counters. Such additional amount is not in accordance with the instructions given or as per the extant provisions of Aircraft Rules, 1937,” the order said.

In 2020, it was made mandatory for all passengers to do a web check-in and get a boarding pass issued.