Is international travel on the cards for you? The DGCA has issued a new advisory that you must check out before booking your flight tickets. The DGCA has asked airlines to ensure that the airfares on metasearch engine websites like MakeMyTrip and Skyscammer are not higher than the ones displayed on the carriers’ websites. To ensure that you do not end up paying extra for your tickets, be sure that you check the carriers’ website first.
Metasearch Websites Show Inflated Rates For International Flight Tickets
The metasearch websites often out up inflated rates for tickets. If you are travelling internationally, the DGCA has advised checking the fare first on the website of the concerned airline and then look at the meta-search websites. The meta-search engines at times do not reflect the actual point-to-point fare. They also make combinations of multiple airlines and travellers end up spending an exaggerated figure on their tickets.
Watch | How to avoid costlier air tickets, as per DGCA: Check fare on airline site, not search engine
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued a travel advisory for passengers in the country, stating that airfares must be checked on the websites of airlines. pic.twitter.com/9M0OC2ZnqO
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) August 10, 2021
Passengers Are Shelling Out Over ₹1 For A Economy Class One-Way Ticket
This advice comes shortly after reports of airfares skyrocketing between India and the United Kingdom went viral. In fact, students are now having to shell out a bomb to travel to Canada, UK, and the US. The Ministry of Civil Aviation clarified that an economy-class ticket on the Delhi-London flight has been available for between ₹1.03 lakh and ₹1.47 lakh during August.
No Upper & Lower Limits On International Airfares
Air India defended these claims and said the surge pricing was mainly for passengers who were allowed to rebook and reschedule their tickets. Due to all the reschedules, only upper bucket economy & business class seats are available due to which airfares are inflated on booking websites. On the other hand, there have been lower and upper limits on domestic airfares in India. However, no such limits were imposed on international airfares.
The DGCA said on Twitter that metasearch engines at times do make combinations of multiple airlines and end up with an exaggerated figure of airfare.https://t.co/1SsbOQgcPx
— The Hindu (@the_hindu) August 10, 2021
Please note that scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March last year. Watch out for this space for all the latest travel updates.