There is good news for air travelers. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has announced new regulations, keeping the convenience of passengers in mind. The objective of these rules is to make air travel more affordable, transparent, and accessible for everyone. The government states that with over 500,000 people traveling by air daily across the country, providing better amenities to passengers has become a necessity.

Until now, airlines typically charged extra fees for most seats—with charges even being levied for middle seats. However, under the new regulations, airlines are now required to designate at least 60% of the seats on every flight as free of charge. This means passengers will no longer have to pay additional fees to select a seat, which could potentially reduce their overall travel expenses.

It has often been observed that, despite booking under the same ticket or PNR, family members were assigned separate seats and had to pay extra fees to sit together. Under the new rules, airlines must now ensure that passengers traveling under the same booking are seated together or in adjacent seats. This will provide significant relief to families and groups traveling together.

Curbing Arbitrary Charges

The government has issued clear directives to airlines to ensure transparency in their fee structures. The rules regarding the carriage of sports equipment, musical instruments, or pets must also be clearly defined. Furthermore, airlines are required to strictly uphold passenger rights in situations involving flight delays, cancellations, or denied boarding.

Passenger Rights to Be Displayed Everywhere

Airlines are now mandated to clearly display passenger rights on their websites, mobile apps, ticket booking platforms, and airport counters. Additionally, this information will be made available in regional languages ​​to ensure that it is accessible and understandable to the widest possible audience.

Efforts to Further Enhance Air Travel

The government is already connecting smaller cities to the air network through the UDAN scheme. In conjunction with this, various amenities—such as affordable food options (UDAN Yatri Café), free Wi-Fi, and “Flybrary” services—are also being provided at airports.