Profit Vs Passengers: Will Airlines Follow DGCA Diktat?
The skies over India are in chaos—a relentless flood of turbulence fueled by a surge of passenger complaints. Neglect, harassment, endless delays, abrupt cancellations, and arbitrary fares have turned air travel into a grueling ordeal. Passengers, already battered by the experience, find no refuge in a redressal system that’s practically nonexistent, with airlines—offering little more than indifference.
Just hours ago, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stepped in, issuing a bold new order to rein in this spiraling mess and force accountability on an industry that’s long dodged it. But what’s the catch? Will the airlines listen this time?
History says no. Complaint after complaint—delays stretching into days, fares jacked up on a whim—has met with shrugs and excuses.
The DGCA’s latest move promises stricter oversight, hefty penalties, and a lifeline for passengers fed up with being ignored. Yet, skepticism runs deep. Why haven’t airlines cared before? Is it profit over people, a lack of enforcement, or just plain arrogance? And what’s to stop this from being another toothless directive, lost in the turbulence of good intentions? What will be the impact of DGCA's order? Can it ground the airlines’ bad habits, or is it just more hot air? Do carriers even fear the consequences, or will they keep flying above the rules? And most importantly—will this time be different, or are passengers doomed to stay strapped in for the same rough ride?
