Airlines can’t charge extra fees for boarding pass | Fusion - WeRIndia

Due to the pandemic, the Ministry of Civil Aviation made it mandatory for air passengers to do web check-in and get a boarding pass online to avoid the crowd at the counters. Since then, air passengers have been doing web-check and getting their boarding pass online.

However, later, due to the decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases, services at the check-in counters were started. Some passengers are getting their boarding pass at the check-in counters.

But, many airlines like SpiceJet, IndiGo, Go First etc., are charging ₹200 to issue boarding passes at these check-in counters.

In this context, the government said that airlines should not charge any additional fee for issuing a boarding pass to passengers.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) yesterday said that charging an additional fee for issuing a boarding pass at check-in counters is not compliant with the government’s order.

The MoCA tweeted that many airlines are charging an additional amount for issuing a boarding pass at check-in counters in airports. It is not following the provisions of Aircraft Rules, 1937.

Earlier in May, the MoCA issued an order asking airlines to encourage passengers to web check-ins and guide them with bag tag printing.

At that time, the ministry said that passengers could avoid the levy of penal charges with web check-ins.

In other words, all airline passengers should do timely web check-in to avoid penal charges imposed by airlines on passengers who have not done web check-in.

Many airlines misunderstood it. They started charging an additional fee of ₹200 for issuing a boarding pass at check-in counters at the airports.

As the matter has been brought to the notice of the ministry, it has clarified that airlines should encourage passengers to web check-ins. But they should not charge an additional amount. It is not as per Aircraft Rules, 1937.

Image Credit: SlowPhoton, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guwahati_Airport_check-in_counters_3.jpg