Budget airlines are customer unfriendly

BUDGET TRAFFIC: Capping the list of woes, both for airlines and passengers, is the lack of a super regulator.

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New Delhi: Low cost airlines have brought about an unprecedented growth in Indian aviation. The sector is growing from about 25 per cent every year out of which low cost airlines command about 40 per cent of the market share.

This boom without the right infrastructural support could be turning low cost airlines into customer unfriendly monsters.

MD Air Deccan, Captain G R Gopinath - India's low cost travel revolution - started operations in 2003 with one aircraft flying to four destinations.

Today India has four low cost carriers, connecting over a 100 destinations and carrying over 12 million passengers every year.

Unfortunately, aviation infrastructure hasn't kept pace with passenger growth and with oil prices at an all time high, airlines are cutting corners.

Customer satisfaction is at an all time low, information is at a premium, there's shortage of trained staff, there are abrupt cancellations and rescheduling and passenger off-loading and refund delays.

Lack of infrastructure and trained manpower can be partly blamed for the mess.

Both Delhi and Mumbai airports are congested and an estimate says losses due to hovering costs airlines Rs 300 crore every year. Budget airlines share the same airports as full service carriers, which means they pay the same airport charges.

There are no dedicated low cost terminals in India to increase turnaround time.

Increased competition has also meant a higher attrition rate, as budget carriers can't retain experienced senior staff.

Capping the list of woes, both for airlines and passengers, is the lack of a super regulator. With passenger traffic outstripping the growth in support services, its unlikely that these problems will find immediate solutions.