Ensuring a smooth Udan

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The civil aviation sector has witnessed many air pockets in the past few years and as a result, travellers, too, had to bear the brunt. A recent statement by the civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on AirSewa is expected to provide some cheer for consumers left at the mercy of half a dozen airlines. The relaunch of the AirSewa portal, which saw the light of the day in 2016, is among a slew of announcements made by the minister to spruce up the sector.

The portal was launched to address issues like flight delays, problems with refunds, long queues, inadequate facilities at airports and complaints of lost baggage. The portal will reflect the number of pending grievances against each airline and there will be a system of escalation of unsolved problems to ensure faster settlement. Complaints against airports, too, will be featured.

On paper, the plan looks fine. No airline would like to see unsolved complaints against its name piling up in a dashboard that can be accessed by the public. Neither would the airport authorities relish the idea. This list may become the fodder of public rankings of the service providers in terms of consumer complaints in the media and the social media. However, there are also many instances of ideas looking good on paper failing due to poor implementation.

With the government looking to provide fresh impetus to a sector battered by the coronavirus pandemic, its resurgence will hinge on better service delivery and prompt redressal of grievances. Grappling with refunds, change in timings and other travel-related issues, consumers have for long been getting the short end of the stick. The Air Sewa app will hopefully resolve many issues which earlier used to get dragged, causing immense harassment to consumers. The mere rebranding exercise will not be of any help to the stakeholders and showcase the shortcomings of a sector that was expected to provide wings to the country’s economy.