Air India passengers alert! This Maharaja move set to hit you badly, affect travel plans

The Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) approached the Civil Aviation Ministry against Air India's decision to shift to a single global distribution services platform. They have also written to Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha to apprise them of their grievances.

UK-based firm Travelport has bagged the contract last month for Air India's domestic ticket distribution services replacing Amadeus.Image sourceL

Aviation sector in India is soaring as demand is high, but the airlines revenues and profit are in jeopardy. However, a number of issues have wreaked havoc on passengers amenities and airlines are probably turning a blind eye to being user-friendly. A latest Air India move can be held as prime example. The Maharaja has recently reached an agreement with a British firm to shift to a single global distribution service (GDS) platform for ticket distribution, but the move has been opposed by many. Under the new agreement, which is effective from December 4, will be fully implemented by end of next year.

According to reports, the Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) approached the Civil Aviation Ministry against Air India's decision to shift to a single global distribution services platform. They have also written to Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha to apprise them of their grievances.

UK-based firm Travelport has bagged the contract last month for Air India's domestic ticket distribution services replacing Amadeus.

In a press communique, APAI stated that the Air India's move to put all its ticketing with a single technology will disconnect about 18 code share airlines and over 100 interline partners. The decision to restrict itself to a single platform is a "highly retrograde step" and an anti-consumer move, the APAI added.

Code sharing allows an airline to book its passengers on its partner carriers and provide seamless travel to destinations where it has no presence. An interline arrangement refers to a pact to issue and accept tickets for flights that are operated by the partner airline.

Meanwhile, travel industry bodies Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) opposed the AI move, urged the Air India management not to discontinue the inventory from other existing service providers.

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Both the organisations have reportedly accused the airline of not consulting the stakeholders before making such a move which poses a “big threat” to its survival.

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