Incidents of airline staff misbehaving with passengers decreasing: Puri

Incidents of misbehaviour with passengers by airlines staff have decreased continuously, Union Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in Lok Sabha on Thursday, noting that the number of complaints have dropped from 903 in 2015 to 349 in 2019.

"Travel by air is a contractual agreement between airline and their passenger. Therefore, an aggrieved passenger has to lodge his or her complaint with the respective airlines," Puri said in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.

The minister said that in 2015, 2016 and 2017, the number of complaints regarding staff misbehaviour were 903, 834 and 617, respectively.

He added that in 2018 and 2019, the numbers came down to 453 and 349, respectively.

This information was submitted by the domestic Indian airlines to the aviation regulator DGCA, Puri said.

As per the regulations of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), airlines are required to appoint a nodal officer and appellate authority to settle passenger grievances in a stipulated time frame.