Navneet & Vikramaditya
Sri Vijaya Puram, November 12: The President of the Andaman Association of Tour Operators (AATO), Mr. M. Vinod, has demanded strict action by the Andaman Administration against SpiceJet over repeated flight cancellations, saying the airline should compensate affected tourists for losses on hotel, cruise and other travel bookings.
Mr. Vinod said sudden cancellations not only cause financial loss and mental distress to tourists but also seriously damage the Islands’ tourism industry and the image of ‘Brand Andaman’. Tourists plan trips months in advance and book air tickets, hotels, cruises and other services ahead, and many families take time out of busy lives for a holiday in the Islands, only to have their plans upset by last-minute cancellations. A refund of the air fare alone is not enough, he said, because tourists also lose money on hotel, cruise and other bookings, and he asked who would bear these additional costs.
He said the tourism sector had already been facing challenges for the past two to three years due to rising air fares and limited flight availability, and that AATO, social organisations, political parties and tourism representatives had been making continuous efforts to resolve the problem. He welcomed the steps being taken by the newly appointed Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Dinesh Sharma, on tourism and air connectivity issues, and hoped the Islands would get relief.
Questioning SpiceJet’s functioning, Mr. Vinod said tourist arrivals rise between September and December during festivals such as Durga Puja and Deepavali. The airline releases its flight schedule months in advance and offers tickets at low fares, on the basis of which tourists plan their trips, but flights for several days are cancelled as the travel dates approach. He said this was not the first time and that such situations had recurred over the past two years.
He said no one would object to flights being affected by bad weather or technical reasons, but if an airline routinely cancels flights at the last minute after taking advance bookings, the reason must be made public. He demanded that the Administration summon SpiceJet officials to explain the cancellations and ensure that affected tourists are compensated for losses on hotel, cruise and other bookings.
Mr. Vinod said tourism is one of the biggest sources of employment and government revenue in the Islands, and the uncertain functioning of any airline affects the image of the entire industry. He urged the Administration to take concrete steps to prevent a recurrence and to protect tourists’ confidence and the Islands’ identity as a tourist destination.
