We only get an apology when the flight is cancelled, but the airlines in Europe are left out of pocket.

News India Live, Digital Desk: These days there is chaos at the airports of the country. Indigo flights are continuously getting delayed or cancelled. Passengers are sitting on the ground waiting for hours. Seeing this scene, aviation experts have been reminded of an incident from 2017, when a famous European airline had made a similar mistake, but the outcome was very different. We are talking about Ryanair. It is a very big airline in Europe. In 2017, the same thing happened with this company which is happening with IndiGo today. What happened in 2017? Ryanair had a shortage of pilots (rostering error). The result was that the company had to cancel about 2000 flights within 6 weeks. The plans of lakhs of passengers were ruined. There was anger there and here too, but the difference is in the ‘punishment’. Europe’s strict law (EU 261) The rights of travelers in Europe are very strong. EU 261 law applies there. Under this, if the airline cancels the flight due to its fault (such as lack of pilot or management fault), then it has to pay compensation to the passenger. In 2017, Ryanair had to pay 25 million euros (more than Rs 200 crore as of today) as compensation to the passengers for this mistake. Yes, not just a refund of the flight, but a separate huge compensation for mental distress. Where do we stand in India? Now let’s come back to our country. The DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) rules in India are slightly different. Here, if the weather is bad (eg there is fog) or there are ‘extraordinary circumstances’, the airline is not obliged to pay compensation. If the flight is canceled due to the airline’s fault and you are not informed in time, there is a provision for compensation here too, but it is not in the millions like in Europe. Often airlines give passengers rebooking on another flight. Or refund the entire amount. If there is a long wait, they offer tea and snacks. I wish the rules were stricter here too! The Ryanair incident forces us to think that there should be more strict laws in favor of Indian passengers. Imagine, if European rules were applicable in India, airlines would probably have been more cautious about their service. At present, IndiGo passengers are considering getting a refund as a blessing. Next time you wait for hours at the airport, remember that in far away Europe, notes are counted for this!