Government to ask airlines to reserve 'Emergency' quota for last-minute flyers

NEW DELHI: Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju will soon ask airlines to set aside two or three seats per flight for passengers booking last minute due to an emergency, bringing some much-needed relief to emergency fliers, who currently shell out anywhere up to five times more than the normal fare for their last-minute flights.

"A few seats can be reserved every flight for passengers who are flying due to medical emergencies," Raju told ET. "These seats, which could be two or even three per flight, could be opened a few hours before the departure," he said. He said a few European countries follow this system of allocating a few seats for emergency and his ministry is trying to develop a flawless system that "does not lead to any scam". "A decision will be taken after proper discussions," he said.

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