TBM Staff - Mumbai The Enterprising Travel Agents Association (ETAA) which represents more than 700+ members that include travel agents and tour operators has written a letter to Go First giving their views and suggestions on the cancellation of flights due to the insolvency proceedings of the airline.
The letter said, “For many ETAA members, the past few days have been very stressful due to the cancellation of various Go First flights. Also, summer is the peak travel season across India and major travel happens at this time. Domestic bookings are also on the high at this time and the uncertain developments at the airline are affecting their business.”
“Many ETAA members have booked Go First flights for their clients and the current situation is creating a lot of problems for them. The cancellation of flights is making the travellers jittery as their travel plans are further getting impacted. In turn, the travel agents are facing the brunt as travellers are getting upset and angry with them for promoting the airline,” pointed out Dharmesh Advani, National General Secretary, ETAA.
The letter mentions the following problems being faced by ETAA members:
Extension of cancellations every two days by the airline, adding to the stress
People who have planned holidays and trusted Go First by booking well in advance have to pay now very high airfares, thus escalating costs
No proper intimations for flights after 2 days and as these flights show as operational, as a result the agent is not able to book alternate flights
In case cancellations are done by the travel agents or clients, the airline is still charging a cancellation fee
In view of this, ETAA urged the airline to take pragmatic steps for the sake of the passengers. “We want the airline to take a view of the situation and declare the flight status accordingly for a period of 15 days or a month. This will enable the passengers to plan their travel accordingly,” pointed out Advani.
