The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Thursday started a probe into reports that low-cost carrier Air Deccan was over-booking its flights.DGCA has begun an enquiry and till take necessary action after the probe, official sources told PTI. Under DGCA rules, all airlines have to report to it the actual number of passengers they carry on each flight.
The airline has denied reports by a news channel that it was over-booking many of its flights, with its managing director G R Gopinath quoted as saying that such an event could have occurred due to a computer glitch.
The news channel CNN-IBN had reported from Bangalore that passengers, reporting for check-in for flights even an hour before the flight was to leave, were told by Air Deccan staff at the counter they were late and were off-loaded.
The channel, quoting airport officials, had claimed that through such a method, the airline was making money by showing passengers as 'no-show' or not having turned up for the flight and taking in the same number of passengers who turned up early for the same flight.
Air Deccan's COO Warwick Brady was also quoted by the news channel as saying that the carrier had "never ever in its history over-booked any passenger. There is no reason why any staff (will) delay check-in". He also said Air Deccan's reservation system also served Air India Express and "we are completely open to the press or any auditor".
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