The national flag carrier has discovered a new way to fleece passengers by increasing its ticket amendment or refund charges up to 550 percent. Official notification indicates that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has increased amendment charges by up to Rs 8,000 and refund charges by up to Rs 13,000.
Official price change notification made available to Pakistan Today shows that the PIA had increased amendment and refund charges for all international tickets. Tariff shows that the airline makes first free amendment seven days before departure, while the second amendment within seven days of departure costs an exorbitantly high rate of Rs 8,000 for the US, Canada and the UK and Rs 3,000 for Gulf and South Asian countries.
On the other hand, in case of totally un-utilised tickets, the passenger has to bear up to Rs 13,000 for the US, Canada and the UK sectors and Rs 3,000 for Gulf and South Asian countries. However, earlier the national flag carrier was charging a flat rate of Rs 2,000 for all such amendments. Speaking to Pakistan Today, a number of travel agents revealed that the PIA was fleecing Pakistani expatriate with both hands. They pointed out that if a passenger purchased a PIA ticket from any foreign country and got it rescheduled, the national flag carrier imposed a number of penalties in the name of amendments.
They estimate that on a holding ticket (tickets purchased from abroad) a single amendment within seven days of departure usually costs Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 for the US, Europe and Canada sectors. Travel agents underlined that there was great mismanagement in the national flag carrier’s central reservation control system, adding that with the connivance of PIA officials, some non-IATA travel agents were selling tickets to passengers over and above the tariff price.
They said the PIA had defined five categories in the economy class, despite the fact that all passengers got the same kind of food and facility on board. The category segregation was introduced only to fleece passengers. They pointed out that PIA officials in the ticketing and reservation department hold low fare category tickets by using unfair means, and sell these tickets later at high rate through their blue eyed travel agents.
They underscore that for a legitimate travel agent it is always difficult to arrange PIA ticket for specific flight, but some black sheep in the travel agents are doing roaring business with the help of corrupt PIA officials. One travel agent said owing to malpractices in the national flag carrier’s reservation and ticketing system, now passengers have to pay over Rs 100,000 for an international ticket, which was earlier available at Rs 60,000 to Rs 65,000 during these days.
Travel agents complained that pilgrimage fares were always low everywhere in the world, but the PIA had extraordinary high fares. Responding to a query, they said all airlines had increased their fares owing to the unrest in the Middle East as fuel supplies were disrupted and prices had jumped up. However, they said after the disaster in Japan, the fuel prices had dropped but the airline had not revised their fares owing to the absence of a price control system.