Air travelers told to pay for fuel
Source: Agencies |
November 18, 2011, Friday
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AIRLINES are already charging for food, drinks, seat assignments and baggage - now one is demanding passengers cough up extra cash for fuel.
Hundreds of passengers traveling from India to the UK were stranded yesterday in Amritsar, India, by the charter airline Comtel, which asked them to cover the cost of fuel and fees.
Passengers will not be allowed to leave for the UK unless they pay 10,000 rupees (US$200) each, Bhupinder Kandra, the airline's majority shareholder, said.
The incident came just days after 180 other travelers flying the same route were stranded on a Comtel plane at a layover in Vienna until they could raise more than 20,000 pounds (US$31,000) to fund the rest of the flight to Birmingham, England.
A cabin crew member told passengers: "We need some money to pay the fuel, to pay the airport, to pay everything we need. If you want to go to Birmingham, you have to pay."
Passengers said they were allowed to leave the plane to access cash machines in Vienna.
Kandra said travel agents took passengers' money but had not passed it on to the airline. "This is not my problem," he said. "The problem is with the agents."
Airport officials in Birmingham said yesterday that Comtel's weekend flights had been canceled.
Hundreds of passengers traveling from India to the UK were stranded yesterday in Amritsar, India, by the charter airline Comtel, which asked them to cover the cost of fuel and fees.
Passengers will not be allowed to leave for the UK unless they pay 10,000 rupees (US$200) each, Bhupinder Kandra, the airline's majority shareholder, said.
The incident came just days after 180 other travelers flying the same route were stranded on a Comtel plane at a layover in Vienna until they could raise more than 20,000 pounds (US$31,000) to fund the rest of the flight to Birmingham, England.
A cabin crew member told passengers: "We need some money to pay the fuel, to pay the airport, to pay everything we need. If you want to go to Birmingham, you have to pay."
Passengers said they were allowed to leave the plane to access cash machines in Vienna.
Kandra said travel agents took passengers' money but had not passed it on to the airline. "This is not my problem," he said. "The problem is with the agents."
Airport officials in Birmingham said yesterday that Comtel's weekend flights had been canceled.
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