The department prepared the pertinent adjustments in Government Decree No. 1242. The industry believes that this initiative in some situations can protect the rights of citizens.
Currently, as additional services offered by airlines, passenger insurance, seat selection, additional baggage payment or the purchase of meals on board are considered. The Ministry of Transport proposes to introduce a “special rate”, which will include the cost of all established fees and charges.
“A passenger who has purchased a ticket at a reduced fare has the right, by his own decision, to additionally purchase the services of interest to him that are not included in the fare,” the department told RG. According to the Ministry of Transport, this is done to prevent carriers from imposing additional paid services.
Andrey Velichko, head of the Russian Aviation portal, believes that the initiative can help prevent some unpleasant situations during air travel. “Some airlines have had cases when family passengers with children were specially seated in different places because they did not pay for additional services. I think this is more than reasonable,” says the expert. “There are also cases of overbooking when a person bought a ticket, but you are not allowed to board the plane because you arrived at the airport five minutes later than other passengers or refused to buy additional services.This is a true violation of rights: you can wait for a person at an important meeting, for example, but it will not arrive at the appointed time”.
