Payments to air passengers for overbooking to be made mandatory

Fixed compensation - from 25% to 100% of the ticket price - for transferring to other flights in the event of overbooking is to be made compulsory. A bill on its legalization is being prepared by the Ministry of Transport, several sources present at a closed meeting of the Public Council under the Ministry, held on April 22, told Izvestia.

Helm of problems: fines for unauthorized flights will rise to 1 million

What is the reason in the State Duma for the need to adopt such a bill?

Exceptions will be made for several categories of passengers, who will be prohibited to be removed from flights - parents with children, disabled people and persons accompanying them, military personnel traveling to the place of service, as well as passengers with tickets for connecting flights, said one of the interlocutors of "Izvestia" present at the meeting.

The protected categories of passengers may not include business travelers, for whom overbooking can be critical due to missing important events, said Ilya Zotov, deputy chairman of the Public Council under the Ministry of Transport and chairman of the All-Russian Passengers Association.

According to the participants of the discussion, other passengers will be allowed to transfer, but the principle of voluntariness must be observed, that is, a person must be asked for consent to another flight. In addition, airlines will be obliged to pay passengers fixed compensation - from 25% to 100% of the ticket price - for transfer to other flights in case of overbooking.

Read more in the exclusive material of Izvestia:

Ticket pa: they want to make payments to passengers for overbooking mandatory