The Supreme Court on Monday refused to urgently list a plea seeking directions to the government to cap domestic airfares during festival season and restore the free checked-in baggage allowance of 25 kg for economy-class passengers.”Don’t travel by air,” a Bench of Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh told the petitioner’s counsel after he sought urgent listing of the matter.”The aviation fare has increased by 700 per cent,” the counsel told the Bench requesting it to urgently take up the matter.Describing air travel as an essential service, the advocate said, “It’s a violation of Article 14 (fundamental right to equality).”The top court is already seized of a petition filed by social activist S Laxminarayanan seeking a robust and independent regulator that ensures transparency and passenger protection across the civil aviation sector and regulatory guidelines to control “unpredictable fluctuations” in airfare and ancillary charges imposed by private airlines in India.Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had on October 16 told the Bench that rules aimed at regulating airfare pricing had already received necessary administrative approvals and that the same would be published within two weeks.The Bench asked Mehta to place the published rules under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, before it on the next date of hearing.Senior Advocate Ravindra Srivastava questioned the delay in publishing the rules, saying the same issues have arisen ahead of Diwali this year.However, in view of the Centre’s submissions, the Bench had posted the PIL filed by activist S Laxminarayanan flagging arbitrary and exorbitant airfare pricing by private airlines for further hearing on November 16.Laxminarayanan has challenged “opaque, exploitative and algorithm-driven” pricing practices in the civil aviation sector.Sudden increases in ticket prices during emergencies, festivals, and peak travel periods cause hardship to passengers who need to travel for medical, educational or employment-related reasons, the PIL contended.It questioned the reduction in complimentary check-in baggage allowance from 25 kg to 15 kg, alleging that passengers were subjected to additional charges for services that were previously included in their tickets.Laxminarayanan has sought a robust and independent regulator that ensures transparency and passenger protection across the civil aviation sector and regulatory guidelines to control the “unpredictable fluctuations” in airfare and ancillary charges imposed by private airlines in India.Earlier, the top court had called for “rationalisation” in airfares charged by private airlines and urged the Centre to provide relief to air passengers.”Try to give some relief to people. On the same day, flights to the same destination — one airline charges Rs 8,000 while another charges Rs 18,000 in economy class. There has to be some rationalisation,” it had noted.