New Air Ticket Refund Rules: The apex Indian aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Thursday revised the ticket refund norms, making ticket cancellation and changes easier on the pockets of air travellers.
Under the new rules, passengers would now be able to cancel or change air ticket details without paying an additional charge within 48 hours of making the bookings. However, certain conditions remained in place for the same.
The airlines are also asked to complete refunds within 14 days and cannot charge for simple name corrections if identified within 24 hours of the booking.
These changes are part of a wider set of ticket refund rules to simplify the process. Several reports suggested that these changes are based on the feedback that the regulator received during large-scale IndiGo flight disruptions last December.
New Air Ticket Refund Rules
In order to remove confusion and extra burden, DGCA has now decided to do away with charges on ticket refunds or changes made by the flyers within 48 hours of booking the ticket.
This provision covers tickets purchased directly from the websites of airlines, subject to specific conditions. It allows passengers a brief window to revise or cancel their plans without incurring a penalty.
Airlines are also asked to let passengers make corrections in names or rectify spelling errors in ticket details within 24 hours of ticket booking on their websites. This will help avoid unnecessary charges for simple mistakes.
The airline will now be responsible for providing refunds, even if a ticket has been booked through a travel agent or a third-party app or website. In such cases also, the money must be returned within 14 working days. Earlier, refunds often took much longer, so this change is meant to reduce waiting time after cancellations.
There are also new rules for cancellations due to medical emergencies. While the regulator has not shared full details, the idea is to make things easier for passengers who have to cancel because of health problems.
In many cases, passengers face confusion and delays in getting refunds, especially when tickets are booked well in advance or through agents. Under the new rules, the airline – not the travel agent – will be accountable for processing the refund. This should stop customers from being sent back and forth between different parties to get their money back.
