New Air Passenger Charter Proposes Full Refund Upon Cancelling Tickets Within 24 Hours!

For the convenience of air travellers in India, the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Tuesday published a draft of the passenger charter which say’s that travellers can cancel their flight ticket free of charge within 24 hours of booking it.

The new air passenger charter looks to amend the current provisions for charges incurred by travellers on cancellation and rescheduling of air tickets, amongst other proposed norms.

Here are the highlights of the proposed air passenger charter –

• Passengers can cancel their tickets free of cost within 24 hours of booking it.
• This rule will not apply if the tickets are booked less than 96 hours (4 days) before the scheduled departure time of the flight.
• If a passenger misses their connecting flight due to a delay of more than 12 hours of the original flight, the airline has to compensate Rs 20000 to the passenger. If the delay is between 4 to 12 hours the airline has to compensate Rs 10000.
• If the delay results in the flight departing the next day, then the airline will have to offer a free hotel stay.
• These norms will be applicable only if the delay is due to the fault of the airline, and not if it is caused by bad weather.
• If the airline informs about the delay more than 24 hours prior to the scheduled departure time and there is a delay of over 4 hours, the airline has to offer the passenger with option of a full refund.
• If the passenger is informed about flight cancellation between two weeks to 24 hours of the scheduled departure time, the airline has to offer an alternative flight which is scheduled to fly within 2 hours of the originally scheduled departure time or refund the ticket.
• Cancellation charges and rules have to be printed clearly on the ticket.
• Under no circumstance can the airline or the travel agent charge more than the basic fare plus fuel surcharge on cancellation of tickets.
• There will be no additional charges for correction of names on the tickets within 24 hours of booking the ticket.
• The airline has to bear the cost of transferring the passenger to an alternate airport in case an alternate flight is offered which is scheduled to depart from a nearby airport.
• In case a passenger is denied boarding, the airline has to pay Rs 5000 or more to compensate the passenger.
• The airline has to have seats which are accessible to people with disabilities. They should have adequate leg space and remain blocked for special passengers, free of charge.
• If the passenger does not receive their due compensation they can file a grievance on the AirSewa app or the DGCA’s grievance portal.

The charter has been published on ministry’s website for public consultation. The public has a 30-day window to put in their recommendations about the proposed charter.

The new norms are expected to be notified by July 15 after public comments on the proposed charter have been received by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.