New Delhi: Passengers in India can now cancel or change air tickets without paying an additional charge within 48 hours of making their bookings, according to new norms introduced by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Thursday, starting 26 March.
According to the new rules, airlines must offer a 48-hour “look-in option” after booking. During this period, a passenger can cancel or change the flight without paying extra charges, except for any fare difference for the new flight. This facility will not available for flights departing in less than seven days in the case of domestic travel and less than 15 days in the case of international travel.
The DGCA specifically mentioned that airlines cannot levy any additional charge for correcting a passenger’s name if the error is corrected within 24 hours of booking, provided the ticket was booked directly through the airline’s website. It also said that cancellation charges must be indicated at the time of booking.
Regarding refunds, the DGCA said in the case of payment by credit card, airlines must refund the amount within seven days of cancellation to the cardholder. In the case of cash transactions, the refund must be made immediately at the airline office where the ticket was purchased. The DGCA has also called upon airlines to complete the refund process within 14 days for tickets booked through brokers, travel agents or websites.
Additionally, there are changes to the norms governing ticket cancellations due to a medical emergency faced by the passenger. The new rules state that in cases where a ticket is cancelled due to a medical emergency, including when the passenger or a family member on the same PNR is hospitalised during the travel period, carriers may offer either a full refund or a credit shell. In other cases, refunds will be processed after the airline receives an opinion on the passenger’s fitness to travel from its Aerospace Medicine specialist or a DGCA-empanelled Aerospace Medicine specialist.
DGCA said that these amendments, issued under Section 3 of Civil Aviation Requirements, were introduced to address “widespread passenger grievance” over delayed or withheld refunds.
(Edited by Shashank Kishan)
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