In a huge relief for air passengers, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday issued revised guidelines related to refunds amid rising complaints from the flyers on a regular basis, and stated that the airlines shall not levy any additional charge to process the refund.
The guidelines were issued under Section 3 – Air Transport of the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR).
Stating that the government is committed not to interfere in the commercial practices of the airlines, the aviation regulator said that the volume of the complaints necessitates some affirmative action to safeguard the interest of the traveling public.
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According to the new rules, in case of payments made through credit card, the airlines are required to refund the amount within seven days of the cancellation to the account of the credit card holder.
Whereas, in case of cash transactions, a refund shall be made immediately by the airline's office from where the ticket was purchased.
The regulator stated that if the tickets are purchased through a travel agent or portal, the airlines shall ensure that the refund process is completed within 14 working days. "The onus of refund will lie with the airlines as agents are their appointed representatives."
The regulator also said that airlines should indicate in an unambiguous manner the amount of refund of money admissible on cancellation of a ticket. "Cancellation charges must be indicated prominently at the time of booking."
The airline or its agent shall levy cancellation charge more than the basic fare plus fuel surcharge under no circumstances, DGCA said in a statement.
48-Hour Lock-In Period
— The DGCA said that the airline shall provide a 'Look-in option' for a period of 48 hours after booking a ticket.
— "During this period, a passenger can cancel or amend the ticket without any additional charges, except for the normal prevailing fare for the revised flight for which the ticket is sought to be amended."
— Facility won't be available for a flight whose departure is less than 7 days for domestic flights and 15 days for international flights from the booking date when a ticket is booked directly through the airline website.
— Beyond 48 hours of initial booking time, the option won't be available, and the passenger will have to pay the relevant cancellation fees for amendment.
— Foreign carriers operating to/from India shall refund the tickets in accordance with regulations of their country of origin.
— Airline shall not levy any additional charge for correction in name of the same person when the error is pointed out by the passenger within 24 hours.
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