Refund for flyers of flights cancelled due to lockdown

Flyers who had made domestic and international travel bookings for travel during the first lockdown period (March 25-April 14), and those booked during this time for flights in the second lockdown period (April 15-May 3), could get a full refund on their tickets within three weeks after cancellation. Cancellation charges, which airlines normally levy, will also be waived off for the flights.

The government order on refund of airfare during the lockdown periods says that only if airline has received the payment will the refund be made, three weeks after the passenger cancels the booking.

Normally, no airline will issue a ticket till it has received full and final payment from a passenger. It is possible that airlines could take the plea that they might not refund particular tickets as they are yet to receive the money from some other vendor like a travel site or aggregator.

Cancellation rules

Incidentally, the Civil Aviation Requirement of May 2008 issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) clearly lays down cancellation rules.

The 2008 circular states that in case of credit card payments, refund shall be made by the airlines within seven days of the cancellation to the account of the credit-card holder, while in the case of a cash transaction the refund shall be “made immediately” by the airline office from where the ticket was purchased. It sets a limit of 30 working days for airlines to complete the refund process for tickets booked through travel agents/portals.

The three-page Civil Aviation Requirement adds that while the government is committed not to interfere in the commercial practices of the airlines, the volume of complaints necessitates some affirmative action to safeguard the interests of the travelling public. This CAR is still in force and was last amended in February last year.

Government officials were not immediately available to comment on whether the latest decision is being taken under the existing CAR or some other law.

Numerous bookings

In view of the Covid-19 pandemic situation, a lockdown was imposed by the government initially from March 25 to the midnight of April 14. Some private airlines started taking bookings from April 15 onwards, which, the government circular states, indicate the substantial number of travellers eager to travel.

However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a nationwide broadcast extended the country-wide lockdown till May 3 hours before the first deadline of April 14 was approaching. This caught many passengers who had booked air tickets off-guard.

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