If you had booked any flight tickets during the first two phases of the lockdown, and have been hoping for a refund, we have #SomeGoodNews for you. Read on for details. By Kumar Shree
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has proposed in the Supreme Court that airlines shall immediately provide a full refund for all tickets booked during the period of first two phases of lockdown in India, i.e. between March 25 to May 3 for any domestic or international travel.
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As reported by The Times of India, an affidavit filed by the DGCA in Supreme Court read, “If the tickets have been booked during the first lockdown period, that is March 25, to April 14, 2020, for the journeys to be undertaken in both first and second lockdown period that is from March 25 to May 3, 2020, in all such cases, a full refund shall be given by the airlines immediately (this is being mandated vide MoCA’s OM dated April 16, 2020, as the airlines were not supposed to book such tickets).”
The DGCA says, this solution has been arrived at after rounds of deliberations between all the stakeholders, including airlines themselves. All the parties have commonly agreed on the solution, which is in the best interest of passengers and airlines.
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The aviation regulator has also mentioned in its affidavit that the airlines which are unable to refund the amounts citing financial distress, must provide a credit shell equal to the amount of the collected fare. This credit shell shall be issued under the name of the passenger who booked the ticket for a domestic trip whether directly, or through agents including all the online platforms dealing in such services.
The passenger can use this value for travelling on any route of his/her choice until March 31, 2021. If the ticket price is more than the credit shell value, the passenger can still use the amount and add the remaining sum. On the other hand, if the ticket price is less than that of the credit value, the balance amount will be available to him/her for the next use.
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