A delayed or canceled flight is probably the most annoying thing for travelers, especially when you have a connecting flight to catch! But thanks to these new reforms being done by the Civil Aviation Ministry, air travel will soon become completely hassle-free. The ministry has come up with a draft passenger charter which will be made accessible for public consultation for 30 days after certain passenger-friendly norms are implemented. Know what changes are likely:
delayed flights
Air passengers will soon have the option to get a full refund if the flight is delayed by more than 4 hours from the scheduled or revised time of departure (which is communicated 24 hours before the scheduled time of departure).
In case of delay of more than 24 hours, passengers will be given free accommodation and hotel transfer (one-way). Airlines are also being asked to compensate passengers for missing their connecting flights, where the amount to be refunded will be decided in the following manner:
- For delays of more than 3 hours: INR 5,000,
- For delays between 4 and 12 hours: Rs 10,000,
- For delays of more than 12 hours: Rs 20,000,
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If you find that the flight has been stuck on the road for more than an hour, or has been dropping off passengers for more than 90 minutes, you may even get free food and beverages!
canceled flights
The norms being proposed will also provide great relief to passengers whose itineraries are affected due to canceled flights. Airlines are being instructed to offer passengers an alternative flight within 2 hours of their scheduled departure time, or to refund the full amount of the ticket if the passenger has been informed of the cancellation less than two weeks in advance and by the 24th. Give refund. Hours of scheduled departure. If the airline fails to inform the passenger about such cancellation up to 24 hours before the scheduled departure time, they are liable to refund the full amount of the ticket to him.
Other criteria will be applied for canceled flights,
- 24 hour lock-in This period will allow passengers to amend or cancel their booking without any additional cost.
- Airlines will have to print all information The font size regarding cancellation fees must be no less than 12 and must be provided at the time of reservation and ticket documentation.
- Cancellation charges will not exceed the original fare of the ticket.
- in the matter of overbookingThe airline will provide a minimum compensation of Rs 5,000 to the passenger depending on the ticket price.
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However, there is a catch! These refund policies in case of flight cancellation within 24 hours of booking will be applicable only if you have booked your ticket directly through the airline website or app and not through travel portals or travel agents. “Bookings made only through our website and app enjoy 24-hour free change-or-cancel benefit. Changes or cancellations should be made through the common service centre,” said Sanjeev Kapoor, chief strategy and commercial officer, Vistara Airlines.
luggage standards
And if these weren’t enough reasons to rejoice, we have a few more! If your luggage is lost, delayed, or damaged through the fault of the airline, they are entitled to compensate you for it! The minimum compensation for lost goods will be Rs 3,000/- per kg, and Rs 1,000/- per kg for both damaged and delayed goods.
And the best part is that you won’t have to wait too long for these changes to take effect as the government is planning to notify the draft charter by mid-July! Isn’t this a huge relief? If the proposed norms are implemented you will never have to worry about delayed or canceled flights again. Air travel is about to get even more fun and hassle-free!