There is good news for those travelling by flight. If you have booked a flight ticket and the airline company cancels or delays it, then fret not! The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has recently shared some rules for the benefit of the passengers. This information has been given by the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, General VK Singh, himself. According to the Minister, in the event of a flight cancellation, the airline company will either provide an alternative flight or refund the full payment for the ticket. Not only this, but the airline company will also provide additional compensation to the passenger. Apart from this, they will also have to provide food and refreshment facilities to the passengers who have arrived for the original flight, while waiting for the alternative flight. The passenger will be provided a full refund of the alternative flight, ticket, or hotel stay (including transportation). If the flight is cancelled or delayed due to extraordinary circumstances beyond the control of the airline, then they will not be obliged to compensate.
The facilities provided to passengers affected by flight delays or cancellations are already available in the form of a passenger charter published on the website of the Ministry, on the website of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC), and on respective airline websites.
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Let’s take a look at some of the passenger rights:
1. Flight delay: If a flight is delayed by 2 hours, refreshments are given to the passengers at free of cost. A passenger would be eligible for refreshments if a flight’s block duration is between 2.5 and 5 hours, and the delay exceeds 3 hours.
2. Six-hour delay: According to the Passenger Charter, the airline is required to provide passengers at least 24 hours’ notice of the rescheduled departure time in the event of a 6-hour delay. Additionally, the airline must provide 6 hours for a different flight option or full reimbursement.
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3. Flight cancellation: As per the Aviation Ministry’s charter, the airline is required to offer an alternate journey or reimburse the ticket to customers who learn about the flight cancellation less than two weeks in advance, or up to 24 hours prior to the scheduled time.
