Flight cancellations and airport delays are expected to continue for the next few months. Airlines all over the world have cancelled more than 25,000 flights from their flight schedules for August, including a total of 15,788 flights across Europe. British Airways (BA) is cutting nearly 30,000 flights from its April-to-October schedule, Turkish Airlines cancelled 4,408 take-offs last week alone and flight cancellations at Portuguese airports have already peaked. For the passenger, it is not only about plan disruption but also the long wait for refunds.
Which tickets to buy: Zero-cancellation, flexi fare or refundable ticket?
Zero cancellation: Buy tickets with zero cancellation fee. Airlines offer a minimal surcharge with which you can cancel your tickets free of the extra cost.
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Flexi-fares: Flexi fare tickets come with benefits such as date change, pay later options, cancellation refunds, etc. But read the fine print.
Refundable: You might get the base price back but you will still end up losing money in other fees that are added to the ticket’s base price.
Book directly through the airline: It is easier to adjust plans if you book directly through the airline. Several airlines are offering zero-cancellation/change fee. If you booked through a third-party site, they will charge service fee and you will never get all your money back. Visit the airline’s official website and read through the cancellation policy – it’s usually either on the ‘contact’ or ‘FAQ’ page. Most airlines will include information about rebooking and refunds when they email to tell you about the cancellation, so check your inbox.
Know your rights in the event of flight delays and cancellation: According to consumerhelpline.gov.in, at the time of booking, the airline must clearly ‘indicate’ the amount of refund money that will be given to passenger in case of cancellation. The charter states:
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• If any passenger is denied boarding due to over-booking of a flight, the passenger would not be liable to hold airline for compensation if he or she is given an alternate flight within one hour of original flight’s departure.
• If the flyer is not informed 24 hours before departure or she misses a connecting flight due to cancellation, the airline has to offer compensation
• If a flight is delayed by over six hours, the airline needs to communicate the rescheduled time more than 24 hours before the original departure time. The airline also needs to offer customers either a full refund or an alternative flight.
• Airlines need to inform passengers about flight cancellation 24 hours before the scheduled departure time. In this case, the customers should be offered either a full refund of the ticket amount or an alternative flight.
• If the flyer is not informed 24 hours before departure or she misses a connecting flight due to cancellation, the airline has to offer compensation. The compensation amount ranges between ₹5,000 and ₹10,000, depending on the block time.
• The airline will have no obligation to pay ‘compensation’ if delay or cancellation happens due to circumstances beyond the control of the airline. These include political instability, natural disaster, riots, floods, government regulations, meteorological conditions, security risks and so on.
• A passenger has the right to receive refund of statutory taxes, user development and passenger service fees levied by the airlines in case s/he cancels the ticket. The right to refund will be subject to the airlines internal policy in case of a foreign airline.
Wait until the last minute to cancel your ticket: Do not change your plan or accept a voucher until the last possible minute. That’s because when you call to make a voluntary change, the airline has no obligation to refund you. However, if the airline cancels or announces significant delay on your flight, then you are entitled to a full refund due to an involuntary change in your itinerary (also referred to as an irregular operation).
Schedule changes mean a full refund: Airline policies on schedule changes vary. A schedule change may include the following scenarios: Change in departure or arrival time, an equipment swap, change in the duration of a layover or a switch from a nonstop to a connecting flight (or vice versa). If you want to cancel your ticket, some airlines will issue a refund voucher; others will credit the full fare back to the original form of payment.
A second call helps: If you are calling up an airline for refund or a schedule change and the first customer care representative says no or is not helpful, hang up and call again. Ask for the supervisor.
Check flight protection under your credit card and travel insurance: Even if the airline will not issue refund, your credit card or travel insurance may cover the cost if you have to cancel your flight.
If you do opt for the voucher or re-booking, negotiate: If the airline is offering a voucher instead of a refund, do not say yes to the first number. Negotiate.
Non-refundable tickets can become refundable: If a flight is cancelled, significantly delayed (generally over two hours), faces a schedule change in advance of takeoff, or faces a route change (like a nonstop flight changing to one with connections), you can get a full refund on a non-refundable fare.
How quickly are airlines, travel agents, and online travel agencies required to process a refund? Airlines and ticket agents are required to make refunds promptly. For airlines, ‘prompt’ is defined as being within 7 business days if a passenger paid by credit card, and within 20 days if a passenger paid by cash or cheque.
Where to complain: According to India’s Department of Consumer Affairs, if the airline is not sticking to the norms provided in the passenger charter, the passenger needs to first complain at the airline’s help desk or email them. If the passenger is not satisfied with the resolution provided by the airline, file a grievance with the Ministry of Civil Aviation through its AirSewa portal or its app.
flightrefund.com: I have not tried but this website helps harried passengers get their refund. Of course, for a fee. The company also has a Refund Pass that offers protection to passengers against flight cancellation and delays.
To be sure, refunds can take time even when you follow all the steps. By taking some steps like buying the right kind of airplane tickets for potential refunds later, you can minimise losses. But passengers have reported delays of several weeks, and customer complaints against airlines go into the hundreds each month for a reason. Try not to let these bog you down.
