No cancellation fee if air ticket is cancelled within 48 hours: DGCA proposal

The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India's civil aviation regulator, has proposed the introduction of a 48-hour look-in window during which cancellation or amendment of the ticket will not attract additional charges. Thebodyhas sought public opinionson the proposal till November 30.

The draft of the proposal, accessed by the Economic Times, says that a large number of complaintsover ticketcharges and refunds had been received. The complaints were linked to -- a delay in refund of unused tickets; the amount which is refunded by the airlines against cancelled tickets; the policy of not to refund the ticket amount but to adjust against tickets to be purchased by the passenger for future travel in the same airline that is valid for a limited period of time.

Here are some of DGCA's proposed points:

1. DGCA has proposedthat airlines provide a 48-hour window after a ticket is booked. During this period, passengers will be allowed to cancel or alter their tickets without additional fees.
2. DGCA further said that the facility will not be applicable for flights departing within 5 days for domestic flights and 15 days for international flights from the booking date.
3. Under the proposal, airlines won't be able to charge anything from passengers for making corrections to the spelling of their names.
4. In case of credit card payments, a refund must be made within seven days of the cancellation. For cash payments, a refund must be made immediately from the place where the ticket was purchased.
5. If the ticket is purchased through agents, the onus of the purchase will be on the airlines because agents are their representatives. In these cases, the refund process will have to be completed within 21 working days.
6. The proposal also said that the airlines should refund taxes, User Development Fee (UDF)/Airport Development Fee (ADF)/Passenger Service Fee (PSF) to the passengers in case of cancellation or non-utilization of tickets or in case of no show, reported ET.