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Airline to reimburse up to 75% to flyers for ticket downgrades; check details

The reimbursement amount for downgraded international tickets will range from 30 per cent to 75 per cent of the ticket cost, including taxes, depending on the distance the flight covers. The senior official at the DGCA said that the new standard would come into effect from February 15.

Airline to reimburse up to 75% to flyers for ticket downgrades; check details - adt
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First Published Jan 25, 2023, 5:55 PM IST

Airlines will reimburse 75 per cent of ticket costs to passengers whose domestic flight tickets have been downgraded, with the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) setting new norms.

The reimbursement amount for downgraded international tickets will range from 30 per cent to 75 per cent of the ticket cost, including taxes, depending on the distance the flight covers.

The senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed on Wednesday that the new standard would come into effect from February 15, 2023. 

The regulator decided to alter the rules in response to complaints from passengers who had their tickets booked for a specific class downgraded by airlines.

Last December, the DGCA proposed that airlines refund the full value of such tickets, including taxes, and that affected passengers be flown free of charge in the next available class. However, the official claimed that those proposals have now been modified in line with international practices. 

"The amendment will allow the passenger to be reimbursed by the airline if he or she is downgraded involuntarily and is carried in a class lower than that for which the ticket was purchased," the DGCA said on Wednesday.

The civil aviation regulator has amended its Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) pertaining to facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, flight cancellations, and flight delays.

DGCA, in its statement, said, "The amendment will allow the passenger to be reimbursed by the airline if he or she is downgraded involuntarily and is carried in a class lower than that for which the ticket was purchased."

The airline will reimburse the passenger for 75 per cent of the ticket cost, including taxes, for a domestic flight ticket downgrade.

If a matter of the downgrade of an international ticket, a passenger will receive 30 per cent of the ticket's cost, including taxes, for flights of 1,500 kilometres or less. The statement further added the amount would be 50 per cent of the flight's distance between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometres, including taxes.

For flights exceeding 3,500 kilometres, the reimbursement amount will be 75 per cent of the ticket price, including taxes. The regulator added that modifications were made to protect the rights of air travellers whose tickets were downgraded.

(With inputs from PTI)

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