04/11/2025
Cancel Flights, Change Dates For Free? DGCA Planning Major Relief For Air Travellers
DGCA drafts new rules letting air passengers cancel or amend tickets without extra charges within 48 hours of booking and mandates faster refunds.
In what could be a major relief for air passengers, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is drafting new rules that could allow travellers to cancel or amend their tickets without paying additional charges within 48 hours of booking.
The aviation regulator, which is proposing significant changes to ticket refund norms, has also suggested that when a ticket is purchased through a travel agent or online portal, the “onus of refund shall lie with the airlines as agents are their appointed representatives.”
According to the DGCA’s draft, airlines will be required to provide a “look-in option” for a period of 48 hours after booking.
“During this period, passengers can cancel or amend the ticket without any additional charges, except for the normal prevailing fare for the revised flight for which the ticket is sought to be amended,” the draft said.
However, the facility will not apply to flights scheduled to depart within five days for domestic routes or 15 days for international routes from the date of booking, when tickets are booked directly through the airline’s website.
“Beyond 48 hours of initial booking time, this option is not available and the passenger has to pay the relevant cancellation fees for amendment,” the draft Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) stated.
Read More: https://www.readselective.com/cancel-flights-change-dates-for-free-dgca-planning-major-relief-for-air-travellers/