Attention — Indian Air Passengers
Are you aware of your rights in domestic flights?
Did you know you are entitled to get a compensation upto INR 10,000 for a cancelled flight and upto INR 20,000 in case of overbooking
In the first five months (Jan — MAy) of 2017, the Indian domestic aviation sector has seen a rise of 17.63% with 465.87 lakh passengers flying as compared to the 396.04 lakh that flew last year.
With increase in the number of passengers, there is also huge increase in the number of flight disruptions. According to a report by the DGCA, more than 5 lakh people were impacted by delays, cancellations and denied boarding.
Now think about the last time you were flying to a hill station because the heat was bothering you, and then you got stuck at the airport for another hour because of a delay.
What adds to the stress, are the constant announcements of the delay at the airport and the endless coordination you need to make at the destination. The worse happens when after a long delay your flight gets cancelled. Though that can’t be undone, a little awareness about your rights can help you deal with this situation better.
We at Instalocate want you to fly informed next time. Knowing your rights will not just get you what the airlines owe for cancellations, denied boarding and other scenarios, but also help you optimize the expenditures you had to make in the stated scenarios.
What are your rights when your flight is cancelled?
In last few months, almost 70,092 passengers have faced cancellation of Indian domestic flights. The total compensation awarded in this scenario is just 2 crore 66 lakh which comes out to be INR 379 — way less than the what the law says!
According to the law, in case a flight is getting cancelled, the airline should inform the passengers at least two weeks prior to the scheduled departure date. As per the DGCA regulation, the airlines should also arrange an alternate flight or initiate a refund for the same if the passenger chooses to get one.
If the airline fails to give you a two week notice and informs you of a cancellation between two weeks to 24 hours from the flight’s scheduled departure, the airline has to offer an alternate flight leaving within two hours of the original flight. Failing to provide you with an alternate flight with in two hours of original flight, the airline has to pay you a compensation. The amount is based on the following table:
In crux, you’re entitled to following for a canceled flight:
- An alternate flight option
- Refreshments and meals while waiting
- Hotel accommodation with commute if the waiting is over 24 hours
- If you don’t like the alternative arrangements, the airline is to refund the ticket prices
- Compensation of upto INR 10,000
Your rights when the Airlines deny you boarding?
To accommodate passengers on overbooked flights, airlines ask for volunteers from their existing travellers to give up their seats in exchange for amenities and alternate flights. But in some cases, confirmed passengers get bumped off involuntarily.
Unfortunately for the traveller, this practice is legal and within the airline’s rights. But that doesn’t mean you have no rights! In cases that you’re denied boarding without consent, the airline is to pay you a monetary compensation.
The compensation depends when the Airlines manage to provide you an alternate. And if you chose to take no alternate flight you get a compensation of 20,000 apart from refund.
What are you entitled to get in case of flight delays?
If you’ve checked in on time and your flight is seeing a delay of more than 2 hours, the airline is supposed to provide you with all the essentials — free meals, refreshments and hotel stays when applicable.
Now, if you are wondering how to get your compensation from the Airlines. Instalocate is your answer.
Instalocate is an AI powered travel assistant that guides you through your rights, helps you claim what an airline owes you in case of any delay or cancellation. You can get in touch with us at hello@instalocate.com or www.instalocate.com/compensation.
Be aware of your rights and travel hassle free!
