The Ministry of Civil Aviation recently published a draft Passenger Charter describing air travelers’ rights, with the goal of resolving many such issues that flyers frequently face.
To address the concerns, the Ministry of Civil Aviation issued the Passengers’ Right Charter.
Take a glance at certain key charter provisions to better understand your rights as a flyer.
In Case of Delay of Flights
If your plane was delayed by two to six hours, the airlines must provide you with free meals and refreshments. This only applies to passengers who are waiting at the airport.
If the flight gets delayed for more than six hours, passengers are entitled to compensation or an alternate flight.
If your flight from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. is delayed for more than six hours, the airlines must notify you a day in advance and provide you with free accommodations.
Cancellation of Flight or Tickets
It equates to a one-way basic fare plus fuel charges or Rs 5,000 for flights up to one hour long, and Rs 10,000 for flights over two hours long, whichever is less.
An airline can no longer cancel and compensate for a flight that was canceled within the last 24 hours. According to the new charter’s rules, carriers could either offer people a refund or organize an alternative flight.
Refund
There was a time when you had to pay a cancellation fee to cancel your ticket. You can now get a complete refund if you cancel within a day of making your reservation.
If the bookings are purchased less than seven days well before the flight’s departure time, the zero cancellation charge will not apply.
If there are fewer than seven days between both the date of booking and departure, the airline may levy a cancellation fee equal to the total of the base fare and fuel surcharge. Other fees, such as the user development fee, tax, passenger service fee, and airport development fee, must be refunded.
In the case of a foreign airline, the right to a refund is subject to the airline’s internal policy.
Change of Name
The new rules also allow passengers to make free name corrections within 24 hours of booking. Previously, a name change was considered a cancellation, so passengers had to book a new ticket and pay additional fees.
Flights That are Overbooked
If boarding was denied due to overbooking, the airline was required to schedule an alternate flight within one hour of the original flight. If an alternate flight is not available, the passenger is entitled to compensation of up to 400 percent of the booking price (one way), subject to certain conditions.
Baggage Loss or Damage
Passengers will be compensated Rs 350 per kg or up to Rs 20,000 if their luggage is damaged or lost. The new compensation is 75% higher than the previous one.
If a passenger suffers physical injury as a result of the airline’s negligence and dies on board, the airline will be liable to pay Rs 20 lakh in compensation.
According to the Financial Express, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu stated that the charter’s goal is to bring uniformity to passenger services.
“A minimum standard has been established. We want passengers to have a first-rate flight experience. In the long run, this would benefit airlines as well,” he said.
Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi
