Travelling via aeroplane is getting a new face. With adjustments happening around every corner, this is presumably due to ongoing fiascos around different airlines. The newest rule is about the involuntary downgrade of tickets. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation( DGCA) has modified the rules regarding downgrading passengers’ tickets, cancelling flights, or denying them boarding. With an intention to protect the flyers’ rights whenever they don’t get to fly as and what they paid for, these rules will be enforced from 15th February onwards.
New Rules Against Downgrading Flight Tickets
Under this modified Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR), all travellers who are denied boarding on their flights or are downgraded to a lower class than what they originally booked are eligible to receive a reimbursement from the airline.
All airlines are bound to reimburse all flyers 75% of what they paid for their domestic flight ticket. That is in accordance with the new rules established by DGCA. The reimbursement value will be different for international flights. Calculated on the basis of the original ticket cost, taxes, and distance covered by the flight, the reimbursement value will range somewhere between 30 and 75%.
On Wednesday, a senior official from the DGCA announced these new norms to be valid from February 15th onwards. The official also shared the basis of the change in rules. These new rules for aviation are a result of the volume of complaints against the downgrading of flights by flyers.
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DCGA Proposed New Rules To Protect Passengers’ Rights
Originally in December 2022, the DGCA proposed a full refund in case of downgrading flight tickets and a free ticket to the next available class. However, the new changes are in accordance with the internationally practised norms of aviation.
If an international ticket gets downgraded, here is the breakdown of reimbursement calculations:
- For a flight covering 1500 kilometres or less: 30% of ticket cost + taxes
- For a flight covering between 1500 and 3500 kilometres: 50% of ticket cost + taxes
- For a flight covering more than 3500 kilometres: 75% of ticket cost + taxes
The regulator stated that these changes are being made to protect the flyer’s rights against downgrading.
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