Booked Flights Between March & May? Travellers Will Get a Full Refund for Flights During Lockdown!

If you were feeling the double blow of missing out on your travel and on top of that the money getting stuck due to Pandemic, there is some reason to cheer! The airline regulator DGCA had recently submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court that shows a ray of hope.

We have made it simpler for you to understand whether and how you will get your hard earned money is likely to hit your pockets again.

Who will get the refund

If you had booked the ticket to travel between March 25 to May 3 i.e. during first two phases of countrywide lockdown, you will get full refund. There are two possibilities:

1. if your ticket was booked during the lockdown period itself, you are entitled to an immediate refund.

2. If the tickets were booked before the lockdown, but you could not travel due to flight cancellation, the government has said that “the airlines shall make all endeavors to refund the collected amount to the passenger within 15 days.”

There is a catch

However, there is a catch. The scheme proposed by Ministry of Civil Aviation and DGCA says that if the airline is not in a financial position to pay the money immediately, it shall be transferred to a credit shell.

Your best options for credit shell

First, utilise the credit shell by March 31, 2021 on any sector

Second, transfer it to someone else. This way you can book it for your friends or family or someone else with an understanding to get the money from them

Third, get a full cash refund after March 31, 2021 for the unutilised credit shell for which you will get interest every month.

Final word

The next hearing is on 23rd September and the apex court has asked airlines and petitioner to file their affidavits by 16th Sep. So, sit tight and keep an eye on the updates here.

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