Consumer rights body urges govt to revise air ticket refund rules

Mumbai Grahak Panchayat writes to civil aviation minister today following UNCTAD advisory to member states on the issue

Mumbai Grahak Panchayat has asked civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri to revise ticket refund guidelines to cover all airline passengers impacted by the lockdown and provide enhanced benefits to customers.

The consumer protection group wrote a letter to the civil aviation minister today following United Nations Conference on Trade and Development advisory to member states on the issue. 

On April 16, the civil aviation ministry issued guidelines to airlines to provide refunds to passengers whose flights were cancelled due to lockdown.

The ministry's guidelines, however, did not offer refund benefit for passengers who had booked tickets prior to announcement of lockdown. Domestic flights were suspended on March 24 and operations  resumed on May 25. International flights remain suspended at present.

"The April 16 guidelines left out large majority of passengers who had booked tickets in advance. They need to be given refund benefit too," Mumbai Grahak Panchayat chairman Shirish Deshpande said.

A majority of airlines are offering passengers credit shells instead of a refund and allowing them an option to rebook at a later date. International Air Transport Association has been asking governments world over to allow airlines to offer vouchers instead of refunds in view of cash crunch. On the other hands consumer and travel bodies have filed petitions in Supreme Court seeking refunds from airlines.

" We need to strike a balance. A customer should have choice of refund and the airline can not force a customer to opt for credit shell. But airlines can make vouchers more attractive by enhancing their value and validity, " Deshpande added.