No arbitrary hike in air ticket cancellation charges: Sharma

The government today said Indian carriers were free to fix reasonable charges for cancellation of pre-booked air-tickets and denied that the fees has been arbitrarily hiked up to Rs 4,000 by the airlines for domestic travel.
"No...The cancellation charges range from Rs 1,055 to Rs 2,750 depending upon class of tickets, fare level and time before departure. Under the provision of existing regulations, airlines are free to establish reasonable fee/charges for the services being offered by them which include changes for cancellation of pre-booked tickets," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said in the Rajya Sabha in reply to a question.

He said that the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has already allowed unbundling of these services and charges by the domestic carriers.
DGCA had in April given a free hand to the carriers to charge on these counts (baggage, onboard meals, lounge facility among others) on the grounds that it would make basic fare more affordable and provide consumer an option of paying for the services which one wishes to avail.
"Further, airlines have made the cancellation charges time-sensitive," he added.