Flying in fog season? Air India to offer free reschedules and full refunds

Passengers will have the option to avail complimentary rescheduling on alternative flights or opt for full refunds without penalty through Air India Fog Care

As fog tightens its grip on North India this winter, travelers may find themselves stranded — but with the newly launched Air India “Fog Care” initiative, the airline aims to soften the financial and logistical blow.  Under the initiative, flights that are likely to be affected by fog, based on met forecast, are proactively identified and passengers are alerted about any delay or a change in schedule. Passengers also have the option to avail complimentary rescheduling or opt for full refund without penalty through Air India Fog Care. 

"Air India has been working closely with its airport partners and has initiated proactive measures to minimize inconvenience to passengers during the fog season. This will include ensuring there are adequate ground support teams to aid passengers and keeping ready care packages with refreshments and other resources at origin as well as diversion airports. Airport teams will monitor delays, make regular announcements, and proactively rebook impacted passengers on alternative flights," the airline said in a statement. 

 

Flight schedules have been aligned to minimise inconvenience to passengers on long-haul and metro-to-metro flights with onward connectivity.

 

 What’s changing this fog season

 

Air India will deploy CAT III-B certified aircraft and ensure pilots trained in Low Visibility Operations (LVO/ILS) are rostered during the official fog window (Dec 10, 2025 to Feb 10, 2026), declared by the regulator. 

 

The airline’s stations, particularly in fog-prone hubs like Delhi, will have ground-support crews and care-packages ready at origin and potential diversion airports. 

 

An Integrated Operations Control Centre will monitor weather forecasts in real time — enabling proactive schedule adjustments, flight rescheduling or cancellations before passengers reach the airport. 

 

Most importantly for consumers: under the “Fog Care” policy, travellers whose flights are disrupted can opt for complimentary rescheduling or full refunds, without penalty. 

 

The airline promises advance alerts via SMS, WhatsApp, email, and updates on its website and social channels. A dedicated customer-support desk will assist with fog-related questions and rebooking. 

 

 What this means for your travel budget and planning

 

If you’re traveling in the fog-window period, here’s how “Fog Care” can protect you — and what you should still plan for:

 

Lower risk of surprise expenses: With upfront refund/rescheduling options, you avoid last-minute hotel or taxi bills if flights get cancelled or diverted.

 

Flexible booking strategy: You can book early without overpaying for “safe” dates. If fog strikes, you can reschedule without penalty — a major win for family travel, business trips or time-sensitive bookings.

 

Peace of mind for multi-leg journeys: If your original flight gets delayed or cancelled, rebooking ensures you don’t miss onward connections — significant savings on alternate flights or non-refundable bookings.

 

Reduced stress over weather uncertainty: Since the airline is monitoring forecasts actively and communicating early, you avoid unnecessary trips to the airport or waiting in long queues for updates.

 

 Who benefits most this season

 

Holiday travellers, NRI families, and those flying during festivals or winter vacations, especially in or via northern hubs like Delhi.

 

Frequent flyers and business travellers who need flexibility and can’t afford uncertainty or schedule disruptions.

Ticket-bookers arranging multi-city or return journeys, where any delay can trigger a cascade of missed plans — rescheduling or refunds help manage those risks.

Cost-conscious travellers who want to avoid unplanned expenses due to weather-related cancellations or diversions.

 

 A few caveats — what to check before booking

 

“Fog Care” applies to flights identified in advance as likely to be affected based on weather forecast. That means not all flights during the fog window will have disruption protection. 

 

Refund or rescheduling offers are subject to availability — if alternative flights are full, fallback options may not always work.

Passengers must stay reachable (SMS/WhatsApp/email) and maintain contact details in their booking — else they may miss alert messages.

Even with CAT III-B aircraft and trained crews, extreme weather or airport capacity constraints may still cause delays or diversions.

 

 What you should do if you’re travelling this winter

• Check if your flight is covered under Fog Care (on airline website/app) Only identified flights get proactive rebooking/refund protection
• Keep contact info up to date (mobile & email) Alerts will be sent when fog impacts your flight
• Book refundable or changeable hotels and onward transport
• Gives flexibility if schedule changes
• Avoid last-minute travel around peak fog hours (early morning, late night)
• Diversions/back-logs often peak then
• Have travel/medical insurance & backup funds

 

For frequent flyers, NRIs and family-travelers, weather risk is now a factor to build into travel budgets — just like insurance or forex fluctuations. Having a buffer or opting for flexible bookings can protect against unexpected costs.

 

For the insurance industry and travel-finance services, fog-season unpredictability might push demand for new products — like short-term delay/cancellation insurance, flexible travel-date protection, or weather-risk travel cover.