DGCA To Issue Guidelines To Compensate For Involuntarily Ticket Downgrading

The aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will establish guidelines to compensate passengers whose tickets for a specific class were involuntarily downgraded by an airline.

The decision comes amid an increase in complaints about airlines involuntarily downgrading tickets issued to passengers.

According to the statement, the DGCA is in the process of amending the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) pertaining to “facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights and flight delays” in order to protect the rights of air travellers who have had their tickets downgraded.

“The amendment will allow the passenger who is involuntarily downgraded from his booked class of ticket to receive the full value of the ticket including taxes as a refund from the airline, and the airline will carry the passenger free of charge in the next available class,” the DGCA said in a statement on Friday.

The existing provisions specified in CAR which provide compensation remain unchanged. As per the current provisions, “If an airline has denied boarding to a passenger against confirmed bookings for travel on the flight then there will no compensation if the airline arranges an alternate flight within one hour of original departure.”

In another scenario, there will be no compensation if the airline cancels a flight less than two weeks before and up to 24 hrs after the booked flight and the airline provides an alternate flight within two hours of the original departure or refund the ticket.

However, the airline watchdog, DGCA will issue final regulations following stakeholder consultations.