December 19, 2017 TnH Global

Cancelling your flight? Good news, no more flat Rs 3,000 fee

Domestic airlines won’t charge you a flat flight cancellation fee of Rs 3,000 any more.

Need to postpone that trip home by a week? Booked well in advance and not flying an in-demand route? Rejoice: Domestic airlines won’t charge you that Rs 3,000 cancellation fee anymore.

From now on, you’ll need to pay “Rs 3,000 or base fare plus fuel surcharge per passenger, whichever is lower.” But why change the rules?

Civil Aviation Minister Jayant Sinha feels the flat Rs 3,000 fee is too much. What’s more, there a rule that says the cancellation fee can’t be higher than the sum of the base fare and fuel surcharge.

“Our UDAN (subsidised regional flying) scheme has capped fares at Rs 2,500 per hour of flying. These cancellation charges need to be brought back into balance,” Sinha said.

After the minister expressed concern, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) asked airlines for information on cancellation fees. The policy was then altered based on DGCA rules.

News Source: indiatoday.intoday.in