Airlines fleece travellers on refunds

New Delhi: Ever tried cancelling an air ticket? At best, you will get Rs 225 cash back, irrespective of the ticket price, if you happen to miss your flight. And if you decide to cancel your ticket, even days in advance, you’ll get back nothing! Air passengers across India are being taken for a ride by airlines on refund policies.
Passengers booked on full-service carriers don’t get back any cash if they cancel a ticket, even days ahead of their scheduled departure. “I had booked a ticket with SpiceJet, which I cancelled well in advance (five days). Apart from forfeiting the entire fare, the airline deducted the full travel insurance charge. Majority of the surcharge and taxes were also gobbled up,” said a partner in a Mumbai-based chartered accountancy firm B Maheshwari.
Airlines deduct Rs 500-750 from the ticket amount (which includes ‘taxes and surcharges’ of Rs 1,725) while the balance amount is credited to a non-refundable account. A passenger can use this non-refundable amount to travel by the same airline within 12 months.
But if the passenger decides not to travel by that airline, the full amount is forfeited! In case one decides to postpone travel, one will have to bear the cost of the air ticket to that destination on that day. If the fare is higher, the passenger will have to shell out more money and if it’s lower, most carriers don’t refund the balance.
03/12/07 Vishakha Talreja & Harsimran Singh/Economic Times

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Categories: General Aviation Dec 2007