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Draft air passenger charter in public domain

Domestic air passengers will soon be able to get full refund and additional compensation for flight delays, for being denied…

Draft air passenger charter in public domain

(Photo: Getty Images)

Domestic air passengers will soon be able to get full refund and additional compensation for flight delays, for being denied boarding or for cancellations.

A draft passenger charter which lays out passenger-friendly measures, including full refund and additional compensation, has been put in the public domain by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

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The new passenger charter aims at amending the current norms for charges incurred by travellers on cancellation and rescheduling of air travel, among other things. However, the new compensation structure will apply only if it is found that the flight delay or cancellation was caused by the airline concerned.

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The new norms are likely to be notified within two months after public comments on the draft charter have been sought by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said a passenger can register his complaint about compensation through an application, Air Sewa.

A new version of Air Sewa is about to be launched. Sinha said thousands of complaints have been registered and resolved through Air Sewa till now.

According to the draft charter, a passenger will be eligible for sufficient and free-of-charge hot snacks and beverages if the flight is stationed on the tarmac for more than an hour. If the flight is stationed for more than two hours, passengers must be de-boarded.

According to the charter, in case of flight cancellation and when a passenger is informed less than two weeks before and up to one day of the scheduled departure time, the airline must offer an alternate flight allowing the passenger to depart within two hours of the booked scheduled departure time or refund the ticket, as acceptable to the passenger. In case the passenger is not informed up to 24 hours of the scheduled departure time, the airlines must refund the full value of the air ticket.

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