Nowadays, people prefer flight over bus or train for travelling. Because it not only saves time, but is also the easiest means to cover long distances. But sometimes the flight gets canceled suddenly or gets delayed by hours, in such a situation the passengers have to face a lot of trouble. This problem increases further in the winter season, when flight operations are affected due to fog. In such a situation, if you are also going to travel by flight, then it is important to know that if the flight gets delayed, full refund is given and what is its process.

When do I get full refund?

According to the rules of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, if a flight is delayed by four hours or more, then passengers get two options from the airline. In the first option, passengers can take the next flight or in the second option, they can take full refund of the ticket. At the same time, if the airline cancels the flight due to technical fault, shortage of staff or its own fault, then the entire ticket amount is refunded to the passenger without any deduction. At the same time, if the flight timings have been changed and the passenger does not want to travel, then he can also get a full refund.

What is the responsibility of the airline?

In case of flight delay, some responsibilities of the airline have also been fixed. In this case, if the flight is delayed by 2 to 3 hours, then the passengers should be provided food or snacks by the airline. Whereas if the flight is delayed by more than 6 hours, then passengers have to inform it at least 24 hours in advance. If the flight is at night and passengers get stuck due to long delay, then the airline has to arrange hotel stay for them.

How much refund can I get?

• If there is a delay of less than an hour, you can get a refund of Rs 5,000 or the base fare of the ticket.
• If there is a delay of one to two hours, you can get a refund of Rs 7,500 or the base fare of the ticket.
• If there is a delay of more than two hours, you can get a refund of Rs 10,000 or the base fare of the ticket.
• However, the rule of giving compensation to the airline does not apply in unusual situations like bad weather, security reasons or disaster.

What is the process of refund water?

In case of flight delay or cancellation, the passenger has to request for refund through the same channel through which the ticket was booked. For this, one has to go to the airline’s website and select the refund option in the Manage Booking section. Apart from this, if the ticket has been booked through a travel agency or any third party app, then it will have to be canceled from there. Whereas the refund money usually comes to the account from which payment is made in 7 to 10 working days. However, if the airline refuses to give refund or if you get more time, then you can complain about it on DGCA and Seva Portal.

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A new controversy related to flight safety has come to light in India. The Airline Pilots Association of India (ALPAI) has written a letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) objecting to increasing the Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) for Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. DGCA has recently changed the rules related to duty time limits for Dreamliner aircraft with two-pilot crew. According to the new rules, 10 hours of flight time has been reduced to 10 hours 30 minutes and 13 hours of duty has been reduced to 14 hours. The association says that this change is a matter of serious concern and may increase fatigue.

ALPAI, in its letter to DGCA, said that the already imposed limit of 10 hours was enough to increase fatigue. The pilots argued that there is no shortage of pilots in the country, hence there is no point in extending the deadline. However, the letter said that the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) on Flight Duty Time Limit was based on scientific and international research, aimed at preventing performance degradation due to pilot fatigue. The policy was made in line with the recommendations and guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). ALPAI accused DGCA of Commercial airlines have focused more on convenience than safety.

FAA instructions and seat recline problems

In their letter, the pilots have also mentioned the recent directive of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) FAA-2024-0218. Under this directive, the ability to recline the captain’s seat in the Boeing 787 aircraft has been banned for safety reasons. ALPAI said that this seat recline restriction makes it difficult for pilots to rest during long flights. This has a direct impact on their performance. In view of this situation, many airlines in the world have decided to include additional pilot crew in their Boeing 787 aircraft to reduce the risk of fatigue, but in India, DGCA on the contrary increased the duty period of the two-man crew, which according to ALPAI is not the right step.

comparison with international standards

Experts associated with the aviation world say that this change made in India’s FDTL standards is contrary to global standards. In America, Europe and Australia, flight duration and duty time are decided on the basis of fatigue. In these countries, three or four pilots are usually employed on long flights so that each crew can get adequate rest in between. Aviation experts believe that the two-pilot system in long-haul flights like Boeing 787 is risky in terms of safety. There is already additional pressure on pilots due to the recent increase in flight schedules in India and expansion of international operations.

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People think it better to travel by air for long distance trips. The number of passengers traveling by air has also increased in the last few years. Most people have started seeing flight booking as a better option to travel long in a short time. Traveling with a flight is very comfortable, but it costs the same.

Now in such a situation, if you are traveling so expensive, then it is bound to get the same facilities. In such a situation, it is very important to know what facility will the airline provide to you during the flight and what are your rights during the journey in the flight. So let’s know …

Facilities available during flight

Traveling with a flight is very exciting, but many things are uncertain in it, due to which travelers often face troubles. These problems include flight delays, flight cancelling, overbooking problems or problems like losing the same. To avoid these problems, DGCA has made several rules for the convenience of passengers.

Flight delayed

If your flight is delayed for some reason for some reason, then the airline will have to provide you the facility of phone calls, food, stay and internet. On the other hand, if it is more than 24 hours, then you have every right to cancel your flight and take refund.

Flight when canceled

If the airline is canceling your flight, then they will have to refund the entire money or book any other flight, but if the bad weather is canceled due to air traffic control restrictions, or any other reason, then they are not bound to refund.

Divyang people rights

For the convenience of disabled passengers, the airline has to provide special wheelchairs. Along with this, disabled people can book facilities like priority boarding, escort service and medicine in advance.

When lost goods

If your luggage is lost during the journey, then the airlines will have to pay compensation according to the weight of the goods. On the other hand, if the goods are delayed, then you can ask for expenses for toiletry and other items. In case of equal breakdown, the airline will have to compensate for the loss. So the next time you travel by flight, then remember these rights so that you do not have any problem during the journey and you can experience a blissful journey.

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