COVID-19 has been hard on the world economy. One of the most suffering sectors of the economy is the airline industry. Especially in India, before lockdowns were imposed, airlines weren’t making profits anyway. Now, people are scared to fly. So they cancelled their existing bookings. Air India has decided to help all those people out and instead of giving them credit shells like other airlines, it will completely refund the tickets base fares. This is a good move from the airline considering many people wouldn’t have any use for the credit shells in the future.
Complete Refund to Air India Travellers
Travellers who booked their tickets between the dates March 23 and May 31 will be refunded completely. This applies to the passengers who cancelled their flights from their own end as well. EaseMyTrip has assessed that Air India will have around Rs 500 crore worth of unused tickets. Out of these, almost 70% to 80% people will choose not to travel and opt for refunds. Other people might want to travel at some late date.
Travel Companies Can Apply For Refunds
One of the biggest concerns for people who booked their travel with the help of a third-party is how will they get their refunds. But even that worry has been solved by Air India. The airline is allowing travel agents and travel companies to apply for refunds as well. The process for refunds is a little complex though and will require around 65-70 days for getting it done. Regardless, it is a move which customers of the airline will appreciate. Most of the other airlines are just giving their customers credit shells instead of returning them their money. But that’s understandable at a time like this. The airline is also going to allow their customers to reroute for free. There are no extra charges here as well. But the charges for rerouting will only be waived off. All the charges for a difference in the fare of the flight tickets will be applicable.
