It’s safe, it’s fast, it’s comfortable and it’s lavish- there is so much to love about air travel. It is the dream mode of communication for every traveler in the world.
But when it comes to refunds, we try to take a step back and start thinking about the policies that offered an uncomfortable experience altogether. Needless to say, the experience related to refunds is not that genuine.
Credit it to the vastness of the airline industry, the strict payment gateways under Air India Cancellation policy, or the global level of security encrypted being followed, refunds do take a lot of effort and time to be completed. This is true, especially in the case of Air India.
Concerning the same issue, many people are waiting for the refunds issued from the Air India company. the airline agency, overtaken by the Tata group has announced to process the refunds in 21 days period.
But will this be implemented in real-time? What can be the chances of getting refunds accurately? What are the processes involved?
Let’s explore all about this in detail in this piece of writing
What’s the news?
Earlier, last year, Supreme Court has ordered Air India to issue refunds for the tickets that were canceled during the Covid period. At that time, the national career offered the refund to be issued within 21 days.
The news came into the picture when the SC had ordered the Ministry of Civil Aviation to clear the sales credit ensuring that the refund has been provided to the passengers.
The process- changed?
Air India tweaked the process for a refund for people due to a large number of a refund being issued. Through social media, the airlines advised the patients to avail of the refund through the manage my booking tab on the website.
The company also urged the passengers to put in their feedback in case where they have done booking through the Air India official website or the Air India official app while not availing of life booking.
This also came with the news that the airline would need 21 days for the refund issuing process.
For people who have booked tickets through travel agents, Air India has asked the agents to process the refund and remit the total amount at the earliest possible.
Till today date, the airline has cleared as much as Rs. 1000 crore in refunds. The company is trying hard to address all the queries of the customers.
Also Read: Guide to the Restricted Items on Air India and General Queries
How can you apply for a refund?
Air India allows you to apply for a refund of a ticket that is partially utilized or completely unutilized. You can ask for a refund within a year of the ticket validity.
If you have done a cash payment forthe ticket, you will be issued a cheque of the same amount directed towards the credit card account of the passenger. Note that the refund cannot be processed towards a new account or card number.
For passengers who have made payments through credit or debit cards, the amount will be refunded to the same account.
If you want the refund to be processed in another account, you have to put in a special request by calling or contacting the customer care staff of the national airlines.
For people who have made the payment through debit transfer, the amount will be refunded to the same account number through the same mode of payment.
As far as the timeline is concerned, the amount is usually transferred immediately within 48 hours. However, according to Air India refund policy, it might take upto 21 days for the amount to be reflected in your bank account.
Things to note:
When applying for refunds, you should take into consideration the fact that you will be able to get a full refund if you cancel your flight within the time frame of 24 hours from the time your ticket is booked.
Also, you will get a refund amount which will exclude the cancellation fee which is charged by the airline. You will also not be refunded any other form of taxes in case you apply for a refund after 24 hours timeline from the time of booking.
Lastly, take care that if you use the ticket partially, say for one destination out o two, you are still eligible for a refund as it is allowed in the Air India refund policy.
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Steps for refund application in Air India Cancelation Policy
The official Air India website has made it easier for passengers to apply for refunds. You need to follow these simple steps:
- Log into the Air India website and log into your account, if you have made any. You can log in as a guest if you don’t have an account.
- Search for the Manage Booking section in your profile dashboard
- Now, you need to enter a few details so that the system can identify your flight. You have to enter your last name, booking number, and other related fields when asked
- In the next step, you need to choose the retrieve booking tab given on the screen
- From the screen that appears, select the flight that you wish to apply refund for. You need to follow the on-screen instructions and put in fields that the website will ask you.
- The refund is processed and you will get an email notification once the amount is transferred into your bank account.
A note about ticket cancellation
An important thing to note is that canceling a ticket is different from asking refund. However, both of them are related as the company gives you the option for a refund when you decide to cancel the ticket.
The process of ticket cancellation can be initiated using the My booking section in your profile dashboard on the website. This link is also available on the homepage of the website.
The Internet Booking Engine uses an automated algorithm that processes each and every cancellation request. The refund dues are also processed through this system as per the rules provided by the company for cancellation.
If you have a PNR with multiple passengers on it, the cancellation will cause the tickets of all passengers to be canceled. You cannot cancel a single passenger’s ticket if you have used the multi-passenger booking feature.
Refund for change of flight or seat types
In rare cases, a passenger gets his flight changed, upgraded, or downgraded due to some emergency. Also, a passenger might have to face a situation where his seat class is downgraded.
Worry not as there are specific rules for such instances. When you face such a scenario, you are eligible for a refund and you will get that extra money back.
To seek such a refund, you have to send the ticket jacket after the travel completion along with the boarding class to the refund section of the airport.
You will get a refund if your case is as per the fare rules of the refund policies of the airlines. When you are downgraded to another airline, your case will come under the transportation credit category.
You will have to send a message to the airline authorities. You can also send the message about your case to the IATA billing section of the Central Accounts section.
After this, a refund will be issued. You also have to send the hard copy of the boarding pass and the ticket for the refund to be issued successfully.
Summing it up
As you can see, booking tickets is an easy process but refunds and cancellations are not. However, since it’s all about saving money, you need to remember, note, and follow the steps precisely to get a refund for the ticket.
Also, make sure that you are always aware of the company’s terms and conditions. To be more assured, you can always read the ‘Fare Rules’ handy that are provided by the company on its official website.
With the right mindset to get the refund correctly, you can get the money quite easily. Also, remember that the steps offered for cancellation and refunds are for the security and safety of the passengers as per the Air India Cancellation Policy.
In the end, don’t overlook the fact that you have to wait for the refund to reflect in your account. If there is a delay, you can always contact the customer care staff and they will help you out.
In rare cases, there is a system error and the refunds take longer than expected. Raising a ticket and keeping in touch with the customer care staff will help you out with the status of the refund.
Once your refund or cancellation is processed successfully on the website, you will definitely get the money back no matter what. So be patient, be wise and trust the services of our First and most respected National Airline- Air India.
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