Flight cancelled? Here's what airlines must offer you under passenger rights rules

Have you ever found yourself standing at the airport with your luggage, while you find out that your flight has been cancelled? In such a situation most people panic, scrambling to book another flight — often at a much higher price.

However, passengers whose flights have been cancelled by the airline close to the date of travel are entitled to specific rights, including refunds, alternate flights and monetary compensation, depending on when they were informed and the duration of the flight.

Let's take a look at it one-by-one.

Scenario 1: Cancellation informed less than two weeks but up to 24 hours before departure

If you are informed of the flight cancellation less than two weeks before but up to 24 hours of the scheduled departure time, the airline must offer an alternate flight allowing you to depart or refund the ticket, as acceptable to you. In such cases, passengers can choose between rebooking on another flight or receiving a full refund, based on their preference.

Scenario 2: No prior intimation or missed connecting flight

If you are not informed as per the above provisions or have missed the connecting flight booked on the same ticket number, the airline shall either provide alternate flight as acceptable by you or provide compensation, in addition to the full refund.

The compensation amount depends on the block time of the flight:

For flights having a block time of up to and including 1 hour, compensation of Rs 5,000 or booked one-way basic fare plus airline fuel charge, whichever is less.

For flights having a block time of more than 1 hour and up to and including 2 hours, compensation of Rs 7,500 or booked one-way basic fare plus airline fuel charge, whichever is less.

For flights having a block time of more than 2 hours, compensation of Rs 10,000 or booked one-way basic fare plus airline fuel charge, whichever is less.

Additional passenger entitlements

If you have already reported for the original flight and while you wait for the alternate flight, the airline must provide free-of-charge meals and refreshments, in relation to waiting time.

However, passengers must note that you must provide adequate contact information at the time of booking, or else, no financial compensation shall be payable.

In cases where the airline offers a flight to or from an airport or terminal other than the one originally booked, the airline shall bear the cost of transferring you to or from that alternate airport or terminal from or to the one for which you booked. However, if you have been informed of the change at least six hours in advance, you shall be responsible for making your own arrangements.

These provisions aim to ensure that passengers are not left stranded or financially burdened due to last-minute flight disruptions, while also placing responsibility on travellers to share accurate contact details at the time of booking.