Cancel or reschedule? Flyers confused

Airlines had accepted bookings from April 15, the day the 21-day lockdown was to end, and are now inundated with calls from anxious passengers

Following the extension of the pandemic lockdown till May 3, airlines are inundated with calls from worried passengers.

Many in Bengaluru had booked tickets to travel on April 15, expecting an end to the initial 21-day lockdown. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of the lockdown till May 3.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has announced all domestic and international air travel will remain suspended until May 3.

On Thursday, the Centre asked airlines to fully refund tickets booked during the first lockdown (between March 25 and April 14).

According to an advisory issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry, airlines must process the refunds for both domestic and international flights within three weeks of a request.

This directive, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said, would be applicable on all bookings made for flights between March 25 and May 3.

Prior to the announcement, commercial carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet had assured customers that their bookings would be protected in the form of their Passenger Name Record or PNR.

“A customer’s ticket amount will be protected in a credit shell that can be utilised within a year of booking,” an IndiGo employee explained to Metrolife. SpiceJet announced that a customer’s ticket amount would be protected till February 28, 2021.

On Monday, GoAir had announced that its ‘Protect Your PNR’ scheme would be extended till April 30. The airline is now reviewing its rescheduling scheme, a spokesperson told Metrolife.

“We are currently in the process of cancelling the affected bookings,” a Vistara spokesperson said. The airline had been providing free-of-charge rescheduling until December 31 of this year. “We plan on resuming services in a phased manner, whenever the government allows us to do so,” the spokesperson continued. So far, only IndiGo and Vistara have announced resuming operations whenever the government permits in phases.

Most passengers have been able to receive credits in lieu of their affected bookings. Student Abhishek Pathak says that while customer care has been slow to respond, he has been able to successfully cancel his booking.

However, some others are confused. “I had booked my tickets to Mumbai for April 17, hoping that travel restrictions would be lifted by then,” says Aayushi Sharma, PR consultant.

“Ever since the extension was announced, I have been trying to get in touch with the airline to cancel my ticket, but I have not been able to get through to them.”

Train tickets: Refunds at counters till July 31

The Ministry of Railways has announced the cancellation of all passenger train services till May 3. As a result, it has had to cancel close to 39 lakh tickets between April 15 and May 3, booked during the 21-day lockdown that ended on April 14.

The process of fully refunding the fares is already underway for the online customers. People who have booked tickets at the counters have time till July 31 to claim their
refunds.

“Since the counters for booking tickets at the railway stations and outside are closed, the 90-day period should be helpful for such passengers. Those who have made reservations through travel agencies, make sure to get your money back from the agent as he will be refunded by the railways,” says Satyanarayana, Chief Booking Reservation Officer, Southern Railways.

The railways have also stated that no advance reservations will be allowed until further notice. Freight trains are running as usual for transporting essential commodities throughout the country.

If you’ve booked tickets…

The government is asking airlines to refund your money, but you can also get travel credit and use the booking for later. Here is what individual airlines are offering:

Vistara: Free-of-charge rescheduling till Dec 31, 2020.

Spicejet: Travel credit valid till Feb 28, 2021.

Indigo: Tickets valid for one year from date of booking.

GoAir: ‘Reviewing a rescheduling scheme.’

Flyer perspective

All commercial airlines, except Air India, had allowed bookings for domestic air travel after April 14. The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, in a statement, had called the decision to continue bookings despite the uncertainty “unfair to consumers.”