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Reviewed April 2024
Renowned as a favoured option among travellers, Air India proudly stands as the national carrier of India, providing a wide spectrum of travel services. Yet, circumstances may arise, necessitating the adjustment of travel plans, prompting the cancellation of flight reservations. In such situations, grasping the intricacies of Air India’s flight cancellation and refund policy becomes pivotal, simplifying the process and minimizing potential complexities.
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Keep reading this Wego article to learn more about Air India’s refund policy, cancellation procedure and conditions for refund.
Table of Contents
Air India flight cancellation
Air India allows customers to cancel bookings and get refunds through the website and the mobile app. This is applicable for all bookings made after 25 May 2022.
- you can cancel any Air India flight within 24 hours of purchasing your ticket and receive a full refund, provided your flight’s departure is at least 7 days later at the time of booking.
- if the flight departure is less than 7 days from the date of booking, applicable cancellation charges can apply.
- the refund you receive for your Air India cancelled ticket depends on factors like fare type, timing of cancellation, and reason. Cancelling well in advance can lead to up to 90% refund. Yet, close-to-departure or post-departure cancellations might not be eligible for refunds.
Air India flight cancellation charges
The following table presents the various cancellation charges and associated no-show fees depending on the travel class and booking class.
| Travel Class | RBD / Booking Class | Cancellation Fee | No-Show Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Class | F, A | Zero (till 2 hours prior to departure) | Whichever is lower, INR 3,000 or Basic Fare (less than 2 hours prior) |
| Business Class | C, D, J | Zero (till 2 hours prior to departure) | Whichever is lower, INR 3,000 or Basic Fare (less than 2 hours prior) |
| Z | INR 4,000 or Basic Fare, whichever is lower (till 12 hours prior) | Whichever is lower, INR 5,000 or Basic Fare (less than 12 hours prior) | |
| Economy Class | Y, B, M | Zero (till 2 hours prior to departure) | Whichever is lower, INR 3,000 or Basic Fare (less than 2 hours prior) |
| H, K, Q, V, W, G, L, U | INR 3,000 or Basic Fare, whichever is lower (till 2 hours prior) | Non-refundable (less than 2 hours prior, Basic fare will be forfeited) | |
| T, S | INR 3,000 or Basic Fare, whichever is lower (till 12 hours prior) | Non-refundable (less than 12 hours prior, Basic fare will be forfeited) |
Note that GST will be added upon these charges in the following rates:
- 5% for economy class
- 12% for first class and business class
Air India refund policy
- all air tickets are governed by fare conditions and they determine the price of the ticket. Depending on the fare conditions the fares tend to vary. The most flexible fares have the least restrictions attached to them and are more expensive. Some of the most common conditions are: Whether the ticket is refundable and the charges related to it, whether the ticket dates/flight can be changed and the charges related to it, whether there are no show charges related to it
- refundable tickets will be refunded fully, while Air India non refundable ticket cancellation only get taxes repaid.
- you must apply for a refund on your ticket within 15 months from the date of issue, i.e., up to 3 months after your ticket’s expiry.
- you can apply for online refunds up to 48 hours before departure. Online refunds will not be accepted within 48 hours of departure.
- if you have only used a part of your ticket, you’re entitled to claim a refund on the unused portion of your ticket. The airline will deduct the one-way fare, taxes, and Air India cancellation flight charges before giving you the remaining balance
- Air India refunds for Air India cancel booking will be issued in the same form of payment used to make the reservation. If booked through a travel agent, refunds will be issued to the agent’s account, according to Air India international flight refund policy. Passengers must contact the agency directly for refunds.
Air India refund policy for delayed and cancelled flights
- if Air India cancels your flight, you can choose between an alternative flight or a full refund.
- for Air India flights within India delayed by 6 hours or more, you can opt for an alternative flight or a full refund.
- if flight delays cause you to miss a connecting flight on the same booking, you can choose between an alternative connecting flight or a full refund.
- in case of denied boarding due to overbooking, Air India must provide an alternative flight within 1 hour of the original flight. If not possible, you can request a full refund and compensation of up to INR 20,000 if not opting for the offered alternative flight.
How to cancel Air India flight
Passengers who make their reservations online can use the Manage Booking section to cancel their reservations. Once you visit the linked page, follow these steps:
- enter your last name and booking reference (PNR)/ticket number
- click on the Retrieve Booking button
- follow the prompts to select your flight and cancel
- you will receive an email confirming your flight cancellation
Please note that if the booking has NOT been made online, the passenger is advised to contact any Air India office to cancel their reservation. The tickets will further be refunded by the ticket issuing office.
How to process Air India refund
The cancellation request for bookings made online will be processed automatically through the Internet Booking Engine. Any refunds due will be processed by the system in accordance with the applicable cancellation rules.
To process a refund online:
- head to the Manage Booking section.
- enter your last name and booking reference/ e-ticket number
- retrieve booking
- cancel your flight and submit a refund request
Please note that cancellation of a single PNR that has multiple passengers booked on it will result in the cancellation of all the booked passengers as it is not possible to cancel one passenger from a multi-passenger booking. The passenger is advised to contact Air India’s call centre for such cancellations or re-booking.
If you have booked through a travel agency, please contact the travel agency for the issuance of the refund.
Air India refund status check
In normal circumstances, Air India processes the refund almost immediately. However, in the case of a credit card bank transfer, it takes a minimum of 20 days.
The refund will be processed depending on the mode of payment for booking the flight tickets:
- if the payment has been done in cash, a cheque with the refund amount is sent to the address as specified by the passenger.
- if the payment has been made by credit/debit card, then the amount is credited back to the same credit card account.
- if the payment is made by direct debit-bank transfer, the amount would be credited back to the same bank account it has been debited from.
Please note that the refund cannot be processed to an alternate card account. The transfer to any other card account, if required, will have to be requested by the customer to their specific card issuing bank.
Air India customer care
For any queries related to online booking clarifications/queries/non-receipt of refund, Air India requests passengers to raise their queries through their Customer Support page.
