Air Travellers Can Cancel Or Make Changes To Flight Tickets For Free; Know How | Business News

Last Updated:July 19, 2025, 10:15 IST

Worried about flight cancellation policy? Here’s your one-stop guide about all the rules and regulations.

Representational image. (File photo)

How much refund do I get for cancelling the flight? Do airlines cut money on seeking refunds for wrong details on flight tickets? There are many such questions that air travellers remain worried about when they have to cancel their ticket or make certain changes due to various reasons. Here, we try to clear the doubts that people have in mind with regards to booking flight tickets.

Ticket cancellation charges

While booking tickets through various apps or websites, people are advised to ensure 100% accuracy about things such as name, travel destination, date and other details. If you have still made an error in the process, even then there’s no need to worry.

“You can cancel or amend the ticket without any additional charges, within 24 hours of booking,” according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s Passenger Charter of Rights.

This facility is available “up to seven days prior to the specified flight departure on the first leg”.

In case an individual sees that the refund amount includes cancellation fees, then they should get in touch with the customer service of the concerned airline.

What happens if flight is cancelled?

As per the charter, airlines have to inform passengers “less than two weeks before” the scheduled departure about the cancellation of their flight and arrange an alternate flight for them. Passengers can seek a refund.

If the airline fails to inform or passengers miss the connecting flight booked on the same ticket number, then they can ask for an alternative flight or get full refund, accompanied by compensation.

Overbooking

Often, there are instances when airlines go on to take extra booking against the total number of seats available in a particular flight.

When the airline offers an alternate flight, which is scheduled to depart within an hour of the original flight departure, then the passengers cannot hold the airline liable and seek any compensation.

If the airline fails to arrange an alternate flight scheduled to depart within one hour of the original scheduled departure time, then it needs to provide compensation equal to 200% of booked one-way basic fare plus airline fuel charges, subject to a maximum of Rs 10,000. This needs to be done within 24 hours of the booked scheduled departure.

Delayed flight

For delayed flights, airlines are required to offer free meals and refreshments with respect to the waiting time.

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