Not sure about your travel plan? Don’t rush to book your air ticket, or you could end up losing heavily if you have to redraw your schedule. Air fares may be lower than before, but ticket cancellation and rescheduling charges have been zooming. From a few hundred bucks some years back, these charges now often exceed Rs. ₹2,000 per passenger per sector.
The latest instalment of bad news comes courtesy IndiGo Airlines, the country’s largest carrier. From April 1, it increased cancellation and rescheduling charges on domestic routes to a flat ₹2,250 per ticket.
Earlier, the charges were lower if the change or cancellation was done at least a month prior to the flight’s departure.
IndiGo is not alone. SpiceJet, Jet Airways and even government-controlled Air India too have sharply increased their cancellation and rebooking charges over the years.
Ergo, no matter which airline, you will take a big hit (at least ₹1,500). These charges could be higher than the fares on short-haul routes. If the ticket costs lower than the cancellation or change charges, you forfeit the entire fare, except taxes. And one stands to lose even more if you have booked the ticket through a travel portal, which will take a cut.
Like before, most airlines allow change or cancellation only up to two hours before flight departure on domestic routes. Thus, a last-minute alteration in plan will mean a no-show charge by the airline. That is, you get almost nothing back, just the taxes.
To Read the News in Full 06/04/16 Anand Kalyanaraman/Business Line
The latest instalment of bad news comes courtesy IndiGo Airlines, the country’s largest carrier. From April 1, it increased cancellation and rescheduling charges on domestic routes to a flat ₹2,250 per ticket.
Earlier, the charges were lower if the change or cancellation was done at least a month prior to the flight’s departure.
IndiGo is not alone. SpiceJet, Jet Airways and even government-controlled Air India too have sharply increased their cancellation and rebooking charges over the years.
Ergo, no matter which airline, you will take a big hit (at least ₹1,500). These charges could be higher than the fares on short-haul routes. If the ticket costs lower than the cancellation or change charges, you forfeit the entire fare, except taxes. And one stands to lose even more if you have booked the ticket through a travel portal, which will take a cut.
Like before, most airlines allow change or cancellation only up to two hours before flight departure on domestic routes. Thus, a last-minute alteration in plan will mean a no-show charge by the airline. That is, you get almost nothing back, just the taxes.
To Read the News in Full 06/04/16 Anand Kalyanaraman/Business Line
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