Air passengers to get reimbursement for downgrades, DGCA to bring new norms

Airlines will reimburse 75 per cent of the ticket costs to passengers whose domestic flight tickets have been downgraded, with aviation regulator DGCA putting in place new norms.

For downgrade of international tickets, the reimbursement amount will vary from 30 per cent to 75 per cent of the ticket costs, including taxes, depending on the distance covered by the particular flight.

The new norms will be effective from February 15, a senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Wednesday.

The regulator decided to amend the norms against the backdrop of complaints from air travellers about their tickets booked for a particular class being downgraded by airlines.

In December last year, DGCA had proposed that airlines should have to refund the full value of such tickets, including taxes, and also that affected passenger will be flown free of cost in the next available class.

However, those proposals have been modified now in line with international practi