Air passengers to get compensation for involuntary downgrade of tickets

Passengers will soon be compensated for any involuntary downgrade of their tickets for a particular class by an airline, with aviation regulator DGCA preparing to put in place new norms.

Once the norms come into force, the airline concerned will have to refund the full value of such tickets, including taxes, and also the affected passenger will be flown free of cost in the next available class, according to DGCA.

Against the backdrop of complaints from air travellers about their tickets booked for a particular class being downgraded by airlines, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is now in the process of amending the existing regulations to address passenger grievance.

"The amendment will allow the passenger, who is downgraded involuntarily from his booked class of ticket, to receive the full value of ticket, including taxes, as refund from the airline and the airline will carry the passenger free of cost in the next available class," it said in a statement on ...