US EditionFlight Ticket Refunds Within 48 Hours? What the New DGCA Rules Say
The DGCA mandates refunds within 14 working days for tickets booked via agents and allows free name corrections within 24 hours for direct bookings.
- On February 24, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued revised refund norms introducing a 48‑hour 'look‑in' period for tickets booked on airline websites, effective March 26, 2026.
- Because regulators saw a spike in passenger grievances, DGCA acted after IndiGo disruptions in December 2025, when 29,212 complaints were logged, with 7.5 per cent related to refunds.
- Under the CAR amendments, passengers may cancel or amend without extra charges except for the revised flight fare within 48 hours; after that, standard airline cancellation and modification charges apply.
- The DGCA also ruled that airlines must correct name misspellings free within 24 hours on their website, and must complete refunds within 14 working days for tickets booked via travel agents and online portals.
- Looking ahead to implementation next month, the DGCA said airlines may offer a refund or credit shell if a passenger or family member on the same PNR is hospitalised, affecting over 16.69 crore domestic passengers in 2025.
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28 Articles
Passengers can modify tickets without extra charges, know all about DGCA new rules
DGCA has upgraded flight ticket refund rules to ease the process of cancellations and changes for travelers. According to the new rules, passengers can cancel or change airline tickets without extra charges within 48 hours of booking.
48-hour free cancellation: DGCA modifies ticket refund rules, sets deadline for airlines - The Times of India
India Business News: Air passengers can now cancel or modify their tickets without paying additional charges within 48 hours of booking, subject to certain conditions, aft.
DGCA makes air ticket refund rules passenger friendly; no additional charges for changes within 48 hours of booking
Passengers can now cancel or amend ticket without any additional fee within 48 hours of booking; airline shall not levy any additional charge for correction in name of the same person when the error is pointed out by the passenger within 24 hours of making the booking
No extra charge on flight ticket cancellations within 48 hrs: DGCA
New Delhi: Passengers can now cancel or change air tickets without paying additional charge within 48 hours of making the bookings subject to certain conditions, with aviation watchdog DGCA revising the ticket refund norms for airlines. The option would not be available for domestic flight bookings where the departure date is less than 7 days and in the case of international bookings, the departure date should be not less than 15 days. Coming ou…
New DGCA rules: No additional charge if you cancel, change air tickets within 48 hrs of bookings
Under new DGCA rules, airlines must offer a 48-hour ‘look-in option’ for free changes or cancellations. Name corrections within 24 hours must be free, and cancellation fees disclosed upfront.
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