Denied Boarding? Know your Rights as an Air Passenger!
Do you know that even after having a confirmed ticket, you can be bumped off from the flight? Sounds shocking right? But this can happen. The airline can still deny you to board because the airline overbooked the flight.
Mis happening can happen any time, any moment, but it is also important to know what you can do to overcome the unexpected situations. Now, let’s discuss what to do, when you get into such a situation.
Why Airlines Overbook?
It is one of the most common practices of airlines that they over-book their flights or accept more bookings than the available seats to minimize the overall percentage of the passengers who either don’t come or cancel the tickets at the last moment. Generally, this practice gets backfired and affect passengers.
Are Airlines Allowed to Overbook?
Yes, they are. As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s regulatory board, if more passengers turned up than the number of available seats on a particular date, airlines can deny you to board the flight even if you have a confirmed ticket in your hand.
Additionally, the DGCA also states that before denying any passenger to board the flight, it is mandatory for airlines to ask for volunteers to give up their seats. If nobody stands, airline can involuntarily deny anyone to board the flight.
What compensation you are entitled to get?
Most of the times, airlines remunerate the travelers with an alternative flight which is scheduled to depart within one hour of the scheduled takeoff. If the airline neglects to do the same, they need to repay or compensation you in the following manner –
If the Airline Arranges Alternate Flight departing in 24 hours
-
A sum equivalent to 200% of booked one-sided basic fare
-
Carrier fuel charge
-
Subject to limit of INR 10,000
If the Airline Arranges Alternate Flight booked after 24 hours
-
A sum equivalent to 400% of booked one-sided basic fare
-
Aircraft fuel charge
-
Subject to limit of INR 20,000,
If the air passenger doesn’t accept the alternative flight or other arrangements
-
Compensation equivalent to 400% of booked one-sided basic fare
-
Aircraft fuel charge
-
Subject to limit of INR 20,000
Denied Boarding – EU 261/2004 Regulation
As we know that air passenger regulation varies from country to country, so as per the EU 261/2004 Regulation, you are entitled to get compensation if:
How to Avoid Denied Boarding?
In order to avoid denied boarding, you need to follow these simple travel tips:
-
Web Check-in or Check-in on time
-
Know the refund policies of the airline you are travelling with
-
Read about the “Grievance Redressal” procedure
-
Use AirSewa to report any grievance related to air travel in India
How to claim flight compensation?
Before raising a claim ticket, it is really important to Know Your Air Passenger Rights. Since you already know your rights now, let’s start with the compensation process.
-
Fill your flight details here. You will be notified whether you are eligible for compensation or not.
-
You will get the notification of the amount you will be receiving as compensation from the airline.
-
If the airline denies, sign an attorney through our network, we will advocate on your behalf.
OR
You can also claim through Mr Boie, A travel assistance app that will help you claim within seconds. All you need to do is to Download and enter your flight details, it is this simple!
Once you file a claim, we get in touch with the airline. refundme.in always make sure that the passengers’ inconvenience should be healed with the delighted compensation.