Air travel has become very popular and affordable, many first-time travellers are discovering the simplicity and convenience of flying. As a result, everyone should be aware of their consumer rights as a traveller. In this article, we'll go through your rights when you are flying.

Things you should know when you are flying

• Flight Delays 

If there is a flight delay while you are traveling, your rights are following depending upon on the scenario:

Scenario1:  You had an on-time check-in, but the airline experiences a delay of:

• 2 hours or more in case where flights have a block time of up to 2.5 hours

• 3 hours or more in case where the flights have a block time of more than 2.5 hours and up to 5 hours

• 4 hours or more in the case if the flights do not fall in the above two categories

In the above scenario, your Right is that you can ask and will be offered free-of-charge meals and refreshments, in relation with your waiting time. 

Scenario2:   If you’re domestic flight is delayed by more than 6 hours:

In such scenario, the rescheduled time should be communicated to you more than 24 hours prior to the originally scheduled time for departure. The airline you have booked the flight with should offer you a full refund or an alternate flight. That’s why it is advisable that you track flight timings and status with Air India flight tracker.

• Flight Cancellation 

Airlines must notify you of flight cancellation at least two weeks prior to the scheduled departure time and offer you an alternate ticket or a refund as per your choice. 

• Boarding denied due to overbooking :

Overbooking occurs when the number of passengers who have been given confirmed airline reservations and who have arrived for the trip well before the scheduled departure time exceeds the number of seats available. In such a situation, the airline must first ask for volunteers to give up their seats in exchange for such benefits as the airline, at its discretion, may wish to offer, and provided that the concerned airports have dedicated check-in facilities/gate areas that make it practical for the airline to do so.

• Flight Diversion
   

If your flight has to be diverted to a different destination, in such a situation:

• If the delay exceeds two hours, the airline should make immediate plans to offload at the next airport. During the waiting period, assistance/refreshment should be provided.

• If the wait time at a different airport is shorter than two hours, an appropriate boarding notification will be made. Water, tea/coffee, and other refreshments will be served.

• Cancellation Charges
   

When you are booking the tickets, make sure that you check the ticket cancellation charges. The airline must explicitly state the amount of money that can be refunded in the event of a ticket cancellation. The sum and its breakdown must be mentioned on the ticket itself or on a separate form used for this purpose, and the airline's refund policy and amount must be disclosed on their individual websites.

In such case for cancellation- 

Airlines must return all statutory taxes, user development fees, airport development fees, and passenger service fees if you cancel your ticket. This applies to all types of fares, including discounts and special fares, as well as fares where the standard fare is nonrefundable.