1) Brief summary — what DGCA rules & Passenger Charter give you

Care ( immediate assistance ): In the event of delay or cancellation, an airline should take care of the passenger, which normally includes meals/refreshments, communication-telephone/e-mail-and, where necessary, hotel accommodation-including transfers-for lengthy delays or overnight disruption. This is based on the Passenger Charter and associated Civil Aviation Requirements.
Ministry of Civil Aviation

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Refund or re-accommodation: In the event of flight cancellations, or when delay exceeds set limits, passengers are entitled to either a full refund or rerouting/rebooking on the next available flight. This is something the airlines must offer, according to them. This is per the Passenger Charter, which defines the options and timelines.
Ministry of Civil Aviation

Monetary compensation / penalties: The current DGCA framework is oriented to refunds, care, and re-accommodation, rather than fixed, universal cash sums for every delay. However, the guidance of DGCA/Ministry and media summaries-and recent DGCA draft proposals-have toughened refund timelines and passenger remedies, including proposals such as a 48-hour “look-in” cancellation window and 21 working-day refund deadlines; AirSewa can also accept claims for compensation. Recent news coverage and guides summarize these practical outcomes and enforcement actions.

VisaHQ

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2. When you can claim-key thresholds and reasons

DGCA / Passenger Charter and related CARs distinguish between:

Short delay (minor): Airlines usually provide refreshments and updates. No compensation in cash, unless the airline says so in its policy.

Ministry of Civil Aviation

Long delay (domestic: usually 4–6+ hrs, depends on the scenario): Airline must provide meals, communication, and if the wait implies an overnight stay, hotel + transfers. Passenger Charter gives detailed thresholds, such as domestic delays of 6+ hours with clearly defined entitlements.

Ministry of Civil Aviation

Cancellation/flight not operated: You should be offered an immediate alternate flight or full refund, including taxes. If the airline does not provide timely refund or alternate travel, you can escalate.

Ministry of Civil Aviation

Extraordinary circumstances-weather, ATC, government/safety directives: airlines can be exempt from paying discretionary compensation if the disruption is genuinely beyond their control, but they still owe duty of care-meals, accommodation where applicable. Consumer tribunals have in the past ruled against blanket “technical issue” excuses.

The Indian Express

3) Step-by-step: exactly what to do at the airport- immediately

Get official confirmation in writing: Get airline staff at the gate/counter to provide a written statement-in email or on paper-that your flight has been delayed/canceled, noting the given reason and expected new departure time. This is vital proof.

PNR / Boarding Pass Collection / e-ticket: Keep the screenshots or the boarding passes along with receipts in case of extra expenses like food, hotel, transport. You may want to use these later for reimbursement purposes.
Seek immediate attention: If there is a long delay/cancellation, then claim all the rights: food, drinks, telephone calls, hotel plus transfers if overnight. Note names of staff and any reference numbers from the request for assistance. These the airlines are obliged to provide according to Passenger Charter.

Ministry of Civil Aviation

Record everything: Take photos of notices, queues, cancelled flight screens, and note timestamps. In cases where the staff makes verbal promises, get names and jot them down. That helps on escalation.

4) After the airport — how to claim formally, step by step

A. In this case the passenger should contact the airline customer care / grievance cell.

Complain through the airline’s formal grievance process: email/web form/social channels. Air India, IndiGo, Vistara, among others, have listed Nodal Officer/ Appellate Authority contacts on their websites-always ask for a complaint/ticket number. Keep copies.

Air India
B. If airline doesn’t resolve: file on AirSewa- DGCA’s grievance portal

AirSewa is the official consumer grievance portal for aviation complaints, where consumers can file and track their grievances, besides attaching PNR, boarding pass, receipts, and airlines correspondence. DGCA monitors and can direct airlines to respond. DGCA escalates if unresolved.
airsewa.gov.in

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Practical note from recent guides: AirSewa complaints often require PNR, boarding passes, receipts, and a short description of the issue at hand. Many media articles sum it up appropriately that AirSewa can be used for claiming refunds or monetary compensations in deserving cases.

The Times of India

C. If AirSewa / airline fails: Escalate

DGCA grievance officer/nodal escalation: In case the airline does not settle within the specified time, the DGCA can intervene. AirSewa has an escalation path-unresolved grievances can be escalated to DGCA.

Times of India

Consumer court / NCDRC / civil suit: If DGCA or the airline fails, you can file a complaint before the District Consumer Forum, State Commission or NCDRC depending on amount. NCDRC and consumer courts have previously awarded significant sums where airlines were negligent. See the press coverage of such cases.

Indian Express

5) Anticipated Timelines of recent position and any proposals

Return timelines (practical/proposed): DGCA has proposed more stringent refund timelines, such as a hard 21 working-day deadline in case tickets are booked through agents. For credit-card refunds, media summaries mention commonly enforced windows like 7 days for the amount to be reflected on the card and 21 working days in case of agent/OTA bookings. These proposals/changes have been publicized quite broadly in the Nov–Dec 2025 reporting and may be in finalization stages; still, airlines would have to process refunds quickly per DGCA direction and ministry orders in crisis situations.

VisaHQ

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DGCA action on complaints on AirSewa: As reported in the media and the AirSewa interface, complaints are followed up, and an escalation channel exists. For unresolved grievances, escalation can be made to DGCA grievance officers, then to courts, if necessary. In case a grievance is not redressed beyond the SLA of the portal, seek escalation.

airsewa.gov.in

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6) What to include in your claim-checklist

Name, contact, PNR, flight number, date, origin, and destination.

Boarding pass / e-ticket / confirmation of booking.

Official written confirmation of cancellation/delay from the airline, if available.

Receipts for any out-of-pocket expenses, including meals, taxi, and hotel: attach originals only, or clear photos/scans.

Shots of Airline/tracking pages that depict cancellation.

Any email/chat transcripts with the names of airline support/staff.

A short, factual description of the inconvenience and the remedy sought: refund, reimbursement, amount of compensation.

7) How much can you really expect?

Full refund of the ticket taxes, in cases of flight cancellations, or if the delay meets the conditions for a refund and you opt for a refund. This is the most certain outcome.
Ministry of Civil Aviation

Care & incidental reimbursements (meals, hotel, transfers) — airlines usually reimburse when they decline to provide onsite care, or will provide those services directly. Keep receipts.

Ministry of Civil Aviation

Cash compensation: DGCA’s framework does not specify a single, universal cash compensation amount for each delay, as EU Regulation 261 does. But media guidelines and AirSewa escalations indicate that passengers do, at times, receive monetary compensation from airlines or consumer forums-magnitude depends on the case, the airline’s policy, and any tribunal verdict. Several news articles quote various small compensation limits or ad hoc payments; see AirSewa for details in each case.

The Times of India

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8) Sample complaint you can copy/paste (use for airline email or AirSewa)

Sub: Complaint & Claim for Refund/Compensation — PNR: XXXXX

To Whom It May Concern:

I was booked on flight [Airline + Flight No.] from [Origin] to [Destination] on [Date] PNR: XXXXX. This flight was cancelled/delayed by [X] hours and I was not given enough care (or state what happened). I request:

Full refund of fare and taxes (or re-routing in alternative).
Reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses: Rs [amount] (receipts attached).

Compensation for embarrassment, if applicable.
Attached: boarding pass, e-ticket, receipts, screenshots, previous correspondence if any. Please provide a complaint reference number and confirm how/when the refund or compensation will be processed.

Regards,

[Name, contact, booking email]

Use this on AirSewa, too-attach all the documents.

www.airsewa.gov.in

9) Real examples & context – why enforcement matters now
Mass Cancellation Events (Dec 2025): recent reports on mass cancellations, especially a mass cancellation by a large airline, led to DGCA directives to airlines for refunds and moved parliament to take notice. The regulator has been quite active in enforcing refunds and directing airlines to settle dues related to refunds during crisis periods. These incidents have fine-tuned the public guidance by DGCA and made the complaint-filing process on AirSewa more effective in many cases.

The Economic Times

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DGCA draft rules: The DGCA’s draft proposals – presently issued for feedback – include a 48-hour look-in window for cancellations/changes and a 21 working-day maximum for refunds to be completed, including those for OTA bookings. If finalized, these would go a long way in improving the position of passengers. Watch out for DGCA announcements for the final text.

VisaHQ

10) Practical tips that make claims succeed

Document everything immediately. Written confirmation from an airline is gold.

Complain early through AirSewa. The poor response by the airline would then be in the sight of the regulator.

www.airsewa.gov.in

Be polite but persistent: request the contact of the Nodal Officer, and in writing, give short deadlines to the airline, like “refund within 7 working days.”
If you are offered vouchers, you can decline them: If you’d prefer a cash refund, make it known in writing — airlines sometimes push travel credit first. Keep copies of that decline.

Paid by card, check card-company dispute options for chargeback only after airline process and DGCA avenues exhausted.

Consumer court precedent helps: If you have unusual losses or poor treatment, in similar cases, consumer forums have awarded substantial damages in the past — keep full evidence.

The Indian Express 11) In practice what one can expect from DGCA / AIRSEWA AIRSEWA is the gateway-file your grievance here, attach PNR and documents, and track status. DGCA reviews the escalations and can direct the airlines to act. Most recent reporting notes that the portal is being actively used and monitored-and that unresolved cases can be escalated to DGCA grievance officers. airsewa.gov.in +1 The speed of the outcome varies; in crisis times, DGCA has directed airlines to speed up refunds, and media reported that mass refunds were initiated after orders. In standard cases, expect some back-and-forth; if the airline stalls beyond stipulated timelines, escalate through AIRSEWA and consumer courts. Times Group: The Economic Times +1 12) Quick flowchart (what you do, in order) Airport → Get written confirmation & request care Airline customer care → lodge complaint and ask for nodal officer. Wait for a short window period- ask the airline for a refund timeline. Unresolved → 4. File on AIRSEWA, attaching documents. Approach consumer forum/NCDRC, in case the mediation through AIRSEWA/DGCA fails. airsewa.gov.in +1 13) Final checklist you can screenshot & keep Written confirmation of cancellation/delay by airline (e-mail /notice) Boarding pass/e-ticket/PNR. All receipts for expenses. Airline complaint reference & nodal officer contact. AIRSEWA complaint ID, if filed. Copies/screenshots of all things: offline store + cloud. Sources & further reading (most useful links) DGCA official website: grievance redressal, SOPs. Directorate General of Civil Aviation +1 Passenger Charter (MoCA / Passenger Charter PDF) — entitlements in case of delay, cancellation, care. Ministry of Civil Aviation AIRSEWA Portal: File and track grievances across airlines. airsewa.gov.in Practical how-to & news guides summarising current practice and recent changes – these are good for practical examples and timelines. Examples: Times of India, Skyscanner, Travel & Tour World