48-hour free cancellation: DGCA modifies ticket refund rules, sets deadline for airlines

Air passengers can now cancel or modify their tickets without paying additional charges within 48 hours of booking, subject to certain conditions, after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) revised refund norms.

Under the amended civil aviation requirements (CAR) for ‘Refund of Airline Tickets to Passengers of Public Transport Undertakings’, airlines have also been barred from levying any extra charge for correction of a passenger’s name, if the error is flagged within 24 hours of booking and the ticket was purchased directly through the airline’s website.