Agents hit pause on fresh bookings till airlines assure them of operation, status of stuck refunds

Pune: Travel agents have decided to exercise caution about accepting any new bookings till airlines assure them about operations and the status of refunds for pre-booked tickets, which at the moment is stuck with the airlines in the form of a credit shell for future use.
Different airlines are holding refunds which can be used by passengers for fresh bookings up to a year. Agents said queries were coming in from desperate people who were stuck in the city or other parts of the state and wanted to go home.
On Tuesday IndiGo announced that they would be re-starting their commercial flight operations from May 4 in a phased manner. “For flyers who have been affected by cancellations until May 3, the booking amount will be protected in the form of a credit shell under their PNR number, which can be used to make bookings for the same flyer or flyers for one year from the date of issuance,” the airline spokesperson said.