Air India Cancellation and Refund Policy

About Air India

Do you need to cancel your Air India flight due to unavoidable circumstances? Before you cancel your flight, learn about Air India cancellation and refund policy, so that you are well-aware about your rights.

Air India (AI), the flag carrier airline of India, headquartered in New Delhi, was founded on 15 October, 1932 as Tata Airlines. However, it commenced its operation on 29 July, 1946. Its main hub is in New Delhi, secondary hub is in Mumbai, and its focus cities are Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Kochi.

Air India Cancellation Policy

Nobody likes to cancel a planned trip, unless there is an absolute need. There could be several circumstances, when you have to cancel your already booked flight tickets. In such cases, you should be aware of the airline’s cancellation and refund policy. If your booked flight belongs to Air India, then here is our guide.

Air India 24-hour Cancellation Policy

The Air India 24 hour cancellation policy allows its passengers holding any type of Air India flight tickets, are allowed to cancel their flight within 24-hours of booking and can request for a complete refund. However, it is advisable to understand the following points before canceling your flight:

• Under the Air India 24-hour cancellation policy, the airline will not charge any cancellation fee if the flight is canceled within 24 hours of reservation.
• However, the flight’s scheduled departure should be more than seven days at the time of canceling.
• The policy is applicable on both refundable and non-refundable tickets.
• The policy does not apply to bookings made with travel credit vouchers.

Air India Cancellation Policy for Refundable and Non-Refundable Tickets

Air India’s non-refundable tickets are not entitled to any refund unless it meets some specific changes. Read below to know more about this:

• If you cancel the flight within 24-hours from the time of booking and the scheduled departure of the flight is at least seven days later, then you will receive a complete refund and cancellation will be free.
• If Air India cancels your flight, you will be eligible either for a complete refund or you can opt for an alternate flight.
• If your Air India flight is delayed by 6 hours or more, you have the option to ask for a refund or to opt for an alternate flight, departing earlier than the original flight.
• If you are denied boarding due to overbooking, Air India must provide you with an alternate flight departing within one hour of the original flight. If the airline fails to do so, then you are entitled to claim for a complete refund, along with a compensation of INR up to 20,000.

Air India Cancellation Policy for the USA

• The Air India 24-hour cancellation policy is applicable to flight tickets to/from the USA, directly from India. You will receive a complete refund if you cancel your flight to/from the USA within 24-hours of booking and the scheduled departure is at least 7 days later.
• The policy is applicable to all types of tickets, including non-refundable tickets. However, if you purchased your tickets from a third-party, then you must contact them directly.
• If you cancel the ticket within 7 days of your flight’s scheduled departure, then you must incur a cancellation fee, which depends on the type of tickets you hold.
• The cancellation fee for the flights to/from the USA ranges between USD 200 to USD 300.

Air India Cancellation Policy for Different Class

• For First Class and Business Class Air India passengers, there will be no cancellation fee if they cancel the ticket 2 hours prior to scheduled departure.
• Z Class passengers must incur INR 5,000 or basic fare, whichever is lower as a cancellation fee, if they cancel the Air India flight 12 hours prior to the scheduled departure.
• Economy Class passengers will have to pay INR 3,000 or the Basic Fare, whichever is lower, if the cancellation is made 2 hours prior to the scheduled departure.

Award Tickets Policy for Air India

• If a fully unused ticket is canceled and is submitted for a refund, more than three days before the scheduled departure, 80% of the FR points used will be refunded and the remaining 20% will be deducted as a cancellation charge.
• If the cancellation is initiated and submitted for a refund less than 3 days before the scheduled departure, then the ticket will be treated as No-Show with 100% cancellation charge.

How to Get Compensation in Case of Flight Delay or Cancellation

Unless there is an emergency, Air India never cancels its flights and offers a very professional and strict service to make your journey comfortable. However, if it has to cancel its flight due to extreme weather, government guidelines, technical glitches, then you will be compensated.

If your flight is delayed, then the airline will provide you with an alternate flight or if the alternate flight doesn’t match with your schedule, the airline will refund you, and service fees associated with your ticket will be waived off.

Under such circumstances when the flight is canceled by Air India, the airline offers some perks to compensate for the inconvenience:

• Accommodation
• Transportation
• Meal
• Reschedule another flight
• Complete refund
• Travel voucher

If the flight is delayed by more than 6 hours, the airline either provides the passengers with an alternate flight or initiates a complete refund plus compensation of up to INR 20,000. However, the amount depends on various factors, such as, the route, and duration of the delay.

How to cancel Air India Flights?

You can easily cancel your Air India flight by simply visiting the airline’s official website or at the airport’s ticket counter. The airline will charge up to INR 1000 to INR 3,000 depending on the domestic and international flights canceled after 24 hours of booking. To learn how to cancel your booking, read below:

Online Method

• Visit https://www.airindia.in/
• Click on Manage
• A page will appear, where you can proceed further to cancel the flight.
• Enter passenger’s last name and confirmation code and then click Continue
• Follow the instructions to cancel your reservation
• Once you successfully cancel your flight, the airline will send you a confirmation mail on your registered email

Offline Method

• You can either vIsit Air India’s counter at the airport or call 0124 264 1407.
• If you have called the airline’s customer support number, select the language that suits you the best.
• Provide the required information asked by the agent (user name, ticket number, arrival city, and other information to verify your identity).
• Choose the trip you want to cancel.
• Choose a payment method if you have to pay a cancellation fee for Air India flights.
• The airline will send a confirmation mail regarding the cancellation.

Air India Cancellation Fee

Air India allows passengers to cancel the flight for free if the cancellation is made within the 24-hours from the time of booking, under Air India cancellation and refund policy. For cancellation made after 24-hours, passengers will have to incur a cancellation fee of INR 1,000 to INR 3,000 for Air India flights depending on the fare type, and time of cancellation.

Air India Refund Policy

• The Air India 24-hour cancellation policy allows customers to get a complete refund in case of flight cancellation, irrespective of fare type.
• Non-refundable tickets holders will not be entertained with any refund.
• First and Business Class ticket holders with refundable tickets may receive a travel credit for future trips instead of monetary refund.
• To claim a refund, you have to book the ticket through Air India’s official website. If you booked the ticket from a third-party, you must contact them for a refund.
• A complete refund will be done on refundable tickets.

How to Get Refund from Air India

Online Method

• Visit https://www.airindia.in/
• Click on Manage
• Go to Refund Request and click on ‘Click Here’ to fill the form
• Enter your E-ticket number and follow the process
• You must cancel the flight first to claim a refund
• Cancel your reservation and then find refund icon
• Follow the instructions to complete the process
• You will receive a confirmation mail regarding the refund request
• The refundable amount will be credited within 7 to 10 days.

Offline Method

• Call the airline’s customer support number 0124 264 1407, based on your language and region
• Click on the correct button to talk with an agent
• Share the required information with Air India’ expert agent
• Request for a refund

Air India Customer Support Number for Cancellation and Refund Related Queries

Air India customer support number varies depending on the region you are calling from. Here is a list of the important phone numbers required to cancel your Air India flight or claim a refund.

Contact no/Toll-Free/Email- Hubs

• Toll-Free Number-0124 264 1407
• Phone Number-0124-2641407,020-26231407,1860 233 1407
• Email [email protected]

Contact no/Toll-Free/Email-Hubs for International Passengers

Rest of the World

The passengers who reside in other countries of the world can reach out to this number:

+ 912026231407,+ 91124 2641407.

FAQs