IndiGo to compensate passengers with ₹10,000 vouchers from December 26
What's the story
IndiGo will start compensating passengers affected by the massive flight disruptions earlier this month, starting December 26. This comes following a directive from the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The airline will provide travel vouchers worth ₹10,000 each to "severely impacted customers who were stranded at airports for many hours" on December 3, 4, and 5.
Compensation details
Additional compensation to be provided as per government norms
Along with the travel vouchers, IndiGo will also provide an additional compensation of ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 in accordance with government norms. The directive was issued by Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Sinha during a review meeting. An official explained that "compensation payment should start within a week for passengers who booked tickets directly from IndiGo website as their data is already with the airline."
Data collection
IndiGo to gather information from travel agents, OTAs
IndiGo has also been asked to collect information about people who booked tickets via travel agents and online travel agencies (OTAs). The airline will pay the compensation directly to these passengers. This process should start soon, an official said. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been tasked with ensuring that every affected passenger gets compensation while the ministry will supervise the process through its Air Seva portal.
Refund status
Refunds initiated, but some passengers still waiting
IndiGo has started processing refunds, but many passengers who booked through OTAs are still waiting for their money. A passenger said the refund process hasn't been completed yet. IndiGo executives have said refunds for the affected days were processed without any deductions and it is now up to OTAs to transfer the same in full to passengers.
Refund initiation
Leading OTAs have initiated refunds even before receiving funds
Leading OTAs such as MakeMyTrip had initiated the payments even before getting the same from IndiGo. MMT has paid almost ₹10 crore worth refunds, according to people in the know. The DGCA had last week called a meeting with OTAs and asked them to give a full refund without any cuts. Between December 1 and 9, IndiGo canceled 4,354 flights, including 2,456 domestic and 51 international on December 3-5 alone.