How to Claim Compensation for a Delayed or Cancelled Flight in India

Kaustav Chowdhury
5 days ago
4 min read

Flight disruptions are frustrating, but Indian passengers have defined rights when an airline delays, cancels, or denies them boarding. These rights are set out by the aviation regulator in the Civil Aviation Requirements, specifically CAR Section 3, Series M, Part IV. This guide explains what compensation and assistance you can claim for delays, cancellations, and denied boarding, when airlines are not liable, and how to file a complaint if your claim is ignored.

Your Rights When a Flight Is Delayed

For delays, airlines must provide assistance such as meals and refreshments depending on the length of the delay, and, where an overnight wait is involved, hotel accommodation and transfers to and from the airport. Under the CAR framework, monetary compensation for long delays is structured according to the flight's block time and the extent of the delay, with the amounts scaling up for longer delays.

The key practical step is to keep your boarding pass, ticket, and any communication from the airline about the delay, since these establish both the disruption and your presence at the airport. Without this paper trail, a later claim becomes much harder to prove.

Your Rights When a Flight Is Cancelled

If an airline cancels a flight, it must either offer an alternate flight or refund the full value of the ticket, and it must provide compensation in addition to the refund where the cancellation is within its control. Passengers who have already reported at the airport for the original flight are also entitled to meals and refreshments while waiting for an alternative.

Airlines are expected to inform passengers of cancellations in advance where possible. The assistance owed depends on how much notice was given and whether a suitable alternative flight was offered, so the timing of the airline's communication matters when you assess what you are entitled to.

Denied Boarding and Overbooking

When a flight is overbooked, the airline must first ask for volunteers willing to give up their seats in exchange for agreed benefits. If there are not enough volunteers and a passenger is involuntarily denied boarding, compensation is payable under the CAR.

If the airline arranges an alternate flight that departs within a set window of the original schedule, a lower amount applies, while a longer wait attracts a higher amount, subject to the caps specified in the rules. If you are bumped from a flight against your will, ask the airline in writing for the applicable compensation and keep their response.

When Airlines Are Not Liable

Airlines are generally not required to pay compensation where the disruption is caused by extraordinary circumstances beyond their control, such as severe weather, air traffic control restrictions, security risks, or political instability. In such cases the duty to provide care, like refreshments and refunds for cancellations, may still apply, but the monetary compensation for delay or cancellation may not.

This mirrors the broader consumer law idea that liability follows control and fault, a theme also seen in disputes over charging above the printed MRP, where the question is whether the seller acted within or outside the bounds of the law.

How to Claim and Escalate

Start by raising the claim directly with the airline, in writing, attaching your ticket and boarding documents and stating clearly what you seek. If the airline does not respond satisfactorily, you can lodge a grievance on the AirSewa portal maintained for air passenger complaints, which routes the matter to the airline and the regulator.

As a flight ticket is a service, a deficiency in that service can also be pursued as a consumer dispute before the consumer commissions. The guide on how to file an appeal in consumer court before the SCDRC and NCDRC explains the forum structure and the appellate process, which is useful if your claim is initially rejected.

Keep Evidence and Act Quickly

Whatever the disruption, your claim is only as strong as your evidence. Save the ticket, boarding pass, and any messages or emails from the airline, and note the times of both the original and the revised schedules. Ask staff at the airport for the reason for the delay or cancellation in writing where possible, since that reason determines whether monetary compensation is payable or only care and a refund. Act promptly, because both airline grievance systems and consumer forums work far better with a clear, contemporaneous record than with a reconstruction attempted months later.

Key Takeaways

Indian passengers have defined rights under DGCA's CAR Section 3, Series M, Part IV for delays, cancellations, and denied boarding, including care such as meals and accommodation, refunds, and structured compensation. Airlines are usually not liable to pay compensation for disruptions caused by extraordinary circumstances such as weather or air traffic control. Claim in writing with the airline first, then escalate through AirSewa or as a consumer dispute.