Flight Cancellation & Delay

The problem

Your flight was cancelled without adequate notice, you were denied boarding due to overbooking, or your flight was delayed for hours with no compensation, meals, or hotel — and the airline refuses to pay up.

Your legal rights

• DGCA CAR Section 3, Series M, Part IV: The mandatory compensation framework for domestic flights.
• Cancellation (<24h notice): Up to ₹20,000 + alternate flight or full refund.
• Denied boarding (overbooking): 200–400% of basic fare as compensation.
• Delays over 6 hours: Meals, hotel accommodation, and up to ₹20,000 compensation.
• Carriage by Air Act 1972: For international flights — Montreal Convention limits apply.

How to escalate

1. File a complaint on AirSewa (airsewa.gov.in) — the DGCA grievance portal.
2. Send a legal notice to the airline citing DGCA CAR and demanding specific compensation.
3. Escalate to MoCA CPGRAMS (Ministry of Civil Aviation, pgportal.gov.in).
4. File on e-daakhil.nic.in (Consumer Commission) if unresolved.