Air India's flattery in refunding tickets despite Supreme Court order

A case of ticket refund for non-traveling tourists

Instead of refunding tickets, Air India offered other benefits to travelers

MUMBAI: Air India has retained the tickets of tourists who could not travel due to a lockdown last year. The apex court had on October 11 last year ordered all airlines to refund such passengers.

Only those airlines that were in financial straits were ordered to be refunded by March 31, 2021 or provide a credit shell. An Air India spokesperson said the original price of the ticket was reserved by the tourist for future trips.

Air India has extended the validity of tickets till March 31, 2021 to facilitate tourists in the days of epidemic. However, the validity of the ticket has been extended till December 31, 2021 as the Kovid epidemic continues. Air India has extended the validity of tourist tickets but has avoided providing credit shell to tourists.

An Air India spokesperson said that due to the company's special mechanism, the credit shell system is not applicable to Air India. Air India also said that by taking feedback from the tourists, it had facilitated the change of place, name and date in the ticket.

Air India also clarified that unlike other airlines, it did not sell any of its assets during the lockdown. In addition, the facility to extend the validity of the ticket has also been approved for the Vande Bharat Mission flight.

However, it did not elaborate on whether the airlines were allowed to continue offering benefits to passengers instead of refunds even after the Supreme Court's order. The refund order clearly states that a traveler with a credit shell must receive his refund by March 31, 2021.

Also, the Supreme Court's order did not differentiate between Air India and other airlines. The order is clear and states that all airlines should refund passengers immediately. Only airlines that are experiencing financial difficulties were exempted until March 31, 2021. It is now the duty of airlines to give refunds to tourists with interest.

Airlines are not allowed to give any other benefit or credit shell to the passenger instead of refund. No circular of airlines can go beyond the order of the Supreme. If the airlines do so, it could be considered contempt of court, said the president of the Tourist Legal Cell, which has applied to the Supreme Court for a refund of passengers.