For a travel complaint in India, complain in writing to the airline, hotel or tour operator first, quoting the booking reference and the exact amount claimed, and give 15 days. If that fails, escalate: airline and airport grievances go to the DGCA through the AirSewa portal, rail grievances to RailMadad, and everything else to the National Consumer Helpline on 1800-11-4000. The binding forum of last resort is the District Consumer Commission at e-jagriti.gov.in, where filing is free for consideration up to ₹5 lakh.
Key takeaways
- Airline refund deadlines are fixed by how you paid: 7 days for a card, immediate for cash at an airline office, and 14 working days for an agent or portal booking — with the airline answerable in every case.
- Refund and compensation are separate claims. Getting the fare back does not extinguish a delay, cancellation or denied-boarding claim.
- For a package holiday, the tour operator is usually the correct opposite party, not each individual supplier.
- Baggage claims die on the paperwork: without a Property Irregularity Report obtained at the airport, a later claim is very hard to sustain.
- Consumer commission jurisdiction is decided by what you paid for the trip, not by the compensation you are claiming.
When this guide is useful
- Your flight was cancelled and the airline did not offer a full refund or alternative flight within 24 hours
- Your checked-in baggage was lost, damaged, or significantly delayed at the destination
- You were denied boarding on a confirmed ticket due to overbooking without adequate compensation
- A significant flight delay of more than 3 hours was not notified in advance
- The airline refunded only a partial amount without clearly explaining the deductions
- A tour operator took your payment but cancelled the trip without refunding within 30 days
Common problems users face
- Airlines cancelling flights and offering travel credits instead of cash refunds as required
- Baggage lost at destination and airline taking months to investigate without any compensation
- Overbooking compensation offered less than the DGCA-mandated amounts
- Refund for cancelled flights blocked behind complex processes requiring repeated follow-up
- Tour operators disappearing after COVID-era travel was cancelled, refusing to refund
- No receipts or documentation given for baggage complaint filed at the airport counter
Information you should collect
Before writing your complaint, gather these details — they form the backbone of any strong complaint document.
- Airline name, flight number, and date of travel
- Booking reference or PNR number
- Your full name as on the ticket and the amount paid
- Date and time of cancellation or incident notification
- Baggage tag number if the complaint involves lost or damaged luggage
- Airline's customer care complaint reference number
- Boarding pass, ticket, or e-ticket confirmation
Documents or proof you should keep
Organized documentation significantly strengthens your position in any complaint or escalation.
What your complaint should include
A complete complaint document covers all of these elements. Leaving out any one weakens your case.
Common mistakes to avoid
Simple complaint format
Use this structure as a starting point. Replace the bracketed fields with your actual details before sending.
Subject: Formal Complaint — Flight Cancellation / Baggage Loss / Denied Boarding — PNR [PNR No.], Flight [Flight No.]
To, The Customer Grievance Officer, [Airline Name], [Airline Address] Subject: [As above] Sir / Madam, I, [Your Name], held a confirmed booking on your Flight No. [Flight No.] from [Origin] to [Destination] on [Date] (PNR: [PNR], Amount Paid: ₹[Amount]). [Describe the specific incident: flight cancelled / baggage lost / denied boarding] on [Date]. I [filed a PIR / raised a complaint] at the airport / helpline on [Date] (Reference No. [ID]). As of [Current Date], [refund has not been received / baggage has not been traced / compensation has not been paid]. You have not provided a satisfactory written response. I request [full refund of ₹Amount / compensation of ₹Amount as per DGCA CAR / baggage tracing and compensation] within 15 days. Failing this, I shall file a complaint with the DGCA AirSewa portal and the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. Yours faithfully, [Your Name] [Date]
How GetNyay can help
- GetNyay generates a formal airline or travel complaint letter citing your booking details and specific demand
- The evidence checklist ensures you have all documents ready — boarding pass, PIR, cancellation email
- The generated letter can be customized and downloaded as PDF or Word for immediate submission
- GetNyay outlines the escalation path: airline → DGCA AirSewa portal → consumer court
- The complaint format covers cancellation, baggage loss, denied boarding, and refund disputes
Need help preparing a complaint-ready document?
GetNyay generates an organized, editable complaint letter based on your specific issue — ready in minutes.
Start Preparing My ComplaintFrequently asked questions
Am I entitled to a cash refund if my flight is cancelled?
Yes. Under DGCA regulations, if an airline cancels a flight, you are entitled to a full cash refund if you opt for it. The airline may offer an alternative flight, but accepting a travel voucher is your choice — you can always insist on a cash refund. Refunds should be processed within 7 business days for card payments.
What should I do if my baggage is lost at the airport?
Immediately report to the airline's baggage services counter at the airport and file a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) before leaving the airport. Note the reference number. The airline typically has 21 days to trace lost baggage. If not found, you are entitled to compensation under the airline's conditions of carriage.
What is DGCA AirSewa and how can it help me?
DGCA AirSewa (airsewa.gov.in) is the government portal where air passengers can file complaints against airlines for service failures. If the airline does not resolve your complaint within 30 days, you can escalate to AirSewa and DGCA for further action.
What mistakes should I avoid in an airline complaint?
Always file the PIR before leaving the airport for baggage complaints. Save your boarding pass. Do not accept travel vouchers if you want cash. Follow up in writing, not just by phone. Escalate to DGCA within a reasonable time if the airline is unresponsive.
How does GetNyay help with an airline or travel complaint?
GetNyay generates a formally structured complaint letter for your airline covering cancellation, baggage loss, denied boarding, or refund disputes. The letter includes your PNR, amounts, complaint history, and specific demand — ready to download as PDF or Word for immediate use.
Working out who is actually liable for your travel complaint
Travel complaints stall more often on identifying the right party than on the merits. A traveller with a genuine grievance writes to the online portal, which points at the airline, which points at the portal, and six weeks disappear.
The general rule is to complain to the party you contracted with, and to name in parallel any party that regulation makes independently responsible. For a package holiday that is the tour operator; for a flight booked on a portal it is the airline, with the portal copied; for a hotel booked through an aggregator it is usually both.
| What went wrong | Primary party | Also name | Regulator route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flight cancelled, delayed, or refund not received | The airline | The travel agent or portal, if the booking was made through one | AirSewa (airsewa.gov.in), run by the Ministry of Civil Aviation |
| Denied boarding on a confirmed ticket | The airline | The airport operator, if the issue arose at check-in or security | AirSewa |
| Baggage lost, delayed or damaged | The airline | The ground handler, where identified in the Property Irregularity Report | AirSewa |
| Hotel not as described, or booking not honoured | The hotel | The booking aggregator through which you paid | National Consumer Helpline |
| Package holiday: itinerary changed, services not delivered | The tour operator | Individual suppliers only where they contracted with you directly | National Consumer Helpline |
| Train ticket refund, or a service failure on a train | IRCTC or the Railways, depending on the booking channel | The Railways, where the failure was in service rather than booking | RailMadad (railmadad.indianrailways.gov.in) |
| Visa service, forex or travel insurance sold with the trip | The specific provider | The tour operator, if it sold the product as part of the package | NCH; IRDAI or the Insurance Ombudsman for insurance |
Where more than one party is genuinely involved, name all of them as opposite parties in any consumer complaint. It removes the "not our responsibility" defence that otherwise runs for months.
The airline timelines a complaint should quote
Airline refunds in India are governed by DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements, Section 3 (Air Transport), Series M, Part II — currently Revision 3, issued on 24 February 2026 and effective from 26 March 2026. Delay, cancellation and denied-boarding compensation sits separately in Series M, Part IV.
Naming the correct instrument and the correct deadline is what moves a complaint out of a scripted reply queue. A message saying the refund is taking too long can be answered with an apology; a message saying the 7-day card refund deadline under Series M Part II expired 84 days ago has to be answered on its merits.
| How you paid | Deadline | Who is answerable |
|---|---|---|
| Credit or debit card, or any online payment | Within 7 days of cancellation | The airline |
| Cash at an airline booking office | Immediately, at the same office | The airline |
| Travel agent or online travel portal | Within 14 working days | The airline — the agent is its appointed representative |
Statutory taxes and the User Development Fee, Airport Development Fee and Passenger Service Fee are refundable on every cancelled ticket, in every fare class including promotional fares, and a cancellation charge cannot exceed the basic fare plus the airline fuel charge. Confirm the current text at dgca.gov.in.
Revision 3 also gives you a look-in option: a booking made directly with the airline can be cancelled or amended within 48 hours without any additional airline charge. It does not apply where the domestic flight departs within 7 days, or the international flight within 15 days, of the booking date, and it does not automatically extend to agent or portal bookings.
Compensation for delay, cancellation and denied boarding
Compensation under Series M, Part IV is separate from the refund and is very rarely offered unless asked for. Claim it as a distinct line item so it cannot be quietly settled along with the fare.
| Alternate flight offered | Compensation |
|---|---|
| Departs within 1 hour of the original scheduled departure | None payable |
| Departs within 24 hours | 200% of one-way basic fare + fuel charge, capped at ₹10,000 |
| Departs more than 24 hours later | 400% of one-way basic fare + fuel charge, capped at ₹20,000 |
| You decline the alternate flight and take a refund | Full refund plus 400% of basic fare + fuel charge, capped at ₹20,000 |
For a cancellation without adequate notice where no acceptable alternate flight is offered, compensation is the lower of a cap or the one-way basic fare plus fuel charge: ₹5,000 for a block time up to 1 hour, ₹7,500 for 1 to 2 hours, and ₹10,000 above 2 hours. Meals, refreshments and hotel accommodation for long or overnight disruptions are owed on top and are not a substitute for the money.
If you are refused boarding, ask the airline to record the fact and the reason in writing before you leave the terminal. Without it, the airline will later characterise the same event as a passenger who missed the flight, and the compensation claim becomes an argument about what happened rather than about how much is owed.
Baggage claims: the paperwork decides the outcome
Baggage complaints are lost at the airport, not later. The Property Irregularity Report — the PIR raised at the baggage desk before you leave the terminal — is what starts the clock and evidences the loss. Almost every rejected baggage claim traces back to a passenger who went home and reported it the next day.
- 1Report at the airline baggage desk before leaving the terminal and obtain a PIR with a reference number.
- 2Photograph damaged baggage before it is repacked or moved, with the tag visible.
- 3Keep the baggage tag, the boarding pass and the booking confirmation together.
- 4Report damaged baggage in writing to the airline within 7 days of receiving it.
- 5Report delayed baggage in writing within 21 days of the date it was placed at your disposal.
- 6Keep receipts for essential purchases made while the baggage was delayed — these support an interim expenses claim.
- 7For an itemised loss claim, list contents with values and produce purchase evidence where you have it.
Liability for baggage on international carriage is governed by the applicable international convention incorporated into Indian law, and it is limited by amount. A domestic-sector claim and an international-sector claim are therefore assessed on different bases. Where the loss is substantial, take advice on which regime applies to your itinerary.
Hotels, aggregators and package holidays
Hotel and package complaints are ordinary deficiency-in-service claims under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. They turn almost entirely on the gap between what was represented and what was delivered — which means the evidence you need is a record of the representation, and it disappears the moment the listing is edited.
- Screenshot the listing, the room description, the photographs and the inclusions at the time of booking. Listings are edited; your screenshot is the only surviving copy.
- Photograph and video the actual room or service on arrival, with timestamps.
- Raise the complaint at the property or with the operator on the spot, in writing, and keep the reply.
- Where the aggregator promised a refund or a relocation and did not deliver, that is a separate deficiency you can plead.
- For a package, the tour operator is generally the correct opposite party for every component it sold — do not let it redirect you to individual suppliers.
- Keep proof of any additional expense you incurred because the service failed: an alternative hotel, a taxi, a rebooked ticket.
The single most useful thing in a hotel or package dispute is a complaint made while you are still there, in writing, with the operator's response. It is very difficult for an operator to argue later that the room was fine when it has its own email acknowledging the complaint on the day.
The travel complaint escalation ladder
- 1Written complaint to the airline, hotel or tour operator. Quote the booking reference, the amount claimed and a 15-day deadline. Get a complaint reference number.
- 2The nodal or grievance officer of that company, escalated on the same reference number so the original complaint date is preserved.
- 3The sector portal: AirSewa for airlines and airports, RailMadad for the Railways.
- 4The National Consumer Helpline on 1800-11-4000 or consumerhelpline.gov.in — free mediation, effective for hotels, aggregators and tour operators.
- 5The District Consumer Commission at e-jagriti.gov.in for a binding order with compensation and costs.
| Value of consideration paid | Commission | Filing fee |
|---|---|---|
| Up to ₹5 lakh | District Commission | Nil |
| Above ₹5 lakh and up to ₹10 lakh | District Commission | ₹200 |
| Above ₹10 lakh and up to ₹20 lakh | District Commission | ₹400 |
| Above ₹20 lakh and up to ₹50 lakh | District Commission | ₹1,000 |
| Above ₹50 lakh and up to ₹2 crore | State Commission | ₹2,000 and upward by slab |
Jurisdiction follows the consideration you paid for the travel, not the compensation you claim. You may file where you reside or personally work for gain — you do not have to travel to the operator's head office. Confirm the current fee on e-jagriti.gov.in.
Deadlines that end a travel claim
| Step | Deadline | Runs from |
|---|---|---|
| Report damaged baggage to the airline | 7 days | The date you received the baggage |
| Report delayed baggage to the airline | 21 days | The date the baggage was placed at your disposal |
| Airline refund by card | 7 days | The date of cancellation |
| Airline refund on an agent or portal booking | 14 working days | The date of cancellation |
| Consumer complaint before a commission | 2 years | The date the cause of action arose |
| Civil suit for recovery of the amount | 3 years | The date the money became due |
Two years sounds generous until you have spent fourteen months being told the matter is "with the concerned team". Escalate on a fixed schedule: 15 days to the company, then the sector portal, then NCH, then file. Every month of patience comes off the limitation period.
Worked examples
Example 1: Airline cancels and offers a voucher instead of a refund
- Sector
- Domestic, one way
- Total paid
- ₹6,480
- Basic fare + fuel charge
- ₹4,600
- Taxes, UDF and PSF
- ₹1,880
- Cancelled by
- The airline, 3 days before departure
- Offered
- A credit shell of ₹6,480
- 1.The airline cancelled, so no cancellation charge is retainable at all — this is not a passenger-initiated cancellation.
- 2.Taxes and airport levies of ₹1,880 are refundable in every case and in every fare class.
- 3.The whole ₹6,480 is therefore refundable in money. A credit shell is a settlement you may accept, not one the airline can impose.
- 4.Because the block time is above 2 hours, cancellation compensation is the lower of ₹10,000 or basic fare plus fuel charge — ₹4,600 here — if notice was inadequate and no acceptable alternate flight was offered.
- 5.Payment was by card, so the refund was due within 7 days of the cancellation.
Decline the voucher in writing and claim ₹6,480 as refund plus ₹4,600 as compensation, separately itemised, citing the 7-day card deadline. Keeping the two heads apart is what stops the airline from settling the fare and closing the file.
Example 2: Package holiday where half the itinerary was not delivered
- Package price
- ₹1,84,000 for two
- Nights promised
- 7, at a named 4-star property
- Actual
- 3 nights at the named property, 4 at a substitute
- Excursions promised
- 5
- Excursions delivered
- 2
- Complaint raised on the spot?
- Yes, by email on day 4
- 1.The tour operator sold the package, so it is the correct opposite party for every component — it cannot redirect you to the substitute hotel.
- 2.Four of seven nights were at a property you did not book, and three of five excursions were not delivered. Both are deficiencies against the represented itinerary.
- 3.The email on day 4 is the decisive evidence, because it fixes the complaint while the trip was still running.
- 4.Quantify each shortfall: the difference in room rate for four nights, and the published price of the three missed excursions, using the operator's own materials where possible.
- 5.Consideration paid is ₹1,84,000, which is under ₹5 lakh, so the District Commission has jurisdiction and the filing fee is nil.
Claim the quantified shortfall on each head, plus compensation for the deficiency and costs, before the District Commission where you reside. The on-the-spot email is worth more than any number of pages written after you got home.
Example 3: Baggage delayed 6 days, reported at the airport
- PIR raised
- Yes, at the baggage desk on arrival
- Baggage returned
- Day 6
- Essential purchases
- ₹11,400, with receipts
- Written claim to airline
- Day 8
- Airline response
- Offered ₹3,000 as a goodwill gesture
- 1.The PIR was raised at the airport, which is what makes the claim sustainable at all.
- 2.The written claim went in on day 8, comfortably within the 21 days allowed for delayed baggage.
- 3.Essential purchases of ₹11,400 during the delay are supported by receipts and are the core of the claim.
- 4.A goodwill offer of ₹3,000 against ₹11,400 of receipted expense is a negotiating position, not an assessment.
- 5.Reject it in writing, itemise the receipts, and put the airline to proof of any basis for a lower figure.
Claim ₹11,400 against receipts, plus compensation for the deficiency, and decline the goodwill offer in writing. Airlines settle receipted expense claims far more readily than unevidenced ones — which is why the receipts matter more than the outrage.
More questions about this page
How long does an airline have to refund my money?▼
The airline says my ticket was non-refundable. Is that the end of it?▼
How do I complain to the DGCA about an airline?▼
Can I claim compensation as well as a refund?▼
My flight was booked through MakeMyTrip and the airline says it paid them. What now?▼
What do I do if my baggage is lost or damaged?▼
My hotel was nothing like the listing. Who do I complain to?▼
For a package holiday, do I complain to the tour operator or to each supplier?▼
Which consumer commission hears a travel complaint, and what does it cost?▼
How long do I have to file a travel complaint?▼
Is there any fee to complain to AirSewa, RailMadad or the National Consumer Helpline?▼
Does GetNyay file the travel complaint for me?▼
Official sources checked
The statutes, rules and regulator pages the statements on this page were checked against.
- Refund deadlines by payment method, the 48-hour look-in window, and refund of statutory taxes and airport levies.
- Delay, cancellation and denied-boarding compensation.
- The grievance portal through which an airline complaint reaches the DGCA.
- Deficiency in service, unfair trade practice, and the two-year limitation.
- The consumer commission filing portal since 1 January 2025, when it absorbed eDaakhil, OCMS, CONFONET and the NCDRC case management system.
- Free government mediation on 1800-11-4000; also the route through which counterfeit reports reach the CCPA.