Your client's flight is delayed: the agent's DGCA playbook

It's 11 pm, your phone is buzzing, and a client on tomorrow's fixed departure just texted "flight cancel ho gayi, ab kya hoga?" You didn't cancel the flight. You didn't cause the fog. But you booked the ticket, so you're the one they're calling, and if you don't know the DGCA flight cancellation refund rules cold, you'll spend the next six hours guessing instead of managing.

This happens twice a year like clockwork: monsoon disruptions from July to September, fog cancellations in December and January, and the odd overbooking mess in between. When 14 people on a group PNR are stuck at the airport, "let me check with the airline" is not an answer your client wants to hear from the person they paid to handle exactly this.

This is the playbook: what the airline owes, who files the claim, how AirSewa escalation actually works, and the WhatsApp scripts to send at each stage so you come out of it looking like the person who handled it, not the person who caused it. Treat it as one module in the broader disruption playbook every operator needs on the shelf, not a one-off.

What the airline actually owes your client (as of July 2026)

Under the DGCA's Civil Aviation Requirements, airlines owe passengers meals and refreshments once a delay crosses 2 hours, and hotel accommodation for overnight delays or any delay of 6 hours or more. If the ticket was booked through your agency, the refund on a cancelled or denied-boarding flight is still the airline's obligation, not yours, even though your client will ask you first.

Delay length	What's owed	Who provides it
2+ hours	Meals and refreshments	Airline, at the airport
6+ hours or overnight	Hotel accommodation	Airline, at the airport
Denied boarding	Cash compensation (see below)	Airline
Cancelled/denied booking	Full refund of fare paid	Airline (even if booked via your agency)

Rules change; confirm the current Civil Aviation Requirements with the airline's duty manager or your CA before you quote a figure to a client in writing.

Careful: Don't promise a client compensation before the airline confirms the delay category. "2 hours" and "6 hours" are measured from scheduled departure time, and airlines sometimes dispute the clock. Get the delay reason and duration in writing from the airline staff at the counter before you set client expectations.

Denied boarding: the compensation math the airline hopes nobody checks

Denied boarding compensation is calculated as a percentage of the basic fare plus fuel surcharge, capped at a fixed rupee amount depending on how fast the airline gets the passenger onto an alternate flight. Currently reported rules put the compensation at 200% of the basic fare and fuel surcharge if an alternate flight departs within 24 hours of the original scheduled time, capped at ₹10,000. Beyond 24 hours, it rises to 400%, capped at ₹20,000.

Example: Four of your 14 clients on a fixed Goa departure get bumped for overbooking. Their basic fare plus fuel surcharge works out to ₹6,200 each. Two hundred percent of that is ₹12,400, but the cap is ₹10,000, so each of those four passengers is owed ₹10,000, not ₹12,400. If the airline can't get them out within 24 hours, the calculation switches to 400% (₹24,800) capped at ₹20,000 each. Fourteen people, four denied boarding, ₹40,000 to ₹80,000 in compensation depending on how fast the airline rebooks them. That's the number your client will ask you to fight for.

These caps and percentages are what's currently reported for DGCA CAR Section 3, Series M as of July 2026, and there's a draft amendment circulating that would raise the higher cap to ₹30,000. Don't quote the ₹30,000 figure to a client until it's formally notified, since a draft amendment is not a rule yet. Confirm the live cap with the airline or a current CAR copy before you put a number in writing.

Who actually files the claim: you or the client?

The passenger named on the ticket is who the airline compensates, but on an agent-booked group PNR, the agent is usually the one who has to chase it because the client doesn't know the counter manager's name or the compensation form exists. File the claim on the client's behalf at the airport counter the same day, get a written acknowledgment, and keep a copy for your own records before the group disperses to hotels and connecting flights.

The practical order of operations:

1. At the counter, same day. Ask for the denied-boarding or delay compensation form in writing, not a verbal promise. Airlines process compensation faster when the paperwork is started before the passenger leaves the airport.
2. Collect one form per affected passenger. Even if you're managing all 14 as a group, compensation is calculated and paid per individual, so don't let the airline bundle it into one vague promise to "sort it out."
3. Get the airline's reference number for each claim. This is what you'll need if you have to escalate later.
4. Refunds on cancelled tickets go through the airline's own refund cycle, whether the ticket was booked via GDS, the airline's B2B portal, or an OTA. Your job is to confirm the client's payment method and follow up, not to refund it yourself unless your agency collected the fare and hasn't yet remitted it to the airline.

How do you file an AirSewa complaint for clients?

If the airline doesn't resolve a compensation or refund claim within 30 days of the incident, escalate through the AirSewa portal, the DGCA's public grievance system for air travellers. File it using the client's PNR, the airline's own reference number from the counter, and copies of any written acknowledgment from step one above. Typical resolution once a complaint is logged is 15 to 30 days, so this is not a same-day fix, which is exactly why you tell the client upfront that AirSewa is the 30-day backup plan, not the first move.

Filing it yourself, on the client's behalf, with all the documentation already assembled, is the single highest-value thing you can do here. It's the difference between "the agency abandoned us with the airline" and "the agency is still fighting for our refund a month later."

The WhatsApp scripts: what to send at each stage

Copy these as-is and fill in the brackets. Sending the right message at the right moment, before the client asks, is what turns a delay into a trust-builder instead of a complaint.

Stage 1: Delay confirmed, under 2 hours

Hi [Name], just confirming [Airline] flight [number] is delayed by
approx [X] mins, new departure [time]. Nothing needed from your side
right now, I'm tracking it and will update you the moment there's a
change. -- [Your name/agency]

Stage 2: Delay crosses 2 hours

Update on flight [number]: delay has crossed 2 hours, which means
[Airline] is required to provide meals/refreshments at the airport.
Please ask the [Airline] counter staff for this if it hasn't been
offered yet -- you're entitled to it. I'm staying on this and will
update you on the next milestone.

Stage 3: Overnight or 6+ hour delay (hotel entitlement)

This delay is now past 6 hours, so [Airline] owes overnight hotel
accommodation under DGCA rules. Please ask the counter for this --
if they hesitate, mention it's a DGCA CAR requirement, not optional.
I'm also following up with [Airline] on my end. Will confirm your
revised departure as soon as I have it.

Stage 4: Denied boarding / cancellation

I know this is frustrating. Here's exactly what happens next:
1. [Airline] owes compensation for the denied boarding -- I'm getting
   this filed in writing at the counter today.
2. If a full refund applies instead, that comes from [Airline]
   directly; I'll track it and chase them if it's delayed.
3. I'll send you the claim reference number today so you have it too.
I'm on this until it's resolved.

Stage 5: Claim filed, waiting period

Quick update: I've filed the compensation/refund claim with [Airline],
reference [number]. Their standard timeline is 30 days before we can
escalate to the DGCA's AirSewa portal. I'm tracking the date and will
push them, and escalate myself if it isn't resolved by [date].

Stage 6: Resolved

Good news -- [Airline] has processed the [compensation/refund] of
₹[amount], which should reflect in [X] days. Thanks for your patience
through the delay. Let me know once it lands and I'll close this out
on my end.

Sending stage 1 and 2 unprompted, before the client thinks to ask, is what separates an agency that handled the crisis from one that just booked the ticket. It's the same instinct behind answering client questions before they're asked in your pre-trip document checklist, applied mid-disruption instead of before departure.

The one-page compensation table to forward clients

Forward this table directly to a client who wants to know what they're owed, without you having to retype the rules every time.

Situation	What's owed	From whom	Typical timeline
Delay 2+ hours	Meals/refreshments	Airline, at airport	Immediate
Delay 6+ hours or overnight	Hotel accommodation	Airline, at airport	Immediate
Denied boarding, rebooked within 24 hrs	200% of basic fare + fuel surcharge, capped ₹10,000	Airline	At airport or via claim form
Denied boarding, rebooked beyond 24 hrs	400% of basic fare + fuel surcharge, capped ₹20,000	Airline	Via claim form
Cancelled ticket, any booking channel	Full fare refund	Airline	Airline's own refund cycle
Claim unresolved after 30 days	Escalation via AirSewa	DGCA	15-30 days from filing

Denied boarding figures above are as currently reported for DGCA CAR Section 3, Series M: confirm with the airline or a current CAR copy before relying on them in writing.

Common questions

Does the travel agent have to pay the refund if a flight is cancelled?

No. Whether the ticket was booked through your agency, a B2B portal, or the airline directly, the refund obligation sits with the airline, not the booking channel. Your role is to chase it on the client's behalf and keep them updated, not to fund it out of your own account, unless your agency is holding fare money it hasn't yet remitted to the airline.

How long does an airline refund through a travel agent actually take?

There's no single DGCA-mandated number in the sourced rules here beyond the 30-day window before AirSewa escalation applies, so treat 30 days as the outer limit before you escalate, not the expected timeline for every refund. Push the airline for a firmer date at the time you file the claim, and set that expectation with the client rather than promising a specific number upfront.

What's the fastest way to file an AirSewa complaint for clients?

Have the airline's own claim reference number and any written acknowledgment from the airport counter ready before you go to the AirSewa portal, since the complaint moves faster with a specific PNR, airline reference, and dated paper trail attached rather than a general description of what happened.

The short version

• Airlines owe meals/refreshments past 2 hours of delay, and hotel accommodation past 6 hours or overnight, under DGCA rules; get this in writing at the counter, don't just take a verbal promise.
• Denied boarding compensation is 200% of basic fare and fuel surcharge (capped ₹10,000) if rebooked within 24 hours, or 400% (capped ₹20,000) beyond that, as reported for the current DGCA CAR; a draft amendment may raise the higher cap to ₹30,000 but confirm before quoting it.
• Refunds on agent-booked, cancelled tickets are the airline's obligation, not yours; your job is to file and chase, not to fund it.
• File compensation claims at the airport counter the same day, per passenger, with a written airline reference number.
• If the airline doesn't resolve a claim in 30 days, escalate through AirSewa; typical resolution after that is 15-30 days.
• Send the WhatsApp update before the client asks for it. That single habit is what makes a flight delay a trust-builder instead of a complaint you inherit.
• Keep every claim reference number and acknowledgment on file. It's what makes escalation, and your own post-trip review ask, a lot easier once the dust settles.