The issue came to light after Kanika Mohan Saxena, a Mumbai-based executive, alleged that nearly ₹40,000 was deducted from her refund despite the airline cancelling her itinerary twice. Sharing her experience on LinkedIn, Saxena raised questions about airline refunds and aggregator accountability.
According to Saxena, she had booked return tickets from Mumbai to Bali for travel in July, paying around ₹1.03 lakh for the reservation. However, she was later informed that the original flight had been cancelled and replaced with an alternative itinerary involving an 18-hour layover, which she described as “not viable”.
Saxena said she was initially told that no suitable alternative flights were available. However, after identifying other options through her travel agent, she was rebooked on a different route via Singapore. That itinerary, too, was reportedly cancelled a few days later.
Following this, Saxena mentioned that she was assured that she would receive a full refund since the changes had been initiated by the airline. However, she received a message indicating that only ₹67,334 will be refunded. “Today, I received notification that only ₹67,500 would be refunded against a booking value of approximately ₹1,00,000, with the balance deducted as charges and fees,” she wrote.
IndiGo responded to the post, stating that a full refund had been initiated for the booking and advising the customer to coordinate with the booking platform to receive the amount.
MakeMyTrip, meanwhile, said it was validating the matter with the airline and would provide an update after completing its verification process. “We are validating all the details with the airline. Kindly allow us 2-3 days and we’ll get back to you with an amicable solution,” it said.
How airline refunds work
The incident has also drawn attention to a common point of confusion among travellers: who is responsible for refunds when flights are cancelled. In general, if an airline cancels a flight, passengers are typically entitled to either an alternative booking or a full refund, depending on the circumstances.
“If your flight is cancelled or rescheduled from our end, you can use Plan B to change the time and/or date of your flight, or cancel and process a refund, at no additional cost,” as per the IndiGo website.
In cases where passengers voluntarily cancel their bookings, airlines typically levy cancellation charges that vary based on the fare type and the time remaining before departure.
Meanwhile, for tickets booked through travel agencies, airlines typically issue refunds to the agency’s account on cancellation of the booking. “Passengers will have to contact the concerned agency directly to claim their refund,” according to IndiGo.
