Air India free cancellation to Delhi passengers on fog delays

Dense fog in northern India has disrupted flight operations at the Delhi airport in the past 48 hours. In a move that may come as a reprieve to the affected passengers, Air India today announced that passengers flying to and from Delhi airport during the winter season will be allowed to reschedule or cancel bookings at no extra cost if their flight is likely to be affected by major fog delays.

The move is a continuation of the FogCare initiative introduced last winter. The airline will provide proactive assistance to affected passengers and offer them easy options to reschedule or cancel their ticket at no extra cost, a release from the carrier says.

“The FogCare initiative is a sincere effort to minimise inconvenience to guests whose flights are likely to get affected by fog. It will also help maintain network schedule integrity,” says Rajesh Dogra, chief customer experience officer, Air India. Passengers of these flights will be kept updated with flight-specific advisories and offered easy options in advance to ease their travel experience, the release adds.

On Wednesday, over one hundred domestic and international flights (both arrivals and departures) were delayed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. A couple of flights were diverted to Jaipur in the last 48 hours.

An advisory from the Delhi airport, meanwhile, says, “While landing and take-offs continue at Delhi airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected. Passengers requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.”

The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a dense fog advisory for Punjab, Delhi, UP, and Haryana as well. “Fog likely to become more dense and very likely to extend to more parts of Uttar Pradesh & north Rajasthan and some parts of extreme north Madhya Pradesh,” it said.