It had been a long time since I last traveled by air. I usually prefer trains, but this time, due to an urgent situation and the complete non-availability of train tickets—even Tatkal—I had no option but to choose air travel.
I have already shared my full journey experience in my post “Airport Stories”, where I described the difficulties I faced and some new and unexpected things I observed. In this post, however, I want to focus on a very important and often ignored topic: airline refunds—how long airlines make us wait for our own money, and how much they deduct as cancellation charges, sometimes even when the mistake is not ours.
The Reality of Airline Refunds
Hello brothers and sisters,
Today I am here to share my personal experiences regarding refund processes of different Indian airlines. These experiences clearly show how different airlines handle customer complaints, refunds, and accountability.
Air India: Helpful Staff, Complicated Refunds
During my interaction with Air India, I found the ground staff to be quite helpful and cooperative. However, my experience with their refund process was disappointing.
Due to an error on the airline’s part, I was unable to board my flight. Despite this, I did not receive a full refund. After multiple emails and follow-ups, the airline still deducted ₹25 without providing any clear justification. The amount may seem small, but the principle matters—especially when the mistake was not made by the passenger.
This contrast I found between helpful staff and cunning financial department under one umbrella
SpiceJet: No Response Until Escalation
Among all airlines, SpiceJet gave me the most frustrating experience initially. I tried contacting them through multiple official email IDs listed on their website. I sent emails and waited for four days, but there was absolutely no response.
Eventually, I filed a complaint on AirSewa, a government grievance portal. Only after this step did I receive a response—interestingly, from the same nodal officer whose email ID I had already contacted from day one. After the complaint, SpiceJet processed a full refund, which shows that escalation sometimes becomes necessary.
IndiGo: Responsive but Slow Refunds
IndiGo Airlines stood out in terms of customer communication. Their customer care team attended my calls and responded properly. However, despite this responsiveness, I still had to wait up to 14 days to receive my refund.
While this may fall within their stated policy, it still feels unreasonable when passengers are waiting for their own money.
Final Thoughts
These experiences made me realize that airline refund policies are often more stressful than the journey itself. While some airlines respond quickly only after escalation, others communicate well but take a long time to process refunds.
As passengers, we deserve transparency, accountability, and timely refunds—especially when cancellations or missed flights happen due to the airline’s own mistakes.
I hope sharing these experiences helps fellow travelers stay informed and prepared.
| Airlines | Refund Amount | Timeline | Customer care Response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indigo | Full | 14 days | responded, but late refund |
| SpiceJet | Full | 5 days | no response and no pickup of calls, but got refund after complaining at AirSewa |
| AirIndia | 425 rs deduction, after acknowleging, still, deduct 25 rs | 4 days | responded, but registering complaint is difficult, but possible through conversation |
Hello readers, share your valuable feedback with us, and don't forget to share your exprience and your sufferings during refund
Very helpful
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