Flight ticket refund alert! Travel agents get relief from this latest step of airlines
The latest move by some airlines is likely to come as a relief for travel agents as the latter would now have the flexibility to return the flight ticket refunds to customers. According to travel portal EaseMyTrip.Com, IndiGo, AirAsia have started giving ticket refunds in travel agents' accounts. "IndiGo and AirAsia India have started crediting air ticket refunds into the accounts of travel agents instead of retaining money in credit shells," EaseMyTrip.Com said.
Credit shell is like a wallet where the refund amount is used for future bookings.
"All passengers who want refund instead of credit shell would be refunded. Currently, AirAsia has done specifically with EaseMyTrip.Com and we have refunded money to customers in their bank account, even though we were getting money from AirAsia in our ticketing wallet," says EaseMyTrip.Com CEO Nishant Pitti.
Pitti said the two carriers have now given the option to travel agents to either give refund to customers or keep the money in a credit shell. Prior to the lockdown, the two airlines allowed refunds to be held only in a credit shell for customers.
Pitti adds, "Other companies are refunding money in their own wallet to customers. Now, IndiGo has also started refunding in our agency wallet balance, which we can use for buying fresh tickets with IndiGo, so we are refunding money to customers in their bank account."
Domestic flight services remained suspended for two months starting from March 25 in the wake of the nationwide lockdown to curb spreading of coronavirus infections. The flights resumed on May 25.