How I Got My Airline Refund After 100+ Days And How You Can Too

It Started With a Simple Cancellation

I cancelled a flight ticket. That should have been the end of it. A few days wait, a refund back to my account, and life moves on. But what followed was over 100 days of emails, calls, complaints, contradictions, excuses, and frustration that tested every bit of my patience.

I booked a round-trip ticket with an Indian airline through an online travel agency. The ticket cost me the equivalent of INR 38,364. After cancelling the booking as per the airline’s own policy, I waited for the refund. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. And every time I reached out, I got a different answer from a different person.

The airline said the money was sent. The travel agency said they never received it. I was stuck in the middle with no refund and no clear answers.

After 100 plus days, six formal complaints, multiple escalations, and a lot of persistence, I got my money back. Every single rupee.

This article is for every passenger who has ever been in this situation or is in it right now. I am going to walk you through exactly what I did, what worked, what did not, and what you must know before giving up.

Why Airline Refunds Get Stuck

Before getting into the process, it helps to understand why this happens in the first place.

When you book a flight directly with an airline, the refund process is relatively straightforward. But when you book through an online travel agency, which most of us do because of better prices or convenience, there is an extra layer. Your money goes from you to the travel agency, and the travel agency pays the airline. When a refund happens, it has to travel the same chain in reverse. The airline refunds the agency, and the agency refunds you.

This is where things fall apart. If the airline delays releasing the funds, the agency cannot refund you. And if the agency does not chase the airline hard enough, the money sits somewhere in the middle. As the passenger you are last in the chain and often the least prioritized.

In my case there was also what the airline later admitted was a bank error. The first transfer simply did not go through. But instead of proactively informing me or the travel agency, nothing happened for months.

The Complete Refund Process Step by Step

Here is what the process should look like, and what you need to do when it does not go as expected.

Step 1: Cancel Your Ticket and Get Written Confirmation

The moment you cancel, make sure you receive a cancellation confirmation email. Save this. This is your starting document. It should clearly state the cancellation date, the refund amount, and the expected timeline. If you do not receive this email within 24 hours, contact the airline or agency and ask for it in writing.

Step 2: Wait for the Standard Refund Window

Most Indian airlines process refunds within 7 to 21 working days for credit card bookings. If you booked through a travel agency, add another 5 to 7 working days on top of that for the agency to process it on their end. So in total you are looking at roughly 30 days in a normal scenario.

Do not panic within this window. But the moment this window passes with no credit, start documenting everything.

Step 3: Contact Both the Airline and the Travel Agency

As soon as the standard window passes with no refund, contact both parties separately. Do not rely on one to speak to the other. Send a written email to both on the same day and keep copies of everything.

In your email mention your booking reference number, the cancellation date, the refund amount, and the timeline that has passed. Ask for a written update on the status of your refund within 48 hours.

Step 4: File a Complaint on AirSewa

AirSewa is the official grievance portal of India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation. If you are dealing with an Indian airline this is one of the most effective tools available to passengers.

Go to airsewa.gov.in and register your complaint. You will receive a case ID. Note this down carefully. In your complaint clearly state your booking details, the cancellation date, the refund amount, and every contact you have had with the airline and agency up to that point.

The DGCA monitors these complaints and airlines are required to respond. It does not always resolve things immediately but it creates an official paper trail that becomes very powerful later.

Step 5: Escalate to the DGCA Grievance Portal and PG Portal

If AirSewa does not produce results within two to three weeks, escalate to the DGCA grievance portal directly. You can also file on the Government of India’s Public Grievances portal at pgportal.gov.in. These platforms put your complaint in front of higher regulatory authorities and airlines take them more seriously than customer care emails.

Step 6: Demand the ARN Number

This is the step most passengers never take, and it is the most important one.

ARN stands for Acquirer Reference Number. It is a unique transaction ID that is generated every time money is transferred between banks. If the airline claims they have processed your refund, they must be able to provide this number. Without it their claim is just words.

Write a firm email to the airline demanding the ARN or UTR (Unique Transaction Reference) number for the refund transfer. Tell them you need this to trace the transaction with your bank or travel agency. If they cannot provide it, the transfer likely never happened.

In my case I had to file six AirSewa complaints and multiple follow-ups before the airline finally provided the ARN number. The moment I had it, I gave it to the travel agency and within days the refund was confirmed and processed.

Step 7: Push the Travel Agency to Trace the Payment

Once you have the ARN from the airline, go back to the travel agency and give them this number. Ask them to trace the exact transaction using this reference. A legitimate ARN will show exactly where the money went and on what date.

If the travel agency confirms they received the funds using the ARN trace, ask them for a credit timeline. If they say they have not received it even with the ARN, go back to the airline with this confirmation and escalate further.

Step 8: Send a Legal Notice if Nothing Works

If you have exhausted all the above steps and still have no refund, the next step is a formal legal notice to the airline and travel agency. This is a written document stating that you intend to file a consumer court complaint if the refund is not credited within 15 days.

You do not need a lawyer to send this. You can write it yourself and send it via email and registered post. Mention all your complaint IDs, the total number of days delayed, and the exact amount you are claiming including compensation for harassment.

Airlines and agencies often resolve at this stage because they want to avoid consumer court.

Step 9: File in Consumer Court

If the legal notice is ignored, file a complaint with the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in India. The filing fee for a claim under INR 50 lakh is only around INR 200. You can file online at edaakhil.nic.in.

You can claim not just the refund amount but also interest from the date of cancellation, compensation for mental harassment, and legal costs. With documented evidence consumer court cases like this are usually decided in the passenger’s favour.

If you are an overseas passenger like me and cannot appear in person, you can authorize a family member or trusted person in India through a Power of Attorney to file and appear on your behalf.

What I Did Differently That Made the Difference

Looking back at my 100 plus day fight, a few things made the real difference.

I never stopped asking for everything in writing. Every phone call I followed up with an email summarizing what was said. Every promise I asked to be confirmed in writing. This meant I had a complete paper trail that no one could deny.

I filed complaints on every available platform simultaneously. AirSewa, DGCA, PG Portal. Each one added pressure from a different direction. Airlines cannot ignore all of them.

I identified the real chain of responsibility. Midway through I discovered my booking was not just through the travel agency I knew but through a third party called Gotogate operating in partnership with them. Once I understood this I was able to target the right party with the right demands.

I demanded the ARN number specifically. This was the breakthrough. Until I had this number everyone could keep blaming each other. Once I had it the trace was clear and the money was located within days.

I gave clear deadlines in every communication. Not vague follow-ups but specific dates. If the refund is not received by this date I will take this specific action. This changed the tone entirely.

The Excuses Airlines and Agencies Will Give You

In over 100 days I heard every excuse in the book. The refund was processed but the bank has not updated yet. The travel agency has not confirmed receipt. There is a high volume of requests. There is a technical issue. And at one point I was even told that a war situation was causing delays for a refund that was already 90 days old before the conflict even started.

Do not accept vague excuses. Every time you receive one, respond with a specific question. What is the transaction reference number? When exactly was the transfer initiated? Which bank was it sent to? Specific questions are much harder to deflect than general complaints.

Documents You Must Save Throughout This Process

Save every cancellation confirmation email. Save every reply from the airline and travel agency no matter how generic. Save every AirSewa and grievance portal case ID. Save any call details including the date, time, and number that called you. Save chat transcripts immediately after the chat ends before they expire. Save bank notifications even partial ones. Save the ARN number the moment you receive it.

These documents together form an unbreakable case. Without them you are just a passenger making claims. With them you are a complainant with evidence.

Final Thoughts

Getting a refund from an airline should not require six complaints, three regulatory portals, 100 plus emails, and months of fighting. But sometimes it does. And when it does, the only thing that separates passengers who get their money back from those who give up is persistence and documentation.

I got my full refund of INR 38,364 after 105 days. Not because the system worked smoothly. But because I refused to stop until it did.

If you are in this situation right now, do not give up. File the complaints. Demand the ARN. Give deadlines. And know that the law is on your side.

You paid for that ticket. That money is yours.