Showing posts with label Spicejet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spicejet. Show all posts

Monday, June 04, 2007

Low Cost Airlines and Cancellation refunds

Many who know me would know that I am not a fan of the customer-friendliness of the low cost airlines. If customer-friendliness is kind of a 'low-cost' compromise, I fail to understand the complex refund mechanism of Spicejet on cancellations.

I had to cancel two air tickets - coincidentally one of Air deccan and one of Spicejet. My Air deccan ticket was of Rs.1999. On cancellation, I was surprised to know they deducted only Rs.50 (transaction fee) for the cancellation - which to me is very good. I was hoping for a similar windfall at Spicejet - but there was none. On the ticket amount of Rs.2524, Rs.600 was charged as Cancellation fee. 25% of the fare as cancellation fee! I had no option but to convince myself that Rs.600 is for ogling at the lady at the counter. But to my surprise I was informed by the prospective Khushboo that the amount of Rs.1924 would be credited to my account with Spicejet and can be used within a year for future bookings. Account at Spicejet?! I thought I had an account with ICICI, used their credit card for booking the ticket. I did not open any account - I do not know whether I will travel by air in the next one year - let alone travelling by Spicejet, why on earth am I not getting the refund. I showed the Air deccan refund ticket to the counter damsel, "Sorry sir, I follow the procedure". To add salt to the wound, I was told that any difference in fare for the future booking would be extra.

• Rs.600 as cancellation charge
• Refund amount not given
• For future bookings in the same route also, I may have to pay extra

Low cost airlines, indeed, are lowly. May be just another way to cheat.

Update: Later in the day I travelled by Jet Airways flight 9W 842 (from Kolkata to Chennai on May 31), I was shocked to hear that they ran out Vegetarian meals - God only knows what a full service means!